Project Overview

STRUCTURE The school is a faith-based organization incorporated into and guided by the Early Childhood Unit of the Ministry of Education. As such it is guided by the approved curricular of the Ministry and our teachers have access to its professional and developmental courses and seminars. NATURE OF OPERATION The school establishes a setting that provides developmentally appropriate care, stimulation, education and socialization for the three to six- year old children, mainly from the community. It also acts as an outreach arm of the Jones Town Church of God in establishing biblical standards among our children. BACKGROUND INFORMATION In 1951 Mrs. Fay Corothers started the school during the period that her husband served as pastor of the Jones Town Church of God. The school was then housed in a wooden structure with fifteen children and two teachers including Mrs. Corothers. When, in the 1959, she and her husband departed to England to study, the school employed three full time teachers, including a Principal and member of the church, Miss Dorcas Watson. The USAID Mission to Jamaica, in the mid 70’s, built a concrete structure to accommodate the increasing enrolment and the school received recognition from the Government as well as a small nutrition subsidy to assist with the feeding programme. The Church, in 1980, completed the construction of a multi-purpose building on its premises, where the school operated; thereby providing more space for the students along with a caretaker’s quarters on the upper floor. In the context of our growing financial challenges, we sought the help of the Early Childhood Commission. We then learned that the building standards for Basic Schools required that all classes be conducted on the ground floor, there needs to be separate bathrooms from those being used by the Church and we needed bathrooms and other features to cater for disabled children. To address these issues the school invited the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) to intervene. They concluded that it was not feasible to retrofit the building to attain the required standards; rather, a new structure would be preferable. Fortunately, the Church has a small property at 4 Price Street –close to the Church-- and JSIF, from it Poverty Reduction Programme, had funds which they were willing to use to build a new structure which satisfies Early Childhood building standards. This J$ 19m construction and equipping project, a joint effort with JSIF, the European Union, and the Church of God in Jamaica started July 2014, was completed November 2014 and was handed over to the school June, 2016. OBJECTIVES The educational goals the school has set is that each child, having spent three years at the school, shall achieve age appropriate mastery in reading, writing, and arithmetic. TEAM For this the following personnel will be involved: • The Chairman • The vice chairman • 3 teachers (salaried) • Nutrition /Health coordinator (volunteer) • 2 ancillary workers (salaried) • Administrative volunteer (stipend)

Executive Summary

The Jones Town Church of Basic School also known in the Ministry of Education as the Jones Town Early Childhood Development Centre is a social outreach ministry of the church. It provides developmentally appropriate care, stimulation, education and socialization for children, mainly from the community, from three years to six years of age. These children are engaged for at least six hours per day for five days each week. Parents/ guardians pay a minimal fee. The students are grouped into three classes: Class 1, for the three year olds; Class2, for the four year olds; Class 3, for the five year olds. They then leave for Primary School. Currently, the three classes are being served by two teachers; a situation that we need to correct with urgency. Over the years, the parents/guardians who are satisfied with the educational level of their children who leave our school after three years, serve to advertise the school to other parents. Therefore our aim is to continue to teach with excellence so all may learn. In spite of our effort to lift the teaching quality we are far behind in our current financial state. Even with the increased school fee to J$ 8,000.00 / student /term there will be need for successful fund raising efforts to provide the funds needed for 2023-24. The 44% increase in the national minimum wage effective July 2023 will pose a huge challenge to the finances of the school. This moves the amount to J$13,000.00 (approx. US$86.67) per week. For the new term which begins in September 2023 we are aiming to return to the pre COVID19 enrolment of 35-40 students but we will have to increase our present teaching staff to three. The Church which has been granting financial assistance to the school to date will not be able to continue at its present level of J$ 450,000.00 yr. The school will be seeking to receive from the Church J$ 240,000.00. The estimated salary of the additional teacher is $ 720,000.00 yr. The amount we are seeking is One Million (J$1M) for the 2023-2024 academic year. The most experienced teacher in the team, Mrs. Sylvia Knight-Doyle will continue to coordinate and lead the teaching staff.

Funds Required