PARADE LAUNCHES CHILD MONTH By John Denny (Charlestown, Nevis) – A seemingly endless stream of children wearing the outfits and uniforms of every profession found on Nevis paraded through the streets last Friday to mark the beginning of Child Month. Minister of Education and the Hon. Premier of Nevis, Joseph Parry and the Minister of Youth, the hon. Deputy Premier Hensley Daniel led the procession that highlighted this years theme “25 Years Educare, Parenting and Community Affairs,’to mark the 25th anniversary of the Early Childhood program on Nevis. Also in the procession was Advisor to Education, Mrs. Christine Springette, Permanent Secretary, Mr. Joseph Wiltshire and Principal Education Officer, Mrs. Lornette Queeley-Connor. A strong showing of interested parents and educators from St. Kitts joined in the March which started out at the Nevis Cultural Center and ended at Grove Park. The month of activities began Sunday, May 31, with a service at the Charlestown Methodist Church. At the service, the Premier asked parents to give their children the support they need and pointed out; children who have a good foundation in both education and values early in their life do much better as they grow into adults. Fathers being involved in their children’s lives are integral to forming a decent, well adjusted child, the Premier said. Other activities in celebration of Child Month will include a Dancamasing concert to be held on Tuesday, June 9th, at the Cultural Complex, a Tea Party at the Methodist Conference Hall on June 16th and a Fun Day on June 18th.The pre-schoolers, their parents and teachers are expected to join with the children in St. Kitts on Friday, June 26, in a national parade ending the month of activities. Early Childhood Unit co-coordinator in Antigua and Barbuda, Mrs. Earla Musgrave- Esdaille, said that St. Kitts and Nevis has the best Child Month program in the Caribbean, after a similar parade in Basseterre. Speaking to the Nevis Government Information Service in Basseterre after the Child Month parade that was graced by over 3,000 children, parents, grandparents and teachers culminated at Independence Square, Mrs. Musgrave-Esdaille noted that she was in the Federation to look at, and learn from its Child Month program. She commented that she was very impressed by the very large number of children who took part in the parade that had started at Greenlands, snaking through Basseterre’s Business District bringing it to a complete standstill, and ended with a picnic at the Independence Square. “I did not realize that St. Kitts has so many little children, but it has given me ideas,’said the Antiguan Early Childhood Unit co-coordinator, who noted as part of their Child Month program, held in November, they have never had a parade. Mrs. Musgrave-Esdaille said that a five-person delegation had visited the Federation June 8 to 10. “The main purpose of our visit then, apart from Child Month, was to look at the program because we have learnt that St. Kitts and Nevis has about the best program in the Caribbean, from UNICEF’s rating, but activities were rained out.”She was the only one who returned to St. Kitts for the parade. She said that she had a tentative program for their Child Month in November, which she was to discuss with Mrs. Vanta Walters, and indicated that the St. Kitts and Nevis” Early Childhood Development Unit co-coordinator has been invited to Antigua for the Child Month activities. Antigua had planned to have a march involving school children with a route that would take them to the Recreation Ground and have a little program thereafter. “But the idea of children staying on and having a picnic is something we could take on board, because I look at what was going on today, and I realized that the children are enjoying themselves with the picnic in the open.”St. Kitts and Nevis” Early Childhood Development Unit co-coordinator Mrs. Vanta Walters said that the parade was the last major function in the month of activities for this year’s Child Month. “I am very pleased at the outcome of the parade and the whole month in general. The whole month was very successful.”The over 3,000 children, parents and teachers from St. Kitts were joined by a contingent of over 200 children, parents and teachers from Nevis, led by Ms Viola Anthony, who is co-coordinating Child Month activities in Nevis, in the absence of Mrs. Florence Moving, the Early Childhood Co-coordinator in the Nevis Island Administration. “I am very pleased about the overall performance of the children today and the general support that we have gotten from teachers, parents and the general public,”observed Mrs. Walters. “I am also always amazed at how these children and their teachers and the parents can interpret the theme each year, as they are reflected in the costumes, the headpieces the placards and the dress pieces.”Child Month activities continue this week with an appreciation day, when the teachers will receive gifts and ‘thank you” cards from parents and the general public. The community, commented Mrs. Walters, will show their appreciation for what the teachers have done to their children over the years and especially this particular school year. According to Mrs. Walters, the public library in Basseterre has mounted an exhibition to heighten awareness of the Child Month. “They have dedicated a corner especially to Child Month. For the entire month they had this corner there displaying Child Month T-shirt over the years, pamphlets, posters and our photo albums.”
