The Early Childhood Education Programme in Jamaica caters to over 125,000 children in the age group 3-plus to 6 years, representing approximately 84 percent of the age cohort. The programme is provided through government infant schools, infant departments of all-age and primary schools, nursery and kindergarten departments of privately owned preparatory schools, and community basic schools. 
The Ministry of Education, the Bernard van Leer Foundation, and the Dudley Grant Memorial Trust pooled their efforts to carry out the large-scale Evaluation and Revitalization of the Jamaican Early Childhood Education Programme, with cooperation from the University of the West Indies, which housed the project. Implementation commenced September 1994. The three objectives were to
1. Evaluate the status and impact of the programme as it is currently, to determine the nature and scope of intervention required for its revitalization.
2. Implement a public education programme to rekindle and expand public awareness and commitment to Early Childhood Education.
3. Facilitate the revitalization of Early Childhood Education through a programme of targeted interventions based on the results of the evaluation and initiatives for sustainable development.