In this new section, the Caribbean Journal of Education is seeking to develop a conversation with Caribbean teachers about issues related to teaching and learning. We think there is a need for teachers to share their ideas, their successes, and their questions with other teachers and educators. Our aim is to publish articles by teachers, or articles that speak specifically to teachers, which challenge them to reflect on their practice or which share ideas on how they might improve teaching and learning.

The perceptions of 27 student teachers pursuing the Early Childhood Education Diploma Programme in two Jamaican teachers colleges were analysed to determine (1) their perception of the importance of the Educational Foundations and Professional Studies components of their programme and (2) how those helped them become effective teachers. Respondents revealed through questionnaires, journals, and informal interviews that they considered both the Educational Foundations and Professional Studies important.

There needs to be a balance between a child-centred and teacher-directed approach in education, where the learner is seen as a candle to be lit rather than a container to be filled. 
(Jonathan Stephens 1995:13) 
 
 
 
 

Over the last ten years the Jamaican Government has made a concerted effort to provide for early childhood education. This is evidenced by the development of a curriculum for ages 4 to 5 years and the recognition and support of basic schools as well as other independent schools within the overall education system. This paper investigates the quality of these provisions in a select sample of schools in terms of their effectiveness in fostering creative expression among early childhood pupils.

A critical dimension of children's early development is the acquisition of differentiated gender identities and the internalization and acceptance of corresponding sex-linked behaviours and roles. The gender identity and roles associated with each sex are not directly based on biological differences, but are culturally and socially constructed over time by a process which starts before birth, but intensifies from birth through the early years into young adulthood. 

The extent to which toys could be a factor in forming and perpetuating gender stereotypes in Jamaica is assessed. The vital importance of "male" and "female" toys and other play materials in learning gender roles and developing gender identity is examined. Data are obtained from (1) a survey of toys in a sample of well-known toy stores, and an assessment of these using specific criteria, and (2) interviews with purchasers of toys, and with children in the toy stores. 

Each centre in the case study identifying factors in quality child care was administered by one of the three sectors providing childcare services: government (Ministry of Health), non-governmental organization (Child Welfare League), and the private sector. 

In the past two decades, the demand for early childhood care and education has intensified orldwide. This demand has been influenced by rapidly changing social and demographic conditions. In the Caribbean region as elsewhere, more women are participating in the labour force for economic reasons: in two-parent families, rising cost of living and economic aspirations increasingly put pressure on both parents to work; single female heads of households have little option but to work in order to support their families.

I preface my remarks by congratulating you for your decision to commemorate, consolidate, and extend the life's work of a man I do not hesitate to refer to as a modern-day national hero—a man for our times, who not only dreamed the dream, but also took positive action in making it a reality. I am sure you will agree with me when I say that he served his country well. Our collective presence here today is itself a monument to the firm foundation he established with regard to the care and education of young children (see, for example, Grant 1982).

This issue of the Caribbean Journal of Education is dedicated to Dudley Ransford Brandyce (D. R. B.) Grant, fondly regarded in the English-speaking Caribbean as the “father of early childhood education”. Much of his working life was spent in advocacy for early childhood education in Jamaica, and indeed the wider Caribbean. He was indefatigable, his commitment unwavering, and his achievements phenomenal.