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The Calderwood Mother and Children Centre Jamaica

Christiene Walford-Wilmot, the centre manager, is the JP (Justice of Peace) of Calderwood District St. Ann in Jamaica and a BSC Educator with forty years teaching experience in primary and early learning. She is a member of the St. Ann Retired Teachers’ Association, Vice Chair of the Grant’s Mountain Primary and Infant School, St. Ann and the Women’s President in her church. 

As the Manager for the Calderwood MaC (Mother and Children) Centre my main role is to create a safe learning environment for the children to develop core skills in readiness for starting school. Working with the mothers to help develop their parenting skills and encourage interacting with their children is also a key responsibly. I demonstrate and assist them in using the resources and educational materials to ensure their children are given the best support to begin discovering and exploring their senses, while developing core motor skills. 

Jamaica has the third lowest adult literacy rate in the Caribbean, so engaging the children in books and encouraging the mothers to read with their children plays an important part of the centre’s objectives. The MaC Centre is a hub that is bringing the community closer together in providing a common learning environment where parents can share strengths and weaknesses. Our aim is to create a holistic lifestyle giving parents an opportunity to access a variety of learning resources that will contribute to all aspects of their children’s development. 

The MaC Centre is generating a great deal of interest and support within the community. Young parents, especially mothers, are looking to the centre to support them with setting up online accounts and help develop their IT, literacy and employability skills. Local people have been suggesting ways to raise funds to help the centre move to its next phase of supporting the elderly and SEN members of the community and provide a safe space for young people to study with text books and internet access. 

I believe the MaC Centre has been a lifeline for many citizens living in Calderwood, especially the young mothers and their children. I feel blessed to be part of this incredible initiative and honoured to play my part in promoting its facilities and benefits to the wider community. 

The Calderwood MaC (Mother and Children) Centre was founded in July 2020 by Evadne Bygrave in memory of her late father, Egbert George Bygrave, who built the centre for the Calderwood community in 1996.
Steve Sinnott Foundation • March 25, 2021
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