Childcare professionals in HighScope training.

SABA:—Twelve participants of the daycare, afterschool care, and kindergarten on Saba are taking part in a two-week HighScope training, provided by HighScope trainer Karalyn Huey from Michigan in the US.
In January last year, the group participated in the first part of the training. In October 2020, part two of the training was held in an online session. Parts three and four are taking place from May 24 to June 4.
The content of the training is about active learning, adult-child interaction, the learning environment, daily routine, and assessment. The central belief of the HighScope approach is that children construct their own learning by being involved and by working with materials, people and ideas. Children are guided to explore, interact and exercise their creative imagination through purposeful play.
The HighScope training contributes to improving the quality of childcare, both at the daycare and at the afterschool care, and to improve the smooth transition from daycare to kindergarten, explained BES(t)4Kids Saba coordinator Rosalyn Johnson. The HighScope training is financed through the BES(t)4Kids, a program to improve childcare in the Caribbean Netherlands.
The participants, including a pedagogical worker from St. Eustatius, are learning about interaction with children, how to empower children to make decisions for themselves, and the importance of routines and activities for children.
Huey said she was very happy to be on Saba to facilitate the training. “Teachers have the power to change the trajectory of a child’s life. Using the HighScope approach to fidelity ensures that it will be changed for the better! I am honored to be a part of this project, and I am excited about the positive difference that using this curriculum will make for the teachers, children, and families of Saba,” she said.