(CMR) The Ministry of Education is advising parents to only enroll their infants, toddlers, and young children in registered Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Centers.
Further to The Education Act 2016, all ECCE Centers must be registered by the Education Council. There are currently eighteen early childhood care and education institutions registered with Education Council.
“Although Centers are required to be registered, the Ministry of Education and other regulatory bodies have noticed the emergence of a few unregistered early childhood Centers over the past few months and taken the necessary action to close these facilities,” said MoE Acting Chief Officer, Mr. Joel Francis.
“Notwithstanding their closure, we urge parents to only enroll their children in registered Centers as registration is the sole guarantee that an institution meets the minimum teaching, learning, and safety requirements set out by the Ministry of Education,” Mr. Francis added.
Acknowledging that some parents utilize the services of unregistered institutions because they are less expensive, the Acting Chief Officer encouraged parents of Caymanian children needing early childhood assistance to take advantage of available funding by applying to the Early Childhood Assistance Program (ECAP) to supplement childcare costs.
Mr. Francis also reminded parents seeking to enroll their children in ECCE to tour the institution beforehand to observe the environment to ensure that it suits their family's needs.
Detailed guidance about choosing an early childhood center is available on the Ministry of Education's website at https://www.gov.ky/education/departments-units/early-childhood-care-and-education-unit.
For further inquiries, the public can email the ECCE Unit.
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