KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaican business leader Earl Jarrett has issued a compelling call to action for substantial investment in early childhood development, emphasizing its undeniable returns for national prosperity. The CEO and deputy chair of The Jamaica National Group underscored that the most crucial phase for cognitive and social development occurs before age five, making early education fundamental to building national human capacity.
Speaking at a special colloquium, Jarrett simultaneously urged employers to actively support maternal healthcare by facilitating prenatal clinic attendance for expectant mothers. The event honored the 110th birth anniversary of Dudley Grant, revered as the pioneering father of Jamaica’s early childhood education movement. Grant’s enduring educational philosophy—centered on play-based pedagogy and innovative use of low-cost materials—continues to influence contemporary teaching methodologies.
Jarrett highlighted Grant’s transformative ‘trashables to teachables’ approach, his collaborative partnerships with both corporate and academic sectors, and his profound impact on policy development and international practices. ‘He functioned as an apostle who gathered like-minded visionaries,’ Jarrett remarked. ‘He truly was the movement’s patriarch.’
The gathering facilitated strategic discussions on strengthening early childhood systems throughout the region, addressing critical themes including effective policy formulation, technology’s impact on developing minds, and building sectoral resilience. Jarrett stated these dialogues should ‘reaffirm or reframe societal attitudes toward young children,’ noting that a robust early educational framework establishes the foundation for a literate and compassionate society.
With Jamaica navigating significant contemporary challenges, Jarrett positioned child protection and preparation as central to national recovery efforts, describing children as ‘the present value of the nation’s future wealth.’ He emphasized the urgent need to ‘safeguard the youngest among us’ to develop essential human capacity for the coming three decades.
Concurrently, Education Minister Senator Dr. Dana Morris Dixon advocated for institutionalizing preparedness and resilience within early childhood education. Referencing lessons from Hurricane Melissa, she revealed collaborative efforts with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) to develop updated emergency guidelines specifically designed for early childhood institutions.
The minister cited widespread damage to school computer labs during recent hurricanes, stressing that disaster preparedness must transcend annual drills and become embedded in institutional culture. ‘We need to live and breathe preparedness—it must become our operational mindset,’ she asserted. The ministry is additionally examining curriculum revisions for teacher-training programs to incorporate mandatory crisis management and disaster risk reduction components.