App | EARLY CHILDHOOD COMMISSION

We’ve got the App for Christmas!

Posted on December 16, 2019 by The ECC Blog Spot

Christmas ah come, mi waan mi lama! Yes, everyone, Christmas is just around the corner and if you have a smartphone or tablet on your Christmas list, we have just the App for you!

We wrote about the 1^st 1000 Days App in an earlier post, as an introduction of what is to come. Well, the App was released today and is available for download in the Google Play Store and coming soon for IPhone users. We are more than excited and you will be too when you download the App!

On 19^th November, the ECC launched the 1^st 1000 Days App at the Terra Nova Hotel in New Kingston, the launch was attended by the Minister of Education, Youth and Information, The Right Honourable Karl Samuda, the Japanese Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency Hiromasa Yamazaki, other dignitaries form the MOEYI, UNICEF, parenting partners of the ECC, NGOs and the press.

This App is the first of its kind in Jamaica and the Caribbean. It is a new frontier to parent support that has not yet been explored in this hemisphere. We are leveraging technology to reach parents where they are and to provide them with information that will enhance their parenting skills, improve their relationship with their children, and increase their knowledge of child development, that will ultimately result in the optimal development of our children.

What are some of the features of the App?

Track Your Child’s Development

The App will allow parents to track their children’s development with our built-in milestone tracker that follows the child as he or she develops.

Speak to Other Parents

A comforting factor for a lot of parents is to know that they are not alone, that there are parents who have experienced similar joys and pitfalls of parenting that you are now facing. To have your experiences acknowledged and to get advice from someone who has already been there, is very valuable. That’s why we felt it was necessary to provide parents with a platform on the App to share their experiences, to talk amongst themselves, and to give advice. This is the Forum which is a major feature of the App.

Learn New Things about Child Development

Parents will be able to get valuable information on all aspects of child development through articles and videos, which cover topics such as breastfeeding tips, behaviour management tips, information on the early days of pregnancy and how to care for your infants and toddlers, and more. There is a wealth of information that parents will have access to, that they can access in the comfort of their own homes and in their free time.

Find an ECI, BBC or Parent Place near You

The entire directory of early childhood institutions (ECIs) will be available on the App. Parents will be able to search for an ECI near them and to check the certification status of their children’s ECI. You will also be able to find a Brain Builder Centre (BBC) or a Parent Place near you. Are you a new mother is going back to work and is looking for the nearest day-care centre, nursery or Brain Builder to you? Have no fear, you’ll be able to get this information from the 1^st 1000 Days App.

There is so much more that this App will be able to offer parents and caregivers of young children, there isn’t enough space to tell you right here. You will have to download the App to find out more!

Let us know you get on with the 1st 1000 Days App!

The ECC is bringing the 1st 1000 Days to Your Mobile Phone!

Posted on August 30, 2019 by The ECC Blog Spot

The 1^st 1000 days of a child’s life…. sounds familiar? Certainly, it is not a new concept. It is the concept that is now guiding early childhood development research and practices world-wide. But what exactly are the 1^st 1000 days?

Global researchers and experts in child development have described the 1^st 1000 days as an important period of the child’s development when the foundations of physical, socio-emotional and neurological development are established. This period includes the nine months of pregnancy through to the first two years of a child’s life.

Why are the 1^st 1000 days so important?

The 1^st 1000 days are marked by rapid changes and development. In the brain, the formation of neural pathways is a special feature of this period. The brain, structured by these neural pathways, is important for the child’s cognitive functions, physical growth and socio-emotional development. These changes and development during those crucial weeks of pregnancy, are preparing the baby for life outside the womb. Although babies are born “pre-wired”, optimal development is not a given but is dependent on the baby’s carers and environment.

Did you know that babies are born with the capacity to understand any language spoken to them? However, as children grow and their linguistic abilities are influenced by the language(s) they are exposed to, they gradually lose their multi-lingual capability. Not that you cannot become multi-lingual later on in life – it’s just more difficult to learn a new language, let alone many.

Why the 1^st 1000 Days App?

The example above shows us how important it is for us to know and understand the basics of child development and what we need to do to support our children as they grow and develop. Parents are the gate-keepers of our society and as such the family is considered the first institution for every human being. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “the hands that rock the cradle, rule the world.” However powerful they are in their role as care-givers, parents can sometimes feel powerless to effectively execute that role. Like every institution, the family needs support. As the agency that is responsible for early childhood, it is our mandate to ensure that all Jamaica’s children are provided with the opportunities that will facilitate their optimal develop. The 1^st 1000 Days App is one aspect of our expression of this mandate. We will harness technology to support parents, in the comfort of their homes and in their free time, to provide them with the resources they need to strengthen their parenting skills and improve their knowledge of child development. This is a new approach to supporting parents and bringing to them the information they need.

More about the App

The App will be interactive and user friendly, targeting parents across the socio-economic landscape. As far as we know, it is the first of its kind, anywhere!

The App will feature resources and parenting tips, information on child development, child profiles with vaccination schedules, push notification and reminders for clinic appointments and much more. This App is the start of something new, a new frontier in parent support and we will not stop at the first 1000 days. While we are launching with the first 1000 days, the App will be updated with other stages of early childhood so that it will continue to be useful to parents beyond those early days.