ECC expands positive-parenting support through Irie Homes Toolbox

The Early Childhood Commission (ECC) has trained a cadre of officers to deliver the Irie Homes Toolbox, a parenting programme designed to promote positive, non-violent child-rearing practices in communities across Jamaica.

The five-day workshop, held from September 14 to 18, was conducted by the ECC in collaboration with UNICEF Jamaica and Professor Helen Baker-Henningham and her team from The University of the West Indies’ Caribbean Institute for Health Research (CAIHR).

“The Irie Homes Toolbox is designed to equip parents and caregivers with practical strategies for supporting children’s development and responding positively to children’s behaviour. Through the Irie Homes Toolbox, the ECC is strengthening the capacity of its officers to take practical, positive and non-violent parenting strategies directly into communities,” the ECC said.

The training brought together the ECC’s community relations officers and manager, as well as Early Childhood Development (ECD) training and development officers. Participants were exposed to practical techniques they will use when working with parents and caregivers in communities.

The trained officers will now work with parents through an eight-week programme to be introduced at seven Parent Places, a ‘one-stop-shop’ for parenting information, skills training and support on effective parenting.

Officers will return to their respective regions equipped with the materials and knowledge needed to facilitate the programme. They will work directly with parents to apply the strategies covered during the capacity-building workshop.

Highlighting the importance of strengthening the ECC’s support for families, Nicole Morgan, manager of ECD training and development at the ECC, said: “ECC’s community relations officers and the ECD training and development officers have been trained in the Irie Homes Toolbox, which strengthens their capacity to support parents and caregivers in creating safe, nurturing and positive home environments for young children.”

The ECC said the training was intended not only to transfer knowledge to staff but also to strengthen the organisation’s ability to provide practical parenting support through its existing structures and services.

Shaunette Grant, community relations officer for ECC Region 7 in Clarendon, said the techniques introduced during the workshop were practical and designed to help parents better understand and respond to children’s behaviour.

“They are very practical, simple techniques that can be used and do not involve any violence. We are trying to help parents understand why their children are behaving the way they are and equip them with techniques to manage those behaviours,” she said.

The initiative strengthens the ECC’s capacity to support not only early childhood institutions but also parents, caregivers and children’s home environments. The expected outcomes include more positive interactions between parents and children, as well as stronger, safer and more nurturing home environments.

Professor Helen Baker-Henningham said the initiative was intended to enable the programme to reach increasing numbers of parents across Jamaica over time.

“The Irie Homes Toolbox is aimed at preventing violence against children, promoting positive caregiving practices, building children’s oral language and cognitive development, and strengthening their social-emotional competence,” she said.

She noted that the programme has already been evaluated, and described its integration into the ECC’s services as an important development.

“It’s great that the Early Childhood Commission is now picking up these programmes and delivering them as part of its routine services,” she said.

The ECC said work would also continue on the Irie Classroom Toolbox, a complementary teacher-training programme, through its ongoing partnership with Professor Baker-Henningham and other stakeholders.

The wider approach, the commission said, is to strengthen the environments in which young children develop by supporting the adults who interact with them, including parents, caregivers and early childhood practitioners.

The programme is being incorporated into the ECC’s existing services, creating opportunities to reach more parents across Jamaica over time.

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