Early childhood care and education important – Speaker

Speaker Hon. Dr Jiko Luveni commended the ‘Kindy @ the Park’ programme for continuing to promote and provide access to high quality early childhood care and education for the children of Fiji.

“The Kindy @ the Park event is a great way to showcase an ideal learning environment. Where they go and what they achieve as adults depends on how we look after them today. We have a collective and individual responsibility to maximize every learning opportunity and to teach by good example.

“I would encourage you all to take away from today the message that, by ensuring our youngest citizens are given the best possible start in life, we are investing in our country as a whole. These are the leaders of tomorrow.” Hon. Dr Luveni said.

Speaker thanked the organiser, Ms Analesi and her team for being the shining light and a beacon of hope for our future generations.

She also encouraged parents and other stakeholders to visit and learn about the importance of high quality education and proper health care for pre-school children.

“I am very encouraged to see that importance is also being given to hygiene and to diet, both of which play an essential role in ensuring that our children are able to thrive and to learn to their highest potential.

“I am delighted to see a breastfeeding corner.  Breast milk provides the best possible start in life and it is great to see mothers being supported and encouraged to feed their babies here in comfort, and with pride.

“Lest we forget, our children are asking us to leave this world for them, better than we found it and keep our environment clean and healthy for them,” Speaker added.

Ms Analesi Tuicaumia shared their vision of wanting to reach the whole of Fiji with this programme.

“Our commitment, as an early childhood educator, to see that the Government would reach, by 2030, SDG 4.2, which is to ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.

“Our goal is to reach every child because every child, whether they can pay for it, whether they are wanted or not wanted, whether they are being planned for or not, a child has the right to high quality early care and education and we provide access to the most vulnerable ones,” Ms Tuicaumia added.

‘Kindy @ the Park’ runs under the umbrella of ‘Child Benefit’, an organization which advocates the importance of early years at a national level.

It caters for children aged 0 to 8 years old during the Hibiscus Festival at the Vodafone Arena.

-End-