BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – JUNE is the official month to celebrate Early Childhood Development and the month was officially launched on May 29 at the Independence Square with an afternoon of activities.
Vanta Walters, National Coordinator for the Early Childhood Development Unit which is responsible for all activities related to children zero to five years old, said that as they reached the milestone in celebrating 25 years, they wanted to begin the month with an innovation.
“I want to encourage the public to take part to the fullest as they normally would, especially for this year’s Child Month where we celebrate 25 years,” she said.
A number of activities are also planned for the entire month which includes a new addition.
Minister of Education Hon. Sam Condor officially opened Child Month during a radio broadcast on May 31, while a church service was held in Nevis.
Today (June 2) is Promotional Day in which flyers and book marks will be distributed throughout St. Kitts and Nevis while a programme will be held on Von Radio’s “Let’s Talk” programme.
On June 4, there will be a Basseterre East and West Fun Day beginning at 2:00 p.m., while a Parade and T-shirt Day is scheduled for Nevis on June 5.
There will be a Staff Church Service at the St. George’s Anglican Church at 4:00 p.m. on June 7, and on June 9 there will be a Tag Day in St. Kitts and Nevis and a Concert in Nevis.
Rural West and Rural East will host their Fun Days on June 11 and June 12 respectively. Both events will commence at 10:00 a.m.
Art and Craft will be held on June 15 in St. Kitts and in Nevis on June 16 along with a Tea Party.
Also showcasing at Carnival City in St. Kitts on June 16 will be one of the new additions to the month, which is dubbed “Silvo Festivio” (Silver Festival).
Walters said instead of the usual concert, they decided to organise this event that will feature nine segments.
The segments include Fanfasia, which is a fanfare; Hooray Headresses will showcase creative hats; Kreative Kostumes showcasing costumes; and Poetic Proclamation showcasing children reciting poems created especially for the 25th Anniversary.
Also on the programme is Syntilizing Steel, which is a steel pan display, and Magnificio Models will showcase some of the children modelling African Wear and other clothing.
Additionally, Dynamo Drumming will showcase the drumming talents of the children while Fiesta Fete will showcase the dance talents and Sooth-sational Songs will showcase the singing skills of the children.
There will be an Exhibition in Nevis on June 17 which will be followed by a Fun Day on the following day.
A Family Food Fair will be held on June 20 at Independence Square beginning at 11:00 a.m. while a Ball and Dinner will be held in the evening.
The Early Childhood Development activities will continue with a visit to the Senior Citizens Home in Nevis, where they will also take contributions.
June 26 will see the Parade Day and T-Shirt Day in St. Kitts and will start at the Greenlands Park at 9:00 a.m. with children depicting the areas of the Silvo Festivio during the march, while Appreciation Day in St. Kitts and Nevis will climax the month of activities.
Walters hailed the launch of the Child Month as a success and noted that they achieved their purpose, which was to create public awareness of the month.
