Child Advocacy and Early Childhood Education Policies in the Caribbean

Ilene R. Berson and Michael J. Berson, University of South Florida, USA.

• Acknowledgments.Introduction: Development, Care, and Education in the Earliest Years of Life: Past, Present, and Lessons for the Majority World, Kofi Marfo, Ilene R. Berson and Michael J. Berson.Part I: Advocating For National Policies To Support Young Children.Chapter 1. Toward Cross-Sector Integration of Early Childhood Services in St. Lucia: Using Policy, Historical, and Linguistic Factors to Inform Future Progress, Patriann Smith and Kofi Marfo.Chapter 2. Quality in Early Childhood Education: The Puerto Rico Experience, Annette López de Méndez, Víctor E. Bonilla-Rodríguez and Claudia X. Alvarez-Romero.Chapter 3. A Move Toward Completing the Early Childhood Development Policy in Belize, Alberto Luis August.Part II: Advocating For Developmentally Appropriate Practice.Chapter 4. From Bull in the Pen to One, Two, Three, and Then? Transitioning From Outdoor Play to Indoor Activities, Carol Long.Chapter 5. When Heavy Desks Do Not Move, Move the Way to Think About Desks, Trician Bailey and Megan Cross.Chapter 6. Voices from Parents: Issues of Early Childhood Education in Belize, Erin M. Casey.Part III: Advocating For Purposeful And Engaging Early Childhood Curriculum.Chapter 7. A Postcolonial Waltz: Encouraging Meaningful Mathematics Learning in Jamaica's Early Childhood Classrooms, La-Toya Latty and Lissa Ledbetter.Chapter 8. Boys Won't Read: What Can Teachers Do to Engage Boys in Reading? Sharon Edwards and Lori Rakes.Part IV: Advocating For Child Protection And Children's Well Being.Chapter 9. Developing the Ideal Caribbean Child: Employing Social-Emotional and Behavioral Assessment and Intervention Practices in Health and Family Life Education, Tavis D. Jules and Gina Coffee.Chapter 10. Children at Risk: Girls' Sexual Abuse and Child Protection Issues in Jamaica, Paul Miller.About the Contributors.