An emotional literacy programme for children, which was launched locally last year by the Alex Panton Foundation, is being used to help transition students back into school following months of home-schooling because of COVID-19.
The foundation, in collaboration with the UK Partnership for Children, has launched the second cycle of the emotional literacy programme ‘Zippy’s Friends’ for ages 5-7 and ‘Apple’s Friends’ for children age 7 and older.
The foundation launched the first cycle of the programme last October. Since then, it has been incorporated into eight schools and organisations in Cayman, reaching 472 children, according to a press release.
“The Emotional Literacy Programme is one of the first promotional mental health programmes in the Cayman Islands aimed at children and embedded in their school curriculum,” the release stated.
The 2020-2021 cycle includes a national roll-out and collaboration with the Department of Education, in support of the School Recovery Project which is aimed at addressing the gap in education and school attendance created during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The School Recovery Project is designed to provide extra support for students to transition back to school after being away for a prolonged period of time. The ELP was selected as part of the project to address social and emotional issues related to transition, change and emotional difficulties, the Alex Panton Foundation noted.
Last month, the foundation ran teacher training sessions online for several primary schools, and training will continue this month.
“The ELP teaches children skills for life, including how to cope with everyday difficulties; and how to communicate with and get along with other people while teaching self-awareness and building emotional resilience. The idea is to teach emotional literacy in our children’s’ schools to enhance mental health, just like we teach P.E. in school to enhance physical health,” the release from the foundation stated.
The ELP is widely used in the UK and in 31 other countries.
“Out of 32 countries who have implemented the ELP worldwide, the Cayman Islands was the first to secure the license for both the mainstream and Special Educational Needs & Disability (SEND) pathway from the beginning of implementation. This ensures equal access and opportunity for all children, regardless of ability or need. The Cayman Islands is one of only 5 countries in the world to implement the SEND programme, in line with the Cayman Islands Disability policy, which aims to improve inclusion and equal access to health care, including mental health care,” the foundation noted in its statement.
The programme in Cayman this year is offered free of charge thanks to a CI$25,000 grant from R3 Cayman Foundation, a local non-profit organisation established this year to help Cayman prepare for, cope with and recover from emergencies and disasters.
For more information, visit www.alexpantonfoundation.ky or contact [email protected] or [email protected].
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