By Trudy Simpson, Staff ReporterELAINE ALLEN and Jane Taylor have come a long way since 1998 when they and other members of the Point Hill community in St. Catherine and its Alumni Association first began dreaming of helping children with learning disabilities.
Their goal is the establishment of the Point Hill Diagnostic Reading Centre, to be located on property adjoining the Point Hill Primary and Junior High School.
The aim is to have a centre that not only diagnoses learning disabilities in children but establish methods to treat them.
This will be done via strategies which include one-on-one sessions with children who have reading and other learning problems; the use of specialist teachers and equipping the centre with two diagnostic rooms; a remedial room; a computer laboratory; a small video-film viewing room; other state-of-the-art facilities for diagnostic work and remedial interception.
It also includes making the centre a reading and research facility for students at teacher-training colleges and teachers in schools. The centre will also provide computer training to adults in the community.
"This is a dream five long years in the making... we are not just going to look after the kids. We are hoping this will be a resource centre (and) we're hoping there is going to be outreach into the community," said Mrs. Taylor.
Some 200 children, mostly from the Point Hill Primary and Junior High, will benefit from the programme between its slated start-up date, September 4, 2004 and Easter next year, said Mrs. Taylor, project co-ordinator and the chairperson of the board of directors for the proposed Point Hill Diagnostic Reading Centre.
This is good news for Ms. Allen, the school's principal.
"It would mean a total revolution in literacy levels," said Ms Allen, who said boys tend to have more reading difficulties.
IMPROVING LITERACY LEVELS
Statistics she provided showed literacy levels for her primary students stood at about 65 to 67 per cent for primary students. However, literacy levels stood at between 45 and 47 per cent for students in the junior high section, which comprises 12- to 15-year-olds. Ms. Allen wants to improve that via the reading centre.
"I want a 100 per cent from students here... All these children who can't read, we want them to read," she stressed.
Both women said the centre will eventually help schools in surrounding areas and hopefully from as far away as Ocho Rios, St. Ann and May Pen, Clarendon.
Within the last few years, the centre has slowly taken shape, moving to the creation of a first floor courtesy of fund-raising efforts, Alumni members and contributions from agencies including $2 million from the Ministry of Education.
But more money and donations are needed. "The second storey will cost $3 million and the driveway and gates will cost about $2 million," Mrs. Taylor explained, adding that the community and the Alumni Association also need kind individuals and corporate sponsors who will help them acquire much-needed equipment and technology to complete and furnish the facility.
Some help is coming from the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) and Scotiabank Jamaica has already promised to underwrite the salary of the centre's unit director. The post will soon be advertised.
Persons wishing to contribute can contact Elaine Allen or Jane Taylor at 705-4661 or 705-4030.
