TCI Gov’t Allocates $4 Million to Daycare, Afterschool & Feeding Programs 

By Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer

#TurksandCaicos, January 20, 2023 – School lunches will soon come at no cost to some students thanks to just one program in the suite of social support approved by Cabinet to stand alongside the new Minimum
Wage increase.

The three programs; a National School Nutrition Program; National Day Care Program and an After School Program; will cost the government $4 million and apply to varying groups of TCI residents.

The National School Nutrition Program

Rachel Taylor, Minister of Education explained that this program would be accessible in all public schools and piloted in two private institutions but not all students will get the free lunches. Edgar Howell, Director of Education explained the temporary selection process determining who would qualify for meals. Parameters included:

• All students irrespective of their nationality and social background including children who live in foster care, state homes or children who live in families that receive benefits from the department of social development;
• Children whose parents live below the poverty line;
• Children who teachers, guidance counsellors and other school administrators have observed do not bring a packed lunch or do not have money to purchase lunch at school and;
• Children who have consistently demonstrated that they do not have access to a balanced meal or nutritious lunch or snack.

National Daycare Program

This Program will only be available to Belonger families in the Turks and Caicos with children – 3 years old  – who have an annual income below $25,000 or below the minimum wage.

Unemployed parents who can show evidence of being registered with the Labour Department will also qualify. Foster care cases and wards of the state and the children of teachers will also benefit.

Taylor maintained that legislative amendments would be undertaken to ensure that the Centres were up to par and care was standardised across the country. In addition to that, a course to qualify daycare operators and caregivers will soon be offered by the TCI Community College, also in an effort to standardise care.

The After School Program

Open to all teachers and students of public schools across the islands, this program will depend on present and retired teachers to operate it, with an extra $500 on paychecks as their incentive. Interested students will have to register for the program which will be 2 hours long beginning directly after the end of school and lasting until 5 pm each day

“It will not only cater to academic support but will be varied in its delivery” Howell explained  “we will deliver music and drama; sports and cultural classes; debate and public speaking training”

The program will run from Mondays to Thursdays weekly and all facilitators will have to take part in a mandatory child safeguarding program before they can begin teaching.

All programs are scheduled to begin with the advent of the next school year; which is September 2023.