Lyssons Kindergarten gets cool donation to aid in meeting ECC requirements
Published:Monday | June 30, 2025 | 12:06 AMGareth Davis Sr/Gleaner Writer
Lyssons, St Thomas
Administrators at Lyssons Kindergarten School in St Thomas were elated after receiving a refrigerator, along with a 650-gallon water storage tank, last Tuesday, which was donated by members of the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) Delegates’ Council, to assist with day-to-day activities.
The donations, especially the refrigerator, could not have been made at a better time and, according to chairman of the school Board at Lyssons Kindergarten, Latania McPherson, the refrigerator is needed for food items that are not frozen to be stored in a cool environment, which is one of the requirements from the Early Childhood Commission for certification.
“Getting the refrigerator is a plus. Part of the requirement from the Early Childhood Commission is that a refrigerator and a standing fridge is needed to keep food separate,” she commented.
“From a health aspect it will provide safety for storage of the food that we have here for the canteen. Also, for the tank, we know that storage of water is always important and so providing us with this tank today it means a lot to us, because now we will be satisfying one of the needs (requirements) of the Early Childhood Commission,” she added.
Lyssons Kindergarten School has a student population of approximately 120 students and eight teachers, with an assistant teacher assigned to each class.
Rohan Lewis, chief delegate of the National Workers Union (NWU) Delegates’ Council, pointed out that its members were excited about providing the items to the school, and that the decision was easy as, according to him, it is always best to give back or donate to those at the kindergarten level in paving the way for their development.
“It is a long time coming and, for over 10 years, we have been yearning to give back to the communities and I think early childhood [needs] would be the best thing,” he said.
“The best place to start is at the early childhood and they always say the east is the best. So we are starting in the east as well. We know early childhood suffers a lot without financing from the major corporations and government organisations, so it feels good to us giving back. Summer is upon us and this is the right time for cooling down, as well as for the storage of water as a shortage is going around. It is fitting and best to provide these items in summer,” he concluded.
Earlier, another team member from the JPS Delegates’ Council, Wayne McKenzie, stated that they have been making contributions to every facet of life. According to him, the team believes in excellence, which he said is clearly indicated in their intention to assist with early childhood development.