Deputy Government Commissioner Alida Francis (centre) signing the letter of intent to provide one central building for afterschool programmes in St. Eustatius.
ST. EUSTATIUS--The public entity of St. Eustatius signed a letter of intent on Friday, November 20, with three organisations in charge of afterschool programmes to realise a central building for Mega D. Youth Foundation, Daughters of the King Foundation and A+ Academic and Professional Training.
The public entity will be the owner of the building which is to accommodate at least 300 children ages of 6-18 to participate in different activities in a safe and pedagogically responsible environment outside of school hours.
Best for Kids started in Statia two years ago with a complete programme for the care and education of children in childcare centres. One of the areas where improvement was needed was housing.
The Best for Kids coordinator and the childcare organisations exchanged thoughts to come up with a plan for housing to meet the criteria relating to childcare accommodation. Various discussions were held between the public entity and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment.
As part of the B4Kids Platform, the three organisations developed a plan for the public entity and requested approval, which was provided in December 2019.
With the signing of the letter of intent, the organisations can go ahead with the selection of an architect for the final design. In this process they are to ensure that all the requirements of the Island Childcare Ordinance are met.
