Children's Home Caregivers Complete Parenting Course
By OSWALD T. BROWN (The Freeport News, November 05, 2003)

Certificates of achievement were presented yesterday to 22 caregivers employed by the Grand Bahama Children's Home for having completed a 10-week parenting course.

Conducted by facilitators from Time Out Productions, the course was in response to a government mandate that all child caregivers be properly trained.

"The government is trying to upgrade the standard of care in residential homes, and they have asked us all to provide some training for the staff," said Grand Bahama Children's Home Chairman Lady Henrietta St. George (pictured right), who arranged for the staff to take the course.

"Of course, my aim and object is always to provide a childhood for the children in the home that is as near normal as possible," Lady Henrietta added. "So the more the caregivers can behave like parents to the children, the better it is for them."

The course was conducted by Joye Ritchie-Greene, president of Time Out Productions, and her associates E. Lee Turnquest and Robbin Whachell.

Ritchie-Greene, a counselor in the Roman Catholic school system, said the caregivers were "enlightened in what goes on in human development from zero to 12."

"For 10 weeks, these 22 awesome individuals allowed us to guide them through a series of topics concerning parenting," Ritchie-Greene said. "We recognize that there are countless books and tapes available about parenting and countless woman-and-man hours of experience which have been acquired as parents, but it is not until parents get together in such a forum that the real power is realized."

Topics covered during the 10-week course included: "What is Family," "How We Learn to be Parents," "Dealing With Personal Stress," "Stages of Development--Early, Middle and Late Childhood," "Discipline," "Emotions," and "Teaching Children How to make Choices."

"The sessions were designed to be interactive, so caregivers had the opportunity to role-play and share their points of view," Ritchie-Greene said. "The first three sessions were devoted to self. In order for us to be good parents, we need to have a pretty good idea who we are. We need to know what aspects of our being would hamper us from parenting our children as well as those in our care."

Ritchie-Greene noted that during the last three sessions, a "plan of action was devised for the staff of the Grand Bahama Children's Home to follow in order to achieve its main objective; that is, to provide a safe, caring environment for its residents."

"The caregivers were very concerned about there being consistency as they move from one shift to the next," Ritchie-Greene said. "Therefore, the caregivers discussed at length what behaviours they expected from the children, and then devised a set of rules along with consequences and rewards for the children."

GB Children's Home Administrator Beatrice Johnson said the caregivers really appreciate the training, which was "very educational and informative, and I am sure it was a lifetime experience for the staff."

"We owe a great deal of thanks to Lady Henrietta, who is the chairperson of the Children's Home, for making this possible," Johnson said. "If it wasn't for Lady Henrietta, this 10-week course would not have been possible."

Prior to presenting the certificates, Lady Henrietta commended the facilitators, noting that the "thing that really pleases me is that the staff really, really enjoyed it."

"Obviously what you found to teach them really made an impact, and I hope it really, really made a difference," she said. "As you know, I have always said in the children's home, it doesn't matter how beautiful the buildings are or how well the lawn is cut or whatever what makes the children's home is the staff."

Those receiving certificates were the husband-and-wife team of Chad Dean and Sheila Dean, Corales Deleveaux, Pandora Emmanuel, Mable Gibson, Clarinda Williams, Lavette Edgecombe, Branell Phillips, Natasha Thompson, Verna Lazare, Dedre Stuart, Ettamae McPhee, Repunzel Johnson, Coralee Sawyer, Jewel Balfour, Paulette Steele, Lillymae Armbrister, Nathalie Russell, Betty Bain, Marilyn Dames, Judy Johnson, and Geneva Rutherford.

Oswald T. Brown has worked for newspapers in the United States, England and The Bahamas for some 40 years. He can be reached at androsboy@hotmail.com.