Educational Programs

he quality of human resources of a country is easily judged by the size of its literate population. More so, education is a must if a nation aspires to achieve economic growth and development and more importantly sustain it with healthy citizens. This may well explain the fact that rich and developed nations of the world have very high literacy rates and productive human resources.

In 2000, a multi-year literacy program was initiated and funded by Mark Cort, a Guyanese Entrepreneur, for approximately 100 Guyanese children utilizing vacationing teachers and the Hooked on Phonics method. This program was quite successful and resulted in over 500 children between the ages of 4-18 years as well as several parents being exposed to basic reading principles over a 5 year period.

In 2003, the United Nations (UN) funded a nationwide initiative in Guyana to ensure that both public and private Early Intervention Programs provide consistent, high quality, cost effective, appropriate early intervention services that result in measurable outcomes for eligible children and their families. However, the guidelines established by the UN are not standards nor are they policies. The guidelines are a tool to help ensure that young children receive early intervention services consistent with their individual needs and resources, as well as priorities and concerns of their families.

Nevertheless, the guidelines are intended to help families, teachers and public officials make informed choices about early intervention services by offering recommendations based on scientific evidence and expert clinical opinion on effective practices.

It is in such a scenario that the Board of Directors of HERO has been funding an Early Intervention Summer Program to improve and enhance the reading skills of disadvantaged Guyanese children.

HERO's design of the program for Guyanese children, will build on the UN guidelines for Early Intervention Programs which will be supplemented by an evidence-based, multi-disciplinary consumers' panel approach in order to gauge the success of the initiative. This approach will utilize and depend on the credibility of families, teachers, occupational and speech therapists and public officials to ensure success. The Board of Directors of HERO has elected to adapt this approach to its program for Guyana given its successful use by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) as an effective, scientific, and well-tested approach to guideline development.