Sixty-three of Grenada’s child care providers attached to the Roving Care Givers’ Programme, the Programme for Adolescent Mothers (PAM), the Grand Anse Playgroup (GAP) and the New IMANI Programme will benefit from an 8-week course in Conscious Discipline, beginning Tuesday, February 25, 2014. Conscious Discipline is a social-emotional and classroom management programme created by childhood education and development specialist, Beck Bailey, PH.D., that uses everyday life events to teach children and adults self-control, conflict resolution, character development and social skills. The training, which is being imparted at the Grenada Youth Center, comes to the island as a result of a partnership between the Early Childhood Unit of the Ministry of Social Development and Housing, the Bioethics Department of St. George’s University and the Reach Grenada Organisation, in an effort to build the capacity of the nation’s caregivers, particularly in the area of human brain development and how it affects behaviour in children. “The purpose of the training is to teach adults how to raise children with healthy brains,” facilitator, Dr. Barbara Landon, said on the first day of the training. Dr. Landon, who is a neuropsychologist by profession, says that over the 8 weeks the participants will learn specific brain development skills that are designed to not only help children to think open-mindedly, but also empower them to grow up to be healthy, composed individuals who are capable of solving complex problems. The participants present were eager to get started with the programme and expressed their expectations to the GIS. “I hope to get the ‘know-how’ of how to deal with the children and young adults I work with every day to think how they think, to understand why they do what they do,” Sherla Charles, PAM day care assistant said. “I hope that this course will help us to detect when a child is being abused, because oftentimes they undergo abuse but don’t know how to express it,” Sharlene Marcell, St. Andrew’s Roving Caregiver said. “I hope it will help me to understand how children’s brains work and help me to think beyond when it comes to disciplining them,” Curlyn Jeffery, St. Patrick’s Roving Caregiver said. The participants will be trained in the areas of becoming brain smart; composure; encouragement; assertiveness; choices; positive intent; empathy; consequences and the school family, after which they will be presented with a certificate of completion. The Conscious Discipline Course is renowned in the United States for the positive results it has produced in students, educators and parents. Source: gov.gd