The Calderwood Mother and Children Centre Jamaica
Christiene Walford-Wilmot, the centre manager, is the JP (Justice of Peace) of Calderwood District St. Ann in Jamaica and a BSC Educator with forty years teaching experience in primary and early learning. She is a member of the St. Ann Retired Teachers’ Association, Vice Chair of the Grant’s Mountain Primary and Infant School, St. Ann and the Women’s President in her church.
As the Manager for the Calderwood MaC (Mother and Children) Centre my main role is to create a safe learning environment for the children to develop core skills in readiness for starting school. Working with the mothers to help develop their parenting skills and encourage interacting with their children is also a key responsibly. I demonstrate and assist them in using the resources and educational materials to ensure their children are given the best support to begin discovering and exploring their senses, while developing core motor skills.
Jamaica has the third lowest adult literacy rate in the Caribbean, so engaging the children in books and encouraging the mothers to read with their children plays an important part of the centre’s objectives. The MaC Centre is a hub that is bringing the community closer together in providing a common learning environment where parents can share strengths and weaknesses. Our aim is to create a holistic lifestyle giving parents an opportunity to access a variety of learning resources that will contribute to all aspects of their children’s development.
The MaC Centre is generating a great deal of interest and support within the community. Young parents, especially mothers, are looking to the centre to support them with setting up online accounts and help develop their IT, literacy and employability skills. Local people have been suggesting ways to raise funds to help the centre move to its next phase of supporting the elderly and SEN members of the community and provide a safe space for young people to study with text books and internet access.
I believe the MaC Centre has been a lifeline for many citizens living in Calderwood, especially the young mothers and their children. I feel blessed to be part of this incredible initiative and honoured to play my part in promoting its facilities and benefits to the wider community.
The Calderwood MaC (Mother and Children) Centre was founded in July 2020 by Evadne Bygrave in memory of her late father, Egbert George Bygrave, who built the centre for the Calderwood community in 1996.
Steve Sinnott Foundation • March 25, 2021
Mike Fleetham of Thinking Classroom has written a book " Headlines: Inspiration, humour and advice for school leaders ". A collection of original ideas, advice from professionals, quotes, and tips to support and inspire all leaders. Perfect for new and established leaders working in education, especially headteachers. "Being a headteacher is like looking both ways before you cross the road, and then getting hit by an aeroplane." To Enter the Competition To win a copy of Headlines please share your inspiring education or life lesson in no more than 600 words. The winning article will also be published in our next edition of Engage. Send your words of inspiration to admin@stevesinnottfoundation.org.uk 📅 Deadline: 5th September 2025 Stuck on Ideas? Here are some questions and prompts to get you started! What’s the one lesson school didn’t teach you, but life did? Think of a moment that changed your path, what happened? What piece of advice has helped you grow the most? When did a challenge turn into an opportunity for you? What story from your life would inspire someone on the other side of the world? What’s the life lesson that unlocked your next chapter? Your words could uplift, empower and be seen by many. Let your story inspire the world! 🌍💡 Good luck and we cant wait to read all the entries!
This week our CEO Ann and Jude (SSF Ambassador) visited schools in Coventry and heard about the wonderful work that students are doing to foster peace and community connection, as part of Coventry Arts Week. We visited Lyng Hall school in the morning and met with Ms Hagan and four of the schools UNESCO ASPnet ambassadors. They told us all about their recent project. The students took their art and poetry to the 80th Anniversary symposium in Ypres and Dunkirk. They shared with us some of the poetry they had written together with the students on the field trip and some of their own poems too. They also shared their future plans for working with their local primary school on peace and community. We also had the privilege of joining Ms Hagans class where they were looking at Caliban’s tale. Here is one of the students work
For my birthday this year I had the honour to walk 60 miles (yes it was a big 0 birthday) over 3 days to support the essential work of the Steve Sinnott Foundation of which I am CEO. Education in its many forms is essential for all of us to thrive and make the most of life's opportunities. The Foundation works to ensure that as many children and adults as possible across the globe can access the human right of education. The plan was to walk with friends and supporters who I hoped would keep me smiling along the way and it felt like a good way to make use of the Foundation’s “Get Moving” campaign. Here's how my Get Moving Fundraiser went on the first day. The 13th June I started my walk in London by walking from Barnet to west Hampstead and visiting my sister at her shop at Tree of Life where I got served a nice iced coffee to keep me going.
