Karen Green with some of her Class 1 students at Kensington Basic School. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

There was no large fake cardboard cheque, no bronze statuettes or plaques, no giant plasma TV screen give-away, no free barbecued chicken or hotdogs. More than 100 parents of children who attend Kensington Basic School (KBS) in Portmore, St Catherine, participated in a parenting seminar on Friday, November 20, out of genuine concern for the development of their children.

On that busy Friday morning, parents invested three hours of their time to enthusiastically engage themselves in a seminar that brought the promise of increased excellence in parenting. The theme was 'Parent the right way: Read to Your Child Every Day'.

Keisha Malvo-Brooks, who chaired the event, stressed the importance of having good relationships between parents and children. Using a personal example of her relationship with her daughter, she highlighted a time when she was too busy with household chores to spend time with her and one day while working around the house her daughter asked, "Mommy can I help paint?"

"I was concerned that she would make a mess so I said no and then she said, "Mommy, let you and I talk." Malvo-Brooks beamed with pride. "We sat there for over the next two hours and as I painted we talked. There is always time for conversation and personal exploration with our children. It is crucial," Malvo-Brooks maintained. "We need to speak with our children." This is a principle she believes is extremely important in raising healthy children.

Academic-based excellence

KBS is an institution that symbolises the concept of speaking with not just children, but also parents and teachers, which is indicative of its motto, 'Together we build'. It is a cooperative institution that exists through direct school fees as well as a public stipend from the Ministry of Education. It has been in operation since 1996, with about 150 students and five teachers. Now, the student population is at 244, aged two to six. Eight teachers lead the students through a curriculum based on physical activities and academics.

With hands full of flour from cooking for the students, Principal Marylin Parson exclaimed with a broad smile, "Things are happening at KBS." And she added, without hesitation, "All of our students, parents, teachers ... even ancillary staff ... are active."

This sentiment was echoed throughout the premises as there was noise which seemed to emanate from everywhere; there were sounds of children singing, laughing and teachers passionately delivering nuggets of knowledge throughout the halls. Laughing as the flour dust found its way to powder her face, Principal Parsons said, "One of our core beliefs is that a fed child is a better learner," and she proudly exclaimed that "none of our children go knowingly hungry; if we know they are hungry, we feed them ... whether they can afford it or not".

High-profile event

She focuses school activities on ensuring that there is enough food for all the children ... every day. Even at a high-profile event like the seminar, Principal Parsons gives parents and students the spotlight, preferring to cook much-needed meals rather than taking centre stage.

Yvonne McCormack, a Councillor in Portmore and one of the presenters at the parenting seminar said: "This is one of our community stars. It is easy for everyone to focus on the negative incidents. There continues to be a great deal of positive about Portmore." This was evident as a group of school children (aged four) proudly and confidently marched out to give a presentation on their school. Their uniforms, not only bright blue, but amazingly clean and neat, reflected a seldom seen promise. These students, even though very young, represent an example of modern education which can be emulated throughout Jamaica and the world at large.

Indistinguishable manner

Guest speaker at the seminar, Mary Nichols, JP, minister of religion and director in the Ministry of Education, Region 6, spoke of the building of communities and the development of children in a manner that is indistinguishable. "If you want to see the problems in a community, examine the problems that its children have faced." She mirrored a portion of the general issues in the Portmore area with the decreased dialogue between various sections of the community and urged parents to keep close to their children.

Kensington Basic School, this beacon of light on the hill, is appreciated by many parents such as Ashekia Reid who said: "They feed my daughter breakfast at times when I can't. This school is amazing ... the principal seems to know the names of all the students and the parents as well. The facilities help in the learning atmosphere for the children, the school is clean and bright ... it is the kind of school I wish I had when I was young."