The Evelyn Mitchell Infant School / Centre of Excellence

In 2009, the Cari-Med & Kirk Distributors Foundation received a request for assistance with improvement of physical facilities from Top Hill Basic School. During a site visit we recognized the school’s dire need for a new physical plant, play area and running water. The situation at Top Hill Basic School is, unfortunately, reflective of a national problem affecting our children – a shortage of suitable early childhood education facilities. The construction of the facility was the first major infrastructural project of the Foundation, and represents an investment of over JM$70 million. Four basic schools in close proximity were merged in order to fully utilize the facility.

A new school was built and renamed the Evelyn Mitchell Infant School/ Centre of Excellence in honour of the late Evelyn Mitchell, mother of Cari-Med Ltd.’s founder and CEO, Mr. Glen Christian. The 7000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility boasts 3 classrooms, 6 bathrooms, a fully functional kitchen, an eating area, an auditorium, a library, and administrative offices. Additionally, the Foundation installed a tank and pump to ensure that running water is always available. The physical facility surpasses the requirements of the Early Childhood Commission and was named the first Centre of Early Childhood Excellence by the Ministry of Education.

The Evelyn Mitchell Infant School/Centre of Excellence opened its doors in September 2010 and was officially handed over to the Jamaica Baptist Union, to be operated by the Ministry of Education. The school serves 110 students in Top Hill and its environs.
As a Centre of Excellence, greater emphasis will be devoted to teacher quality, programme quality and organizational effectiveness.

The Cari-Med Foundation has adopted the Evelyn Mitchell Infant School / Centre of Excellence, and will continue to provide support to the school. We hope that the EMIS/CE will be the first of many Foundation projects aimed at improving infrastructure for early childhood education.

Categorised in: Education