Union Gardens Infant School

In 2013, the management team of Kirk Distributors Limited (KDL), was seeking to identify a meaningful community project in one of the low income communities nearby its offices. In their discussions with representatives of Union Gardens, it emerged that the community was in dire need of a suitable early childhood learning facility.

Having successfully built the award-winning Evelyn Mitchell Infant School/ Centre of Excellence, in his home parish of Clarendon, Chairman of Kirk Distributors Mr. Glen Christian was confident that the project could be successfully replicated in Union Gardens. He set about selling the idea to his peers in the business community and soon a small committee of business leaders came together. One enthusiastic supporter of the project was Mr. Gary ‘Butch’ Hendrickson, Chairman of Continental Baking Company, who envisioned not only an infant school in Union Gardens, but similar schools across Jamaica based on the Evelyn Mitchell model of public-private sector partnerships.

As a result, in 2014, the Union Gardens Foundation was established to guide the development of the Union Gardens Infant School project and similar initiatives. The Foundation is a duly registered charitable organization under the 2013 Charities Act.

Construction of Phase 1 of the project began in March 2015, and was completed six months later, with the school opening on September 21 as a public institution under the management of the Ministry of Education.   The Union Gardens Infant School is a 9,450 sq. foot facility featuring large, airy classrooms, a spacious auditorium, covered walkway-linked buildings with play areas, and landscaped common areas.   It has been built to global standards for early childhood education, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Early Childhood Commission (ECC).

Other organizations that have lent their support to the project include:

  • National Baking Company Foundation
  • The CHASE Fund
  • Jamaica Social Investment Fund
  • Seprod Ltd./Seprod Foundation
  • TankWeld Group
  • Stewart’s Automotive Group
  • Sandals Foundation
  • Kingston Wharves Limited
  • Jamaica National Building Society
  • Food for the Poor
  • Advanced Integrated Systems
  • General Accident Insurance Company Jamaica Limited
  • Delta Supply Company Limited
  • National Water Commission
  • The Gleaner Company Limited
  • JPS Foundation
  • Proven Limited

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