Volunteer with Children in Jamaica

Are you interested in learning more about early childhood development? Do you want to gain practical childcare experience? Do you want to help those in need at the same time? Childcare in Jamaica lets you do just that.

You’ll get to gain valuable experience in childcare, and can also work on personal skills like leadership, teamwork, and planning. If you love children and have all the energy in the world for them, this project is for you.

You don’t need previous experience. You’ll work alongside local teachers and caregivers, and you can reach out to Projects Abroad staff at any time. We also run regular workshops for all Childcare and Teaching volunteers. Here, you’ll can learn more about childcare, exchange ideas, and discuss challenges.

This project runs throughout the year and you can join at any time. We encourage you to stay as long as possible, so you can have a bigger impact on the children you work with.

Your day’s activities will depend on where you are placed. You’ll typically work for about five to six hours a day, starting in the morning around 8am. You will work until about 2pm.

Each day will be different, and you can do different activities every day. We encourage you to rotate between fun games and learning activities. You can also incorporate song, dance, and sports into the children’s day.

You’ll spend every evening back at your host family, where you can enjoy home cooked meals and chat about your day’s activities.

During your free time, you can explore the town. You can go on hikes and explore amazing waterfalls, or relax on beautiful white beaches. We also run regular socials for all of our volunteers and interns that you’re welcome to join.

The main aim of this project is to strengthen the educational foundations of children in Jamaica. This will ensure that children are better prepared to cope with the demands of primary school.

In Jamaica, many communities are severely disadvantaged. This causes many associated social problems, including a lack quality education for young children. Parents can’t afford to send children to daycare centres and pre-schools. With your support, we hope to break the intergenerational cycle of illiteracy and other problems in education.

This project also addresses the need to support the elderly in Jamaica. Many of the people at the organisation we work with have been neglected, and aren’t able to provide for themselves.

As laid out in our Childcare Management Plan for Jamaica, we’ve identified five sustainable goals we hope to achieve:

• Promote early childhood development
• Improve hygiene levels of the children
• Raise awareness of healthy living, the environment, and family planning
• Improve the quality of life for those living with disabilities
• Increase emotional care and support to each child

Support children in Jamaica as a volunteer and help us work towards these long-term goals.

The specific work you do will depend on your placement. These are some of the main tasks you’ll do:

• Support the work of local teachers by focusing on early childhood development and literacy
• Help increase the quality of life for those living with learning disabilities
• Work at a home for the elderly to provide care and friendship