Title: Sharon Marley led Total Care Learning Center

source:jamaica observer

Excerpt: In 12 years, they have catered to more than 400 children, offering day care and after-school services — all the while exposing their young charges to the Montessori method of teaching, which lets them learn at their own pace and largely based on activities they choose.

Excerpt: "We train young women in the field of early childhood education. It's a one-year, HEART-certified training programme. When we started, this subject was not certified nor was it a popular thing for young women to do; gladly I am seeing that change now," Marley, TCLC's founder and managing director, told Career & Education.

Excerpt: Today, the team of 28 staff members — comprised of a house mother and gardener, three administrative persons, a security officer, two kitchen staff, and 18 caregivers, complete with two early childhood teachers — continue to face challenges, more to do with continued competitiveness.
"There are many early childhood institutions around, so we have to ensure that we remain competitive. Finding trained caregivers (is a challenge). It is not the easiest task to find persons who are properly trained and (who) really want to work with children and are understanding," Marley noted.