Liberia: YAI Launching Mother Goose Time Program
This month, YAI will launch a revolutionary pilot program intended to enhance education and literacy for children in Monrovia from birth to 8 years-of-age. The program started when Mother Goose Time, a U.S.-based company that provides preschool curriculum in monthly themed kits aimed at nurturing children’s emotional, physical and intellectual growth, began donating thousands of educational kits to YAI as a first start in improving Liberia’s early education program. Now, Mother Goose Time is coupling the materials with a teacher training program.
“Initially, we expect to train and mobilize 200 teachers who will in turn, educate over 8,000 students,” said Leslie Falconer, CEO of Mother Goose Time. “Once the pilot is successful, our intent is to capacitate all of the teachers in Liberia and begin transferring what we have learned to other countries with children in need.” Although education was declared free and compulsory in the country in 2007, there is a short supply of trained teachers. The pilot project helps solve the pressing need quickly by setting up peer-to-peer training and support among Liberian teachers.
The Mother Goose Time program addresses the reality of post-war countries by increasing the education of young children and decreasing the likelihood that these children will be easily enlisted in future rebellion.