Human Services and Social Security Minister Dr Vindhya Persaud says 459 persons have been trained to provide home-based and community-based childcare in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven and Nine, as part of broader efforts to strengthen early childhood services nationwide.
The figure was announced during the opening of the 2026 National Early Childhood Development Conference, held under the theme “It Takes a Village: Uniting Hearts and Minds for Early Childhood.”
Dr Persaud told the gathering that more than 1,100 early childhood development practitioners have been trained to date, while over 6,000 persons have received childcare training over the past five years.
According to Dr Persaud, Guyana’s first National Integrated Early Childhood Development Policy marks a major step forward in coordinating support for children from birth to three years and nine months, before they begin formal education.
“For the first time, Guyana has a national integrated early childhood development policy and this brings together all of the key sectors to look at children between the ages 0 to 3 years, nine months before they commence their formal education,” she said.
Dr Persaud noted that parenting remains central to the policy, adding that support for children begins even before birth. She explained that training must equip practitioners to address six pillars of child welfare, including safety, security, learning and nutrition.
The Minister reported that 352 childcare centres have been licensed and 376 registered through the Early Childhood Development Unit, and that Guyana now has 25 Centres of Excellence, with grants provided to help operators improve their facilities.
UNICEF Guyana and Suriname Country Representative Anna Azaryeva Valente described investment in early childhood development as among the most important a country can make, noting that by age three, almost 80 per cent of the human brain is developed.
Head of Cooperation at the Canadian High Commission Adam Loyer reaffirmed Canada’s support for the sector, adding that its partnership with UNICEF and the Government of Guyana has reached more than 48,000 children and over 35,000 parents and caregivers nationwide.
Human Services and Social Security Minister Dr Vindhya Persaud
