Children with Disabilities also need to go to kindergarten

All children have the same basic needs.  They need parents who love, care and provide for them, who believe in them and champion their cause. Parents who teach them all the necessary skills to live a fulfilled and functional life.  In the case of a child with a disability, the amount of time and energy required to teach these skills will be increased depending on the child’s particular ability to learn.

You, the parent, are the child’s first teacher.  You teach the child to walk, talk, run and play, you teach the child how to care for himself and how to get on with others.  These are skills that the child will use for the rest of his/her life. 

Kindergarten is the most important year of a child’s education, although many parents do not realise its significance, even more so when the child has a disability. It is however the year when teachers lay the foundation for a lifetime of learning.  Without such foundation, children are likely to struggle for the rest of their life.

Children with disabilities, like all children, benefit from being in a rich learning environment.  While they may not learn as quickly as their peers, they learn far more than when they are left at home. 

The Vanuatu Society for Disabled People (VSDP) runs an early intervention playgroup several mornings a week.  There, children interact with each other, sing, play and tell stories, or join in activities that help strengthen their bodies. VSDP staff is able to recommend kindergartens that have positions available for further education.

As the Principal of the Pikinini Playtime kindergarten where we have children with disabilities, it has been my joy and privilege to personally witness the growth and development of these children.  The courage and effort they bring to everyday tasks is humbling to watch.