magazine

Challenges
Surrounding
Everyday Sunshine

Date: 12/04/18

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Main Heading

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Everyday Sunshine

History of Arima……………………………………...page 5
Everyday Sunshine…………………………………..page 7
Interview With Administrator……………………page 9
Major Challenges Faced……………………………page 11
Solution……………………………...………………...page 13

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Located on the banks of the Arima River in the foothills
of the northern range. The place is aptly named since it

is the Amerindian word for "water." Considered the
"gateway" to the north-eastern section of Trinidad, it is
approximately four square-miles in area and is situated
about 16.2 miles (26 kilometers) east of Port-of-Spain. It
was founded in 1757 by Capuchins from Spain who had
travelled to Trinidad to convert the native Amerindians
to Catholicism. The Capuchins represented an autono-
mous branch of the Franciscan Order: men and women
who profess to observe the Rule of St. Francis of Assisi.
Arima was made a Royal Chartered Borough by Queen
Victoria on August 1, 1888, and, in 2000, had a popula-
tion of almost 40,000 people which made it the third
largest town in Trinidad, behind Port-of-Spain and San
Fernando. North of Arima, the Asa Wright Nature Center
is located in the hills of the northern range. Arima can be
accessed by the Eastern Main Road and is located east of
Arouca and west of Valencia. It includes the communi-
ties of Brazil Village, Calvary Hill, La Horquetta, San

Raphael, and Santa Rosa.

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Everyday Sunshine

Everyday Sunshine, Founded
by Natalie Debisette, has been
existence for approximately
four years.
The school consist of 20 chil-
dren, but there is also a
nursey and a day-care.
There are 6 children in the
nursery, and 15 children in
the day-care.
A number of four staff mem-
bers are apart of the organi-
zation.

Operating hours are from 6am to
6pm, Monday to Friday

Lunch is provided everyday at $5
per day for those that doesn’t have
lunch
School fees are $500 per month for
the pre-schoolers, and $700 per
month for the nursery and day-
care

Interview with Administrator, Natalie Debisette

Q: How long is the preschool in existence?
A: Four years
Q: What was the community response to the opening of the school?
A: Before the preschool started, the day care and nursery was in existence and
the parents kept requesting a preschool therefore I decided to start one.
Q: Is the area safe?
A: Yes it is because we never had any break –Ins or anything like
that .However, the bar at the corner does have some trouble at times.
Q: What qualities do you look for in your staff members when hiring?
A: First thing first, do you love children? Can you handle children? How much
experience do you have with children? Yes you can have all the qualifications in
the world but are you experienced? When hiring I look for experienced persons
I don’t hire based on qualifications.
Q: What is the major challenge you face at the preschool?
A: Well I’d say the discipline of the children is the hardest thing ever. We try to
enforce discipline in the students but the parents at home shows them other
thing. So it is very difficult to manage their behaviours especially how the par-
ents don’t cooperate.
Q: Is that the only challenge you face?
A: I’d say yes
Q: Is money an issue?
A: I would not say it’s an issue because I get stuff done on my own.

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Everyday Sunshine

Q: Do you have any fund raising event?
A: Only one fundraiser takes place and that is for Christmas. The parents
are asked to bring in just $100 to put toward a Christmas party for the chil-
dren and some of the parents thinks its too much money. I don’t like rely-
ing on the parents for money because if I do, I would not get anything
done.
Q: Do you get sponsors from anywhere else?
A: Well just one person in the community donates toys and a few parents
donated market stuff from time to time.
Q: Do you receive support from the parents?
A: If the parents are ask to do something at the school they don’t show up.
Some of them would rather give money than come and help out.

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Discipline is a major issue that has
cause conflict in the minds of the in-
fants, because the values that is striving
to developed discipline in the children
at the preschool as opposite to that the
parents. Discipline is produced with
continuous effort on the part of the both
teachers at the preschool and the
parents.

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Everyday Sunshine

The school is a non governmental
organisation and doesn’t depend
on the donations or sponsors from
the community or has any means
of raising funds. Money is used
to pay staff, maintain the infra-
structure, and care for the needs
of the children, and do events

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Business Name

Although it is good to get everything done on
your own we believe if the school’s administra-
tor start pushing to get the parents involved in
the school and have parent-teacher workshops to
help the parents know how to carry on the lega-
cy of what is being enforced in the students at
home, the problem would be solved. Also she
could start having more fundraising events to
raise money for the school, have more events
where parents cud be involved in the children‘s
life, and also seek help from the government.
The school environment was dirty and had a lot
of unsafe stuff in the reach of the children so
maybe a parent teacher clean up day cud take
place to make the environment a more child
friendly one where the children would be able to
run around to develop their gross motor skills an
not just sit in a class all day.