St. Theresa Basic School

St.Theresa's Basic School is located in Annotto Bay which is a small town on the north coast of Jamaica. Annotto Bay is in the parish of St. Mary – the poorest parish in Jamaica. The school has been in existence for about 20 years and is housed in a former church building. The building itself is 75 years old.

Currently, 45 children ages from 2 to 6 years old attend the school. Instruction and care for the children are the responsibility of the of the 3 teachers who work there.

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Miss Sharon Martin has 15 three year old children in her class. She is not eligible for government funding so she depends on school fees from the children for her salary. She is an excellent teacher and started with the school in Sept of 2004.

Mrs. Dolsada Nolan teaches 17 four year olds and has been at the school since 1999. She receives some salary from the school but most of it comes from the Ministry of Education (Early Childhood).

Miss Lola Mendez is the principal and also teaches about 17 five year old students. She has been at the school since January 2002. She receives some salary from the school but most from the Ministry of Education.

The students attending the school are mostly poor and the parents have difficulty coming up with the school fees. However, we could not afford to operate the school without the school fees so we insist as much as we can on receiving the fees. Students must pay the equivalent of 50 cents US per day for their lunch. This is subsidized with occasional food donations from the Ministry of Education and Food for the Poor organization and a grant from the church.

Some children come to school without breakfast and are thus not in the mental or physical frame of mind to learn. As a result of assistance from Jamaica YES, all the children have the opportunity to come to school early and receive a nourishing breakfast.