Lyford Cay Foundations launches LEAP

NASSAU, The Bahamas ­- As a part of our strategy to address learning loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic and school disruptions, Lyford Cay Foundations has launched a new education enrichment initiative for selected public school students in grades one to four.

LEAP (Learning Enrichment to Accelerate Progress) is an educational pilot programme that offers access to learning support in numeracy, literacy and social emotional skills.

“LEAP provides small group learning support for young learners by assessing their learning needs, providing catch up tutoring in fundamental skills and encouraging the development of skills such as passion, perseverance and a positive mindset,” explains Dr. Nicola Virgill-Rolle, Executive Director, Lyford Cay Foundations.

For the pilot, 41 children were chosen from the Uriah McPhee Primary School – 10 students each from grades one, two and four, and 11 students from grade three.

The students will meet for 10 Saturdays, from 30^th April to 2^nd July 2022. Sessions are led by teachers from Uriah McPhee Primary School and Lyford Cay International School (LCIS), at the LCIS Lower School campus.

LEAP uses high impact tutoring in numeracy and literacy to enhance academic success, says Dr. Virgill-Rolle.

In literacy, the goal is to increase grade-level appropriate reading, writing and spelling efficiency, improve the level of reading fluency, and enhance listening comprehension and oral and written language skills.

For numeracy, the aim is to encourage self-confidence and proficiency in mathematics, improve  computational skills and improve problem-solving skills using a variety of mathematical strategies.

All LEAP students are provided with transportation between Uriah McPhee Primary School and Lyford Cay International School, and a healthy breakfast and lunch.

“We know that there has been tremendous learning loss over the past two years because of school disruptions caused by COVID-19. We also know that many students have not had access to support mechanisms,” says Dr. Rolle. “A programme like LEAP will provide the necessary support to ensure learning recovery.”