Maxfield
Park Children's Home
MAXFIELD PARK CHILDREN'S HOME - 89 MAXFIELD AVENUE, KINGSTON 13, JAMAICA
TELEPHONE: (876) 926-7831 / 968-1391, FAX: (876) 968-1391
The Maxfield Park
Children's Home was established in September 1918 and is located on
61/2 acres of land which was donated by Major Maxfield to the Government
for social purposes.
The facility is
the largest and oldest children's Home in Jamaica and it serves as
a Place of Safety for many children who have been abandoned or made
homeless.
The Home was divested
in August 1995, and a Board was appointed to manage the operations
through charitable donations and a subvention from the Government.
However, the Board resigned in March 2005 and the CDA has since been
providing oversight responsibility.
There are presently
eighty six (86) children in care, ranging in age from babies to eighteen
(18) years (52 males & 34 females).
The Home seeks
to train and prepare the children in activities that help to broaden
their horizon and bring out their full potential. These activities
include:
- The 4H Club
- The Rotoract
Spelling Bee Competition
- The Reading
Competition
- The Debating
Competition
- The Dorm Competition
- The Home-work
Programme
- Basket ball
Team
Education:
We currently have
two schools on property, Maxfield Park Special School and Maxfield
Park Basic School. Our special school serves our children with learning
challenges and also provides education for our newly admitted wards
until they are integrated into regular school. Our basic school serves
the children age three (3) to six (6) living in the Home.
Over the years, a number of our children have obtained passes in GSAT,
CXCs & City & Guild examinations. Over the past 18 months,
two (2) wards were accepted at the G.C. Foster College and the U.W.I
(Mona campus) to pursue tertiary education.
Challenges:
Due to the overall
economic climate, we are experiencing financial difficulties as there
has been a significant decrease in donations, hence the need for assistance
to maintain the current infrastructure.
Funds are urgently
needed to undertake major renovations to infrastructure and repairs
to plumbing and electrical work. We are also in urgent need of a bus
to transport those of our challenged children who attend school off
property, as current busses are old and malfunctioning.
