Aruba: early childhood development and itinerant service provision

In Aruba there is one cluster-2 school: Scucha Nos, which is focused on children with a cochlear implant. It has been commissioned to extend its scope to also include children with a presumable developmental language disorder (DLD) and to provide itinerant service provision to deaf or hard-of-hearing children enrolled in other schools on the island. 

For these new tasks Scucha Nos, supported and represented by the Aruban foundation for hearing impaired “FEPOH”, approached Kentalis for guidance.  

Project: knowledge exchange on early intervention and itinerant care

Kentalis International Foundation has set up a “blended” project collaboration with FEPOH and Scucha Nos. This means that the project starts with Kentalis e-learning courses with online support and coaching by Kentalis experts. During the physical training in Aruba, the multidisciplinary diagnostics, the creation of action plans and the monitoring of the development of the children will be discussed in more detail. On-location training in Aruba will also serve to test the newly gained insights of the participants and develop practical skills. 

The second phase will mainly focus on scaling up the training to a larger group and supporting the practical implementation of early guidance and itinerant care by local actors, through job coaching. 

FEPOH Aruba team

Project facts:

•    Timing: August 2022 - July 2023
•    Location: Netherlands (online) and Oranjestad, Aruba
•    Funded by: Stichting Vrienden van Effatha
•    Partners: FEPOH, Scucha Nos

Photos: © FEPOH