Port Loyola is the largest division in Belize City so it was big news for families of young children who live in the area of Jane Usher Boulevard to find out that a third preschool will be opening its doors to serve them on Monday. Little Cadet’s Academy Preschool at the corner of Louise Bevans Street and Jane Usher Boulevard has all the makings of what promises to be an early learning institution of distinction. Its principal and teacher Judith Marin was a former teacher at St. John Vianney and now she’s used that experience to go out on her own. Today she gave us a tour of this homegrown idea and community based initiative.
Judith Marin, Principal - Little Cadet’s Academy Preschool
“Many people came to me after I left teaching, after I stopped teaching and they came and they wanted to bring their children to do evening classes
and why not get into this opening your own. That is when I decided to go to the head of the unit and find out how do I go about doing this. That is when I met with Mrs. Margaret Williams and for some reason I thought she was hard on me when she said how was I going to start. I told her I was going to start from my own home but then she said no, that was in the past, you will have to get a building, the yard well fenced by itself for the children and that kind of thing she mentioned to me. That was when I stepped out and I said I have to start doing something because this is where my heart is, this is what I want to do, working with the babies.
This is where it starts Jackie, getting them prepared to face the challenges for infant one and primary school.”
Nineteen children are enrolled; the school was built to accommodate thirty. If you are interested you can call Marin at 625–3067.
