The National Child Month Committee (NCMC) will kick off activities with a thanksgiving and prayer service on Sunday, May 1, at the Trinity Moravian Church, 29 Montgomery Avenue, Kingston 10, starting at 8 a.m.

Churches islandwide will be asked to celebrate the day by making their services child-focused and allowing children to participate in the services.

Children Symposium

National Action Day will be observed on May 6, with the national activity to be undertaken at the Early Stimulation Project, Hanover Street, downtown Kingston. Other activities to mark the month will include the Children Symposium, scheduled for May 11, starting at 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Institute of Jamaica. The awards ceremony for the popular poster and essay competitions will be held on May 27.

A children's fun day and a mini-expo will be held on May 28 at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre in recognition of the month. The NCMC will also observe International Children's Day, a designation of the United Nations, on Friday, November 18. The final activity for 2011 will be a children's treat on November 25, when children of various inner-city communities and children's homes will be treated.

Chairperson of the NCMC, Dr Pauline Mullings, told the launch that many parents were too busy, and were missing out on their responsibility to nurture, train, and guide their children in an effective manner.

"We have also shunned our responsibility as we fail to discipline our children in love," she remarked. "Discipline can only be effective when it is structured, consistent, predictable, and fair."

Patron of Child Month, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GraceKennedy Limited, Douglas Orane, said Jamaicans must be more vigilant about the circumstances of the children.

"When a child is abused in any way, is hungry or discriminated against and dies as a result of neglect, all Jamaicans are to be held accountable," he argued.

Traditional stalwarts, such as the Church, voluntary organisations, and the community at large still had a significant part to play, he suggested.