SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY, (DCOMM) – Caribbean Wellness Day (CWD) will be observed across the region on Saturday, September 12, reminding Caribbean communities to take action and maintain healthy lifestyles under the theme “Our Mind. Our Body. Our Wellness. Empowering Caribbean Youth.”

CWD 2026 focus is on young people, their physical and mental well-being, and creating environments that allow Caribbean youth to make healthier choices.

The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) 2026 message emphasizes that the future health of the Caribbean is strongly influenced by the choices, opportunities and environments being created for young people today.

The agency is therefore calling on Member States to put youth wellness at the centre of efforts to create healthier individuals, communities and societies.

CWD is also about promoting collectively good health and well-being of the whole of society, the Collective Prevention Service (CPS), a department within the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor (Ministry VSA) said.

The burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the Caribbean has reached epidemic proportions, representing one of the most significant public health and economic challenges facing the region.

With NCDs like cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes accounting for over 75% of all deaths, the region has one of the highest rates of premature mortality from these conditions in the world.

This crisis is fueled by a number of behavioral risk factors, including unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, tobacco use, and excessive alcohol consumption.

Sint Maarten parents and guardians need to look at issues such as healthy eating, physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, mental health and stress, adequate sleep, reducing excessive screen and sedentary time, avoiding tobacco/vaping and harmful alcohol use, developing positive relationships, and encouraging young people to obtain appropriate preventive healthcare.

NCDs are prevalent in Sint Maarten, and CPS uses its annual Health Observance Calendar (HOC) which highlights Caribbean Wellness Day, as well as raising awareness about NCDs that impacts the community such as hypertension, diabetes, prostate and breast cancer.

This CWD youth approach is particularly relevant because many NCD risk factors develop during childhood and adolescence and can continue into adulthood. Caribbean Wellness Day therefore provides an opportunity to move the conversation from treating chronic illness later in life toward establishing healthy behaviors earlier in life.

CPS for CWD 2026 is calling on young people, parents, schools, sports organizations, youth organizations and the wider community to collectively promote healthier lifestyles.

It would also fit well with the start of the 2026–2027 school year, where a healthier lifestyle allows for wellness with school performance, healthy meals, physical activity, emotional well-being and healthy decision-making.

CPS encourages members of the community to consult with their family physician or other health related organizations to learn more about healthy lifestyles and take action to improve their overall wellness.

CPS also encourages residents to participate and get involved in promoting health and wellness in their neighborhoods. Influencing positive lifestyle changes is by working together to better community and individual health.

The CARICOM Heads of Summit on Chronic Diseases in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, September 2007, established Caribbean Wellness Day.

Caribbean Wellness Day is observed every year on the second Saturday of September.

SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - The Department of Youth, within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, continues to advance the development and implementation of the Early Childhood Development Curriculum Guide for Sint Maarten.

The ECD consultants were on the island conducting classroom observations at nine ECD centers. These observations are intended to provide further insight into current teaching practices, the learning environments available within the centers, and the support required to successfully implement the Curriculum Guide.

The visits also provided an opportunity for the consultants to engage directly with ECD center management and practitioners and gain a better understanding of the sector’s day-to-day realities. In addition to the online sensitization sessions held earlier in the year, a separate in-person meeting was organized with ECD practitioners to gather further feedback and discuss their experiences and needs.

Curriculum Pilot

As part of the next phase, selected daycare centers will participate in a two-week in-class pilot of sample curriculum materials. Prior to the start of the pilot, the consultants will meet virtually and in- person with the selected centers to introduce the materials, explain the purpose of the pilot, and provide guidance on their use.

During the pilot period, practitioners will use the sample materials in their classrooms and participate in ongoing discussions with the consultants. Their feedback will be used to assess the clarity, relevance, suitability, and practicality of the curriculum within the local ECD environment.

The success of the pilot will be measured by examining how effectively the materials can be used by practitioners, the level of engagement demonstrated by children, the suitability of the activities for different developmental stages, and the extent to which the materials respond to the needs of the local ECD sector.

The findings from the pilot will be used to refine the Curriculum Guide before the next phase of implementation.

Strengthening Professional Development Opportunities

The Department of Youth has also initiated outreach to local tertiary and vocational education institutions to explore opportunities for developing or adapting professional training programs specifically geared towards Early Childhood Development.

The Department looks forward to continued dialogue with the relevant educational institutions regarding the development of accessible, recognized, and sector-responsive training opportunities for ECD practitioners.

During consultations, practitioners emphasized the importance of ensuring that future professional development opportunities reflect the needs and realities of the ECD sector and provide the practical knowledge and skills required to support young children’s learning and development.

“The classroom observations and direct discussions with practitioners are essential to ensuring that the Curriculum Guide is not only developmentally sound, but also practical and responsive to the local context,” the Department of Youth stated. “The success of this initiative will depend on continued collaboration among government, daycare centers, practitioners, educational institutions, parents, and other stakeholders.”

The development of the ECD Curriculum Guide forms part of the Government of Sint Maarten’s broader commitment to strengthening the quality of early childhood services and ensuring that young children have access to stimulating, nurturing, and developmentally appropriate learning environments.