Make a positive impact on the lives of local Jamaican children with a meaningful, and life-changing childcare volunteering project.
If you’re looking for a fulfilling volunteer program, then this childcare project is perfect for you. You’ll help to relieve overworked staff as you meet and interact with children who are eager for your attention and time. And, you’ll even have the opportunity to work with children with special needs like autism, learning challenges, or physical disabilities.
Make a difference with this life-changing experience that could leave you feeling humbled. Jamaicans are said to be some of the friendliest people in the world so your most special moments will be those when you meet these ‘little people’.
Jamaica is often sold as a top tourist destination, but there’s so much more to the island. There’s a real side of our country with people and communities suffering from poverty and other social inequalities.
Our childcare centers and orphanages are therefore often overburdened and understaffed and so help is always needed. You'll be working alongside local staff to provide the necessary support for these children as most times they are unable to get the one-on-one interaction and the individualized attention essential for emotional growth and development.
You'll also have opportunities to teach the children some basic life skills and play with them. The orphanages we work with are mostly located in St Andrew, outside of the city of Kingston. They house boys and girls from ages 3 – 14 years. In some special childcare centers in poor communities, there are babies and children below three years.
When working with childcare orphanage volunteering programs, you can work solo or with a group of volunteers. No prior experience is needed to volunteer. However, flexibility, compassion, and a natural love for working with children are required.
You might've heard about, read about, maybe even dreamed about the beautiful island of Jamaica, so why not experience it by joining one of our childcare volunteering abroad programs. This is your chance to see, feel and experience the real Jamaica while making a huge impact on the lives of the people who live here, and your own!
Essential Program Information
Program Times
Our programs are usually run Mondays – Fridays from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. However, we can arrange shorter days for those who require it. Some programs might have activities on Saturdays which are normally pre-planned. We will help you to make the necessary arrangements.
Safety
At JVP, our mantra is “Your safety is our number one priority”. This means that our job is not completed until you arrive home safely.
To ensure this, when you are in Jamaica you will never be alone. A Jamaica Volunteer Programs representative will always be available to you. In addition to this, on your arrival, we'll give you safety tips and strategies to use during your orientation.
Like most other countries, Jamaica does have crime. However, our programs, routes, and destinations are designed around and away from those areas so you will always be safe. Even further, our volunteer home and program partners are located in some of the safest communities in St Andrew and Ocho Rios.
We provide 24/7 in-country support where our dedicated team members are always there to support you with any emergencies or other needs. This means that when you book with us you will be treated as if you are a relative visiting from overseas and provided with a safe home away from home.
To further protect you, while volunteering you will be placed with a local mentor who will give you tips and support. And, we offer more protection with full medical insurance protection through our partners for any unexpected illness or accident.
Therefore, at all times you'll be surrounded by caring and trusted people to keep you safe.
Application
You can apply at any time for all of our programs. However, we advise you to apply as soon as you can to ensure that you lock up your space.
Once you have paid your deposit and confirmed your place on the program, we will send you an email confirming your payment. This email will also include a link where you can download our Registration Handbook that will provide you with pre-departure reference and support information.
If you require any further information not covered in the handbook our staff is always on-hand to assist you.
Volunteer Experience Value
If you are wondering if you can use your volunteer experience to boost your professional profile, then yes you can. At your request, we can provide you with a letter or certificate of completion detailing your volunteer activities and accomplishments.
A volunteer experience abroad is a great resume booster and can be of great value when applying for college or a job. We’ll be glad to assist you to make it happen.
As a volunteer, you’ll have an opportunity to work alongside the local staff but there are several activities you can do with the kids on a daily basis:
If you are volunteering at a children’s home during school periods, then the children will be available around 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm. However, during school breaks including Christmas, Easter, and Summer breaks, the hours are 9:30 am to 3:00 pm.
If you are volunteering at a Kindergarten (Jamaicans say Basic School), then the hours will be 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.
If you are volunteering at a Daycare Center, then the hours will be 8:30 am to 5:00 pm and you’ll be able to:
After you’ve completed your day’s work, you’ll spend the rest of the day however you choose, whether back at the volunteer house or exploring Jamaica.
Most evenings you’ll go back to your volunteer home to hang out and plan for the next day.
Outside of arranged cultural immersion trips and excursions where you’ll have opportunities to experience some of Jamaica’s most amazing attractions, we continually look for eye-opening cultural activities for you to do in your free time.
Because of this we sometimes offer you opportunities to attend local events in the afternoons organized by our cultural ambassador/project coordinator.
Activities such as Jamaican dancing lessons, patois classes, and Jamaican storytelling are designed to keep you entertained, but more importantly, to further help you learn the Jamaican culture.
On the last Friday night before your departure, we have ‘Jamaica Night’ – where we will display some of Jamaica’s most popular food, play popular Jamaican music and also give volunteers the opportunity to showcase what they’ve learned about the Jamaican culture as well as showcase their own culture.
Volunteers are requested to arrive on a Sunday as volunteer projects begin the first and third Monday of each month. If your project is in Kingston, then you'll be recommended to arrive at the Norman Manley International Airport and for Ocho Rios projects, the Donald Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay will be recommended. On the confirmation of your application, you will be instructed on the appropriate airport.
As part of your transportation package, you’ll have a tour guide/driver who not only knows all the safe places to take you but also know the customs of Jamaica.
Whenever you arrive at the airport, you’ll be met by one of our local staff or an appointed driver who will be holding a Jamaica Volunteer Programs sign. Where there is a time difference between pick-up hours and flight arrival, volunteers are requested to wait at the airport until pick up time. You can also be picked up from a bus stop or other agreed locations.
After you have been picked up, you will then be transported to your volunteer home where you’ll be given an orientation upon arrival.
Our projects are offered in two different locations — Kingston and Ocho Rios — both with dorm-style accommodations and comfortable living. However, each location offers a different Jamaican experience.
Staying in homes owned by local people will allow you to touch, feel and see the real Jamaica. Our volunteer homes offer three different types of rooms: dorms, single and double rooms.
Our main homestay, nestled on top of the picturesque hill of Smokeyvale, St Andrew is a secret hideaway called Smokey Manor with breath-taking sceneries of the Blue Mountains to the East and a spectacular view of Kingston to the South.
This community is a visual feast of ferns, flora, and fauna. Everywhere you turn, there will be towering fruit trees, cool breeze, and panoramic mountains.
If you are a nature lover, you will enjoy our Country Walk Tour. Travel through Manning’s Hill, a quaint little village, and see Jamaica before it wakes up. The peaceful surroundings and tranquil atmosphere provides the perfect setting for meditation, exercise, and a chance to commune with nature.
As you pass through rural villages on your hike, you will have the feeling of stepping back in time. See the unhurried lifestyle and the friendly people who make Jamaica truly unique.
At our Ocho Rios homestays, you can spend your days making a difference in local lives and spend your weekends discovering thrilling and exciting excursions.
Our Harmony Haven Volunteer Home is nestled on the north coast and close to shops, restaurants, and beaches. Here, you’ll have access to a shared kitchen, dormitory-style bedrooms, shared patios and a terrace.
Or, you can stay at the Bellamour Studios and Apartments which is located in the heart of Ocho Rios and within walking distance from some projects, shops, restaurants, and beaches.
Here you’ll have access to bunk beds and a shared kitchen. However, meal plans are not offered at this property.
All of our volunteer homes offer rooms with fans and the option to pay US$5 per day for air conditioning.
All homes have electricity, running water, western-style bathrooms, and free wifi.
For the safety of volunteers and consideration of other roommates, we provide curfews hours on weekdays starting at 11:00 pm and on weekends at 1:00 am.
You’ll be served daily breakfast at the volunteer house as part of your package. We offer a basic daily breakfast which includes toast, eggs, fruits, tea/coffee, and juice. Two days per week, you’ll have a full Jamaican breakfast.
The volunteer house has a communal kitchen that consists of an oven, gas hob, microwave, and refrigerator. You'll have the option of cooking your own dinner, buying meals from nearby restaurants at an approximate cost of US$7-25 per meal or you can have your dinner catered for by our local chef. Volunteers can buy a home-cooked dinner plan for US$70 per week. Talk with your program representative about arranging this pre-arrival.
In Jamaican homes, you’ll find a variety of foods and drinks which are as varied as the people and scenery, and you’ll be able to sample all of them including the popular jerk, roast breadfruit, and ackee & saltfish (the national dish).
Our home-cooked food is a melting pot of all the cultures brought here during slavery and the plantation era, and staying in a Jamaican home is the best place to sample these. At our homestays, you’re guaranteed the most delicious, nutritious meals made from organic ingredients.
You will, however, have to buy lunch at or near your project site. Our program advisors will help you make arrangements for an affordable lunch or show you how to find the closest food store.
At JVP, we cater to all diets, including vegetarians and vegans; however, these may not be available at nearby restaurants. To make a final decision about special dietary requirements, discuss this with your project coordinator.
Our orphanage and childcare volunteering programs are available all year- round. So on your application, you’ll just have to indicate your start and end dates.
Although we are flexible, we encourage volunteers to arrive on weekends so you'll have a full week to volunteer. There are times during the year when Jamaica has major holidays and celebrations, so it is advisable to plan your trip that your dates do not coincide with these major events.
Childcare Volunteering in Jamaica
Engage in meaningful work by providing the invidualized attention & care needed for the emotional growth & development of children in orphanages and childcare facilities.
$374/week
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