Junction

The Junction Centre was established in 1995; however, at that time, it functioned as an outreach supervised by the Mandeville Centre. During those years, alongside the Teen Mothers Programme and the Chubby Cheeks Daycare, there was also a Skills Training Programme. This programme catered to males and females 17-23 years old. They were taught a variety of needle crafts, such as drapery and bed spreadmaking, dressmaking, and doll-making, among others. The skills programme came to an end in December 2009.

The Teen Mothers Programme at the Junction Outreach was always undersubscribed, resulting in the facility’s underutilization. The Chubby Cheeks Daycare, however, kept growing. The low student turnout at the Junction Outreach, coupled with the high number of 2 ½ year olds leaving the daycare, conceptualized the idea of a preschool, which aligns with the mandate of the WCJF. There was also a need for additional early childhood education institutions within the community.

Thus, the preschool was born and officially opened in September 2014 under Chubby Cheeks Preschool. It started with seven (7) children who were leaving the daycare. To date, the daycare serves as a feeder to the preschool. Over the years, the preschool grew tremendously. In 2015, in formalizing the preschool, the PTA Body decided on a name change for the school, so the “Young Achievers Preschool” was born, which is still in use today.

The Junction Outreach officially became the Junction Centre in July 2018; gaining centre status meant it was no longer supervised by the Mandeville Centre. The site, now a full center, had privileges, including having its own Centre Manager. The first to be recognized was Maxine Williams. Currently, the Junction Center offers the WCJF PAM program, which is offered at the main center, and its outreach. At the same time, the Chubby Cheeks Daycare and Young Achievers Preschool would serve the community of Junction and its environs.