Before attending the Creative Language-Based Learning (CLBL) Foundation Summer Learning Session, getting her son to read felt impossible to Naomi Sutherland. “Looking at how far he has come, I couldn’t be more grateful for everything the programme has done for him,” recalled Ms Sutherland as she reflected on the remarkable transformation of her son, Zavion Simpson, who struggled with reading.

Stories like Zavion’s are heard across Jamaica. CLBL Foundation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information (MOESYI), is enhancing teachers’ skills to strengthen literacy and numeracy outcomes, thereby building schools’ capacity to develop their students’ potential.  

Last year, Zavion entered CLBL’s Summer Learning Session unable to read. Today, he has been recognised as an Outstanding Reader at Whitfield Primary and Infant School – a transformation his mother credits to the programme’s specialised teaching methods, personalised support and encouragement. “To sponsors, please continue to sponsor. It truly makes a difference, and the help is greatly appreciated,” she said.

Helping create more stories like Zavion’s is at the heart of a new partnership between Red Stripe’s caregiving brand, Malta, and Creative Language-Based Learning. Through its The Good You Give campaign, Malta has contributed JMD $300,000 to support CLBL’s Summer Learning Session Programme, enabling the organisation to expand specialised literacy interventions for more Jamaican teachers to reach their students with learning difficulties year after year for the rest of that teacher’s career. 

Creative Language-Based Learning Foundation is an educational initiative endorsed by the MOESYI that equips teachers with research-validated Lindamood-Bell® instructional strategies designed specifically for children with diverse learning needs. As a result of students’ improvements in literacy and numeracy, students become more confident, strengthening family engagement and helping children rediscover the joy of learning.

CLBL Foundation Chairman Joseph Matalon said the programme’s greatest success extends well beyond improved reading scores.

“Each time I attend the Summer Learning Session’s Tips for Home, I see children becoming more confident in reading, participating more actively and making meaningful progress in skills that once seemed out of reach. I am equally encouraged by the commitment of parents, who continue to seek support and work closely with the programme to help their children succeed.” 

For Malta, the partnership reflects a broader commitment to investing in initiatives that develop Jamaica’s teachers’ skills, giving them the opportunity to help Jamaica’s children reach their potential year after year.

“Every child deserves the opportunity to experience the confidence that comes with learning to read. Through The Good You Give, we’re proud to support organisations like Creative Language-Based Learning Foundation that are helping remove barriers facing many Jamaican families and ensuring more children have the opportunity to realise their full potential,” said Malta Brand Manager Arnaldo Martin.

As Jamaica continues to prioritise literacy improvement, partnerships between educators, families and the private sector are helping to ensure that more teachers are trained in the Lindamood-Bell® methodologies to reach more children who need it most.

For Naomi Sutherland, however, the impact is not only measured in her son’s newly developed reading skills but also in the confidence she now sees in her son every day.

A child who once struggled to recognise words is now being celebrated for his reading ability, a reminder that, with the right support, every child’s story can change.