CHILDREN of LIME staff now have a place to do schoolwork, in the form of a new homework centre recently opened at the company’s Carlton Crescent head office in Kingston.

The LIME Foundation Homework Centre will serve kids aged six to 13.

“We recognise the importance of how a family-oriented corporate structure makes our employees feel safe and assured, that their CEO, line managers, supervisors and peers are all looking out for them and their children’s welfare,” said conceptualiser and CEO Garfield Sinclair.

“Here, the children of our valued colleagues will spend a few after-school hours completing tasks assigned earlier or merely reviewing new topics or concepts taught,” he explained, noting that “we have made sure the facility has some functional prerequisites for today’s tech-savvy youngsters.”

Equipped with two Lenovo desktop computers and four laptops fully fitted with security features to ensure safe Internet surfing, the kids have a wide variety of learning material available to them.

Sinclair assured that they will have high-speed Internet access, “all in a comfortable, well-lit surrounding, which is tastefully decorated”.

“Additionally, we want to add more value to their afternoon experience and so along with the help of a homework centre assistant, students will be engaged in sessions on mentorship, leadership and personal development,” Sinclair said.

The company nurse who sits next to the facility will also visit occasionally to interact with the youngsters about the challenges of growing up and render basic medical care when needed.

“So the LIME homework centre is really a tangible response to what we recognise to be the nurturing process that our fellow colleagues who are either parents or guardians must necessarily pursue,” Sinclair said.

Arguing that after-school care in Jamaica can be expensive and in some cases the quality of care is uncertain, Sinclair said when these two factors are considered, it can make for less productive employees, who may end up spending more of their working hours grappling with the nature of that situation and less on assigned tasks.

“This is more than just a place for keep and care,” Minister of Education Ronald Thwaites said at the launch last month.

He said all the studies done in Jamaica show that when there is supervision during the after-school period, children inevitably do better in their examinations and also have better attitude towards school.