Christel House Jamaica (CHJ) is scheduled to open in September. Nearly all CHJ staff is in place with just two positions to fill according to Hon. Sally Porteous, CEO & Chairman of the Board. The priority is on enrolling children for the kindergarten through Grade 2 classes. The health crisis has made recruitment a challenge. Principal Alicia Francis and Lead Social Worker Kerry Ann Thompson are in the communities safely meeting with parents about Christel House. “Covid-19 has set us back in our efforts to enrol students,” says Porteous. But she’s optimistic. “We have been advertising that the school will open on September 7.” Furniture for the school, procured through Food for the Poor, the largest charity organization on the island has arrived in Jamaica as construction continues for the September opening. The school is being built in phases, with the first phase to accommodate elementary students. The school will open with 180 students in kindergarten through Grade 2. Each year thereafter an additional 60 kindergarten students will be admitted. The high school phase will begin construction in 2024 and the school will grow organically until it reaches capacity at Grade 13.