Dr. Cheryl Rock is an experienced early childhood and special education professional with more than two decades of experience working with children with developmental delays and additional needs, their families, and the professionals who support them.
Her career in Barbados began with the creation of an early intervention nursery for young children with additional needs. As the children grew, so did the provision. What began as an early years programme developed into primary and secondary school provision and, ultimately, a vocational programme—allowing services to evolve alongside the children and their changing educational, developmental and life needs. This experience has shaped Dr. Rock’s belief that good services should respond to children, rather than expecting children to fit into existing systems.
Now based in the Cayman Islands, Dr. Rock serves as the EIP Coordinator with the Department of Education Services, leading the Early Intervention Programme for children from birth to five years. Her work includes programme and service development, multidisciplinary practice, parent support, professional training, and strengthening the capacity of early childhood settings to understand and respond to children’s developmental needs.
A particular focus of her work is children’s social and emotional development and the importance of relationships, regulation, play and connection as foundations for development and learning. She is passionate about helping families and educators understand the whole child and providing practical approaches that build children’s confidence, participation and independence.
Across her career, Dr. Rock has combined hands-on work with children and families with the development and leadership of services. She remains passionate about creating responsive, inclusive and specialist provision for children whose needs may not be fully met within traditional educational settings—and about building services that can grow with the children and communities they are designed to support.