The Department of Basic Education (DBE) continues to prioritise Early Childhood Development (ECD) as a key focus area for the 7th Administration, as highlighted by Minister Gwarube in her recent Budget Vote speech.
Building sustainable and well-managed ECD programmes through micro-enterprises is essential towards ensuring universal access. The aim is to improve the quality of early learning through targeted interventions that address structural quality (practitioner skills, curriculum, health and hygiene) and process quality (learning and teaching, nutrition and learning outcomes). It is also important to develop the skills of parents, caregivers and communities to support child development outcomes and increase the awareness of the importance of ECD, as well as strengthening systems and governance through stakeholder engagement. Two major initiatives currently underway are the national ECD centre monitoring programme and parental training workshops.
The Department is conducting the comprehensive monitoring of ECD centres across the country to ensure quality care and education for our youngest learners. This initiative aims to assess facilities, curriculum implementation, health and safety standards and overall programme effectiveness. Recent monitoring visits have taken place in the North West and Eastern Cape Provinces, with data gathered informing targeted support and improvements.
Recently, a total of 35 provincial and district ECD officials were trained in Ormonde in the Gauteng Province from 15 to 19 July 2024, as master trainers to roll out the parenting programme to parents and caregivers across 15 districts. The training for Love Life Groundbreakers working with young adolescents took place in the Sekhukhune District in the Limpopo Province from 22 to 26 July 2024, in partnership with the Department of Health, UNICEF and Hope World Wide. The ultimate goal of the training is to empower Provincial and District ECD officials and NGOs to become master trainers, who will then train and empower parents on early childhood development.
The parenting workshops cover crucial topics such as children's rights, health and nutrition, play and creativity, child development, positive discipline, and building healthy family relationships. By empowering parents and caregivers, the DBE aims to ensure all children, especially the most vulnerable, can thrive and reach their full potential. The training package was developed to enable trainers to train parents and caregivers who take care of babies and young children from birth to five years old. Ms Lungile Mdluli, Early Childhood Development (ECD) Officer from UNICEF, explained that, “caregivers and parents need to understand the importance of play especially during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, and engage with children through play. Play assists children to develop physically, emotionally and enhances their problem solving skills”.
These initiatives reflect the Department's commitment to laying a strong foundation for lifelong learning from the earliest years. As Minister Gwarube emphasised, investing in quality early childhood development is key to improving educational outcomes and building a prosperous South Africa.