Some of Alexandra’s Early Childhood and Development (ECD) centres are expected to provide quality and sustainable service following professional leadership training.
This follows the graduation of 20 ECD principals from the township and 70 others from across the country who attended a comprehensive programme sponsored and conducted by the Early Care Foundation (ECF) and the Spur Corporation’s Full Tummy Fund Foundation. The partnership supports 38 centres in the township.
The event took place at the FNB Conference Centre in Sandton and was attended by the country’s First Lady Dr Tshepo Motsepe who is also the chairperson of the Early Care, the Mandela and Cyril Ramaphosa foundations.
In a statement by the foundations, the 90 who included other ranks of practitioners graduated from the Care Skills Development Programme which includes face-to-face tuition and follow-up hands-on support in the centres. “Other aspects are basic skills of running effective and stimulating centres, preparing them for registration with the necessary local authorities and the importance of daily nutrition programmes for the children,” the statement read.
These are to enable the centres to successfully register and become eligible for financial subsidies for the nutrition programme and salaries of childcare workers.
The graduates will also attend other follow-up programmes including money management skills, child development skills and inclusion. “This is to help them help them to understand that their centres should run as small businesses and know how to do bookkeeping for sustainability.”
The training is expected to also encourage other centres that want to enhance their capacity and provide quality services to the township’s many children struggling with many social issues including high unemployment of their parents, teenage pregnancy and poverty.
Related article:
https://northeasterntribune.co.za/227012/early-childhood-education-compulsory/
