Digital training boosts early childhood development centres

THE Domino Foundation introduced digital tools to 27 early childhood development (ECD) centre owners to enhance their education management skills.

Communications officer Rowan Phillips said the training day at Kingsway Church International in Amanzimtoti was a time of skills-upgrading for the owners who have been partnering with their nutrition programme.

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One of the women, Gladys Zondi, owner of Philangezwi ECD Centre in Fakazi, with 41 preschoolers in her charge, has run her daycare centre for 20 years.

“The gathering was to introduce her and her fellow owners to the digital world as a tool to run their small businesses as efficient and thriving enterprises,” he said.

Cheryl Dann, who heads the nutrition team in the South Basin, said a child’s first five years are fundamental for their cognitive learning, health and behaviour.

“Here in Toti, we have been providing what we call ‘food for thought’ in the form of high-protein sandwiches to the crèches. Now, we are partnering with another non-profit organisation, Grow ECD, to facilitate training to empower the owners to be really effective in the running of the centres,” she said.

Grow ECD equips ECD businesses with the skills, support and resources needed to provide quality early learning. Leading the day was Anele Chita, Grow ECD’s community development coordinator in the Durban area.

The focus of the training was the Grow App which he described as a ‘one-stop-shop’ with paperless administration, parent communication, finance management, attendance registers, teacher competency, learner assessments and much more, all from one device.

Cheryl labelled this a healthy, mutually beneficial partnership in action. “Domino is ‘sharing’ its beneficiaries with Grow ECD so they can build quality early education centres, and our ECD centres are reaping the rewards of children who are being thoroughly prepared for Grade One,” she said.

For more information about the Grow App, contact Cheryl on 083 201 0554.

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