Recognizing that CSD has a role to play in the local educational environment, and to improve ECCE locally, we implemented the following projects in Grahamstown in 2016:

• Parent projects, funded by Anglo American Chairman’s Fund: These projects served to capacitate 2991 parents, teachers and practitioners in Grahamstown and, although funding came to an end in 2016, CSD is adamant that these workshop should continue and they will form a key component of the work done in Grahamstown in 2017. The need for parental involvement in ECCE is paramount for success of learning in the first 100 days, and influential in the rest of a young person’s education.
•  EQ for teachers and parents: Emotional intelligence has become a buzzword; however, having specific, recognized skills in this field, CSD has produced a detailed series of workshops for parents and teachers to introduce the topic and ensure that children are seen as emotional beings from the early childhood stage and are treated as such.
• STELLAR (Strategies for English Language Learning and Reading) project: This programme assisted 30 local teachers to teach in English and to teach English language learners in a more professional and planned fashion.
• Special needs and Toy Library: There is only one special-needs school/day-care for ECCE in Grahamstown. The series of special needs workshops served to begin to break the silence and stigma around special needs and highlight the links to early childhood development and learning. Although initiated with a more specific aim of changing behaviour and establishing a network of support for special needs, the project organically, and with the support of the funder, moved towards creating a space for discussion and de-stigmatization around special needs. Thus there was a focus on an increase in knowledge which necessarily precedes a behavioural change. More time will be required to change mindsets and behaviour.
• Eyethu recycling and toy making: This initiative serves not only as one of the few re-cycling drop-off points in Grahamstown, but shares with parents and practitioners the materials that can and should be used to develop clean, long lasting educational resources. Training is provided to demonstrate that such activities can be a great deal of fun, excitement and stimulus for learning for practitioners and children alike. 2017 will see more formalized measuring and monitoring of the use of resources from Eyethu, as well as production of a ‘how to’ manual.
• Thylulwazi edu-tainers: 75 young learners in Extension 7, Grahamstown, now have access to a spacious learning environment and their ECCE teacher is being trained in ECCE NQF Level 4, at CSD. This is the embodiment of what CSD aims for on a larger scale: the professionalization of ECCE in Grahamstown. This centre provides a clear opportunity to research and define a model for continuous improvement of ECCE in township settings, using available resources and national funding networks.

These figures are based on an accepted industry average of 3 children per parent and 25 children per practitioner . It must be noted, however, that the practitioner: children ratio flucation from 7 to 65 children per practitioner in Grahamstown (Local ECD Survey, Grahamstown, 2016)

Last Modified: Thu, 01 Jun 2017 12:25:18 SAST