The Integrated Serviced Land Project (ISLP)

During 2001 the Centre for Early Childhood Development as managing partner, in conjunction with - the Early Learning Resource Unit, Foundation for Community Work and Ekuhlaleni Community Preschool Project - formed the Masibambane Consortium and successfully tendered for the ISLP:  Early Childhood Development Project.

The ISLP Early Childhood Development Project was designed to create six Early Childhood Development Enrichment centres in five ISLP communities in the Western Cape.  The areas were Southern Delft, Weltevreden Valley, Brown's Farm, Philippi East and Crossroads.

The six Enrichment Centres we worked with are:

• Ibhongolethu in Delft South
• Uvoyolwethu in Delft South
• Amy Biehl in Brown's Farm
• Vukile Tshwete in Weltevreden Valley
• Isibane Sethu in Philippi East
• Joyce Ndinisa in Crossroads

Each Early Childhood Development Enrichment Centre now offers the following:

• An early childhood development facility
• An after-care facility for primary school children
• Teacher training for ECD practioners
• Training for members of Governing Bodies of ECD Centres
• Facilitation of support groups for parents and families
• A toy library

After extensive community consultation in the five areas around the ISLP Early Childhood Development Project, location of buildings, approval of plans etc, the project took off and was extremely successful. March 2006 saw the end of this successful five-year Project and six ECD Enrichment Centres in five of Cape Town's poorest communities are now fully functional, offering full-day ECD provision to 480 children.

The public-private partnership between ECD service providers, the City of Cape Town, and the Provincial Departments of Education and Social services and Poverty Alleviation, provides early learning opportunities and nutrition for some 480 children. During the project fieldworkers reached 3,300 families, 76 jobs were created for local community members, and 167 educators and 274 Governing Body Members were trained.

Through the course of this project a need to supplement training with ongoing development support was observed and in August 2006 another programme, called the ECD Support Services Programme was launched.

In December 2005 the Centre for Early Childhood Development was awarded an Impumulelo Innovations Gold Award for the Integrated Serviced Land Project. The Impumulelo Innovations Award Trust was created to reward innovations in government and public-private partnerships that reduce poverty and address key developmental issues of national concern.

With the R 40,000 prize, we developed an ECD Enrichment Centre manual and advanced the concept in a two-day conference for provincial education and social development departments and 284 local authorities.

Certificate Programme in ECD Leadership, Management & Administration

This programme involved a broad range of participatory and experiential learning techniques in which practical work played an important part.  The programme was specifically useful to those involved in ECD where leadership, management and administration skills are required, for example- Directors, Managers, Community Workers, Trainers and Fieldworkers.  The minimum entrance requirement was Grade 12 with at least 3 years experience in early childhood development.

This programme consisted of 7 modules:  Early Childhood Development in South Africa; Managing Organisations; Planning; Leadership; Human Resource Management & Development; Financial Management & Control and Programme Evaluation.

Management Committee Training

This programme was designed for management committee members of community-based early childhood development centres.  The programme aimed to enhance the leadership, management and administration skills of committee members, supporting them in improving the management of early childhood development centres in their communities.  The programme was aimed at committee members, parents of children attending early childhood development centres and other community members.

The programme consisted of 9 modules:  The Roles & Responsibilities of Committee Members; Leadership & Management Skills; Project Planning; Community Development; Financial Management & Control; Fundraising; The Employment Process; Training & Development; Literacy & Numeracy Development within communities; and Project Evaluation.

Combating HIV and AIDS

This programme aimed to combat the spread of HIV infections and AIDS through education programmes targeted at all key stakeholders in early childhood development.  This programme provided information to the early childhood development sector on HIV/AIDS and promoted values and practices which inculcate respect for women and girls.  This programme was aimed at early childhood development practitioners, community management committee members and parents of preschool aged children.

Our HIV/AIDS Unit also implemented a pilot programme titled "Promoting and protecting the rights of children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS", funded by the Foundation for human Rights. This programme built the capacity and skills of 757 principals, Governing Body Members, practitioners and parents to develop and implement an HIV/AIDS Policy to protect the rights of children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

Of the 310 ECD Centres at the training, only 18 (6%) had an HIV/AIDS policy in place prior to training. The project had a positive impact and improved access to care and education for children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS at ECD Centres throughout the country. By February 2006, 298 (96%) of the 310 ECD Centres that attended the training had developed and implemented an HIV/AIDS Policy to promote and protect the rights of children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

During 2006, we also produced a booklet, Supporting Children Infected and Affected by HIV and AIDS: A Guide for Early Childhood Development Centres. The booklet is available in English, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Setswana and Sepedi, and 6,000 copies were distributed free of charge to ECD Centres nationwide.

Bright Kid Edutainer Project

We partnered with the Bright Kid Foundation to increase facilities and programmes available at ECD sites through the placement of Bright Kid Edutainer playrooms. These portable, insulated, and secure rooms offer a quick solution to informal or developing communities in need of pre-school facilities.

Standard Chartered Bank sponsored an Edutainer at the Etafeni Day Care Centre in Nyanga, for which we organised a launch on World AIDS Day, 01 December 2005.

In March 2006 we placed four Edutainers sponsored by the Halley Family, the Zoe Carss Education Trust, and the Western Cape Department of Social Services and Poverty Alleviation at the Jack and Jill Educare Centre in Grabouw.