Reimagining systems that support early childhood development centres in offering quality education

Abstract

Quality early childhood education, according to a large body of research, is critical to improving health, academic levels, future employment possibilities and the eradication of poverty and inequities.1,2 There has recently been increasing global awareness of the value of quality early childhood education as the foundational basis for upward mobility in any nation’s educational ladder, especially in the developing countries of Africa, including South Africa. In South African early childhood development (ECD) policy documents and guidelines, quality in early childhood care and education (ECCE) is mainly determined by the structural and process quality input, such as physical infrastructure, the number of toilets and wash basins, the learning programme, group size, teacher–child ratios, the presence of developmentally appropriate education equipment, materials and resources, governance and financial management.3 To improve the quality of ECCE in South Africa, the government has put several interventions in place. For example, the ECD centres registered with the Department of Social Development are qualified for government funding based on a ‘per child subsidy’ of R15,00 per child, aimed at children living in impoverished communities.3 The Department of Higher Education and Training also aims to provide qualified teachers for this sector to improve ECD quality.4 Enactment of policies, such as the South African National Curriculum Framework (NCF) and the National Early Learning and Development Standards (NELDS), for children birth to 4 years is a sign of government commitment to the early childhood sector. The government made progress in improving the quality of ECCE. However, researchers argue that early childhood education gets Systems ensure the attainment of goals at any educational level, including quality early childhood education. Various studies focus on the benefits and components of quality early childhood education, yet none emphasise systems that will support early childhood development (ECD) centres in offering quality education. This study explored existing systems that support ECD centres in providing quality education to young children. The study adopted a qualitative research approach and collected data through document analysis and face-to-face interviews with eight participants purposively selected from four ECD centres situated in Pretoria. The data were analysed thematically. The findings revealed that national policies, internally generated policies and financial systems support the participating centres in offering quality education. However, many of the participants did not know the existing national policies. The findings also revealed that ECD centres in the township area do not have financial systems to help them provide quality education. The study recommends effective implementation strategies to foster awareness and enforce strict adherence to government policies at ECD centres. The study contributes to awareness and adherence to quality early childhood education by suggesting that ECD centres, principals and teachers should engage in relevant and practical training on effectively establishing systems from the available national education policies that will help them offer quality education.