The caregivers of children who are at home also need support. Photo: File
Young children in South Africa live on the edge of both possibility and risk. If all of them were to grow up thriving, it would unlock opportunities for our country: a stronger economy and a safer, happier society. And yet, more than half (500 000) of the children who enter our schooling system every year are underprepared.
To address this, we need to increase access to quality early childhood development (ECD) centres or playgroups. We also need to support the caregivers of our youngest children who are at home, where learning begins.
The science is clear. A baby’s brain is not fully developed at birth, it develops most rapidly in the first three years of life. Babies are born eager to connect: they babble, make facial expressions and reach out. When caregivers respond with warmth, smiles, eye contact, sounds or words, it strengthens brain development. This is the power of “serve and return” and responsive caregiving. A concept that may sound simple, but that has profound effects on brain development, how a child learns language and builds social-emotional skills. Language grows when we use everyday moments to respond to a child’s interests, add words, play and share stories and books.
But for too many caregivers, the odds are stacked against them.
There are nearly seven million children aged 0–5 in South Africa, and nearly two-thirds live in the poorest 40% of households. Caregivers, most often women, carry an enormous, often invisible burden. More than 80% of children live with their biological mothers, many of whom experience a lack of support, or daily survival stress because of poverty, with a third struggling with post-natal depression.
Poor infrastructure, inefficient services, financial insecurity, fragmented support and enduring gender norms undermine their capacity to provide nurturing care. New research shows that not a single municipality provides the full range of adequate services to support caregivers in providing for young children’s development. Poor service delivery limits a caregiver’s ability to meet a child’s needs.
Many also do not have confidence in their role as their children’s first teachers because “learning” is still viewed as something that happens in crèches or schools. Less than a third of caregivers read books with their children. Many homes don’t have age-appropriate books at all with just less than four in 10 households with children owning a children’s book.
If we want to break the cycle of poverty, inequality and poor learning outcomes, we must start with the people doing the work of care.
Across South Africa, organisations are doing this work, often with limited resources. These organisations recognise that for children to thrive, we must pay attention to the wellbeing of their caregivers. Organisations such as Dlalanathi put caregivers at the centre with their Ibhayi Lengane programme that supports caregivers’ psychosocial wellbeing, while also providing guidance on responsive caregiving, talking and playing.
Programmes like Philani, Flourish and Eat, Play, Love, Talk also weave in nutrition, early learning and play, understanding the multi-faceted needs of caregivers.
Organisations recognise the importance of shared care of young children. Among them is goGOGOgo, which supports grandmothers, who, in South Africa, are raising more than four million children. Initiatives such as Fathers Matter help to raise awareness of the importance of fathers in caregiver roles. Hope-Hear and Siyakwazi ensure that caregivers of young children with hearing loss and other disabilities aren’t left behind. They work with families to promote inclusive, responsive caregiving. There is also recognition of meeting caregivers where they are: organisations like Sikunye reach caregivers in their places of worship, through support to a network of leaders of churches and faith-based organisations. Others reach caregivers through clinics (Lebone Centre), community farming initiatives (Thanda), and ECD centres (Wordworks).
Through programmes like Baby Boost, Every Word Counts, Family Literacy Project and Mikhulu Trust Book Sharing, caregivers learn about how to talk, play and share books with very young children. They also offer a supportive space for caregivers to connect, problem solve and celebrate successes. These programmes are often delivered in partnership with organisations that develop affordable, quality books (Book Dash), toys made from recycled materials (Singakwenza), and tech tools such as apps (Treehouse Kids) or WhatsApp groups or services (Parentline).
Hold My Hand, in support of the National Strategy to Accelerate Action for Children and Teenagers (NSAAC), and the South African Parenting Programme Implementors Network (SAPPIN), is conducting a national survey to better understand what support is out there, what’s working and what is needed to reach more caregivers.
We must invest in learning from and expanding evidence-informed programmes, and strengthen partnerships between government, donors, NGOs and researchers to create scalable, sustainable systems.
The Hold My Hand Accelerator in partnership with SAPPIN, is conducting a survey of organisations and initiatives that support responsive caregiving and early learning. If you would like to know more about the survey or complete the survey please use this link.
Shelley O’Carroll is an early childhood development specialist and consultant for the Hold My Hand Accelerator for Children and Teens.