An initiative helps children from disadvantaged backgrounds attain a significant level of readiness before entering school
Congress Mahlangu
Project Head Start is making a difference in improving the quality of early childhood development in townships around Pretoria. The five-year-old project is an initiative of Early Childhood Development (ECD), an NGO that runs the programme in conjunction with the University of Pretoria to improve the skills levels of pre-school teachers.
ECD employs staff to train and implement the programme, whereas the University of Pretoria offers the project logistical support in return for its third year and master’s students involvement in community psychology.
The programme runs over two years, during which pre-school teachers attend lessons once a week at the university where they are trained in childhood development and school management principles. The other aspects of training involve field visits by trainers and the Pretoria University students to monitor progress in the different pre-schools.
Pretoria University students participate in furthering the social and emotional development of the children, as well as building networks between other community-based organisations that offer additional resources to benefit the children and the pre-schools.
“Our trainers have specialised in the unique learner-centred adult training techniques adopted by Head Start,” says ECD Projects’ managing director Shirley Orsmond. “Through the commitment of our team, we are making headway in the townships.”
Orsmond says the objective of Head Start is to ensure that children from disadvantaged backgrounds are given an equal opportunity to attain a signifi-cant level of school readiness before entering the formal school system.
She says the programme seeks to empower community members to take full responsibility for the educational advancement of their children.
“Investing in children has a potential to yield high rates of return in social and economic terms. At this stage the government cannot be singled out as the only role-player in the early education process; it needs to be the collective effort of society,” she explained.
“Proper training of unskilled caregivers in disadvantaged communities is essential to improve school entry levels.”
She says South Africa needs intervention programmes to address the root cause of illiteracy, unemployment and crime.
“It is the philosophy of ECD Projects that if we provide pre-school caregivers with skills, resources and scientifically sound child development programmes, then our disadvantaged communities will be equipped to provide their children with a solid foundation for lifelong learning.”
Head Start’s supplementary efforts are catching the attention of the educational authorities. Marie Louise Samuels, director for early childhood development in the Department of Education, says the department endorses any initiative that pursues the goals of early learning development.
Samuels says such efforts should be recognised by the South African Qualifications Authority. However, such recognition would require registration with the relevant authority and have to be compatible with Curriculum 2005, which starts with the Grade reception year (Grade R year) a pre-school equivalent programme.
Two recent graduates of the programme, Naomi Selahle from Abba pre-school and Linah Siban-yoni from Thembekile pre-school, said the programme had made a difference in their work.
“I feel empowered by the skills we have learned from Head Start as they have made us important contributors to our community and we are now able to prepare the children in our care to be properly school ready [in terms] of reciting numericals and alphabets, for example”, Selahle says.
To date 250 pre-school teachers have graduated from the programme and another 50 are undergoing training. Head Start relies on corporate underwriting for funding but R100 monthly fees are charged to trainees.