Preschoolers falling through the cracks

SA spends just 1.8% of its education budget on ECD: the damage shows

- Cathy Gush

hey just sat there. Some were so trussed up in their thick winter jackets that they could barely move.

These are the heartbreaking conditions related to me about a crèche for children in Makhanda.

No outdoor play was allowed, donated toys remained behind lock and key. Working parents had entrusted their children to the care of someone running an ECD centre, but it would probably have been better for the children to be playing at home or in a neighbour’s yard.

At least they would have the freedom to explore and learn.

But picture this instead: In a modest shack behind a Makhanda nursery school’s swings, 12 mothers sit in a circle laughing as their toddlers explore handmade toys on dusty floors. The mothers are learning something profound: that playing with children can change everything.

The Playmat session is facilitated by the Lebone Centre’s Kaylynne Rushin and Akia Lucas.

"Playing with your child doesn’t need to be expensive; it’s all about the bond and the skills they gain from it,” Rushin says, taking out handmade plastic balls and picture books made from cereal boxes and magazine pictures they taught the parents to make.

Laughter echoes through the room as they begin to play, sing and dance.

“It has helped me love my child,” says Olwethu Mphofu. The advice and encouragement she gets from the sessions help her sustain an environment of love and support for her child. “In the next 15 years, I will see my child at Rhodes University.”

Another mother, Laurene Jackson, says: “My daughter struggled with her development; she couldn't speak properly and then there was a stage where she couldn’t walk. But we joined the programme and everything got better. She started walking, started growing. Now she is five, and she can count to 100.”

The funding crisis