In tough economic times, it is difficult for Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) in the Early Childhood Development (ECD) space to raise sufficient funds to assist South Africa\u2019s most vulnerable citizens.<\/p>\n
Now, six organizations in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) – Zero2Five Trust, LETCEE, Lulamaphiko, Midlands Community College, Singakwenza and Thanda – are joining hands to create the country\u2019s very first \u00a0Early Learning Outcomes Measure (ELOM) Community of Practice (COP) to openly share learning, expertise and data across multiple urban and rural districts including uMzinyathi, Zululand, uMkhanyakude, uMgungundlovu, uThukela and Ugu.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat makes this collaboration unique is the spirit of openness and trust. Organisations are sharing both their successes and their challenges, creating a safe learning space where ideas, resources and innovations can move freely between programmes,\u201d said Julika Falconer, CEO of Durban-based Zero2Five Trust.<\/p>\n
She said it was \u201cdefinitely first out of the starting blocks\u201d \u00a0and likely to set an important precent for ECD across the country.<\/p>\n
Falconer welcomed President Cyril Ramaposa\u2019s State of the National Address (SONA)\u00a0 commitment to elevate ECD to a core foundational education priority with plans to get all children aged zero to five into ECD structures by 2030.<\/p>\n
However, a great deal of on-the-ground work is still needed. NPO\u2019s deliver much of this.<\/p>\n
\u201cTechnically, we all compete for the same funders in a tough economic landscape so we set this aside to share our best practices and tools for a common goal – to see more young children in KZN thrive. We wish to accelerate improvements in early learning outcomes by pooling expertise, resources, and data to identify, test, and disseminate practical micro-changes that can be replicated across diverse contexts. By working as a collective rather than in isolation, we aim to contribute meaningful evidence to the broader South African ECD sector,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The decision to collaborate was inspired by the findings of the Thrive by Five Index, the largest survey of preschool child outcomes ever attempted in South Africa. It measured the proportion of children aged between 50-59 months across\u00a0 nine provinces to determine whether or not they were developmentally \u201con track\u201d for their ages.<\/p>\n
The findings were that 55% of South African children attending ELPs cannot do the learning tasks expected of children their age, with 28% of them falling far behind the expected standard and needing intensive intervention to catch up with their peers.<\/p>\n
One in 18 children (5.65%) in this study showed signs of long-term malnutrition. Children between four and five regarded as \u2018moderately stunted\u2019\u00a0 are five to six months behind children with normal height-for age. \u2018Mildly stunted\u2019 children are approximately 2.4 months behind.<\/p>\n
These delays may be further compounded by social and emotional issues. Under the Social Relations with Peers and Adults category , 27.5% of children did not meet the standard. This increased to 33.4% when it comes to Emotional Readiness for School. Within a group of 20 children starting Grade R in 2023, only eight began with the right foundations in place. Eleven of these 20 children (more than half) started school already struggling.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis highlights the urgent need to strengthen early learning outcomes for many children. who struggle with foundational skills such as numeracy, visual motor integration and cognitive and executive development. By using the ELOM tool, the organisations are working together to better understand how children in their programmes are developing, and to test small, practical improvements \u2013 known as micro-changes \u2013 that can strengthen teaching practices and learning experiences for children,\u201d Falconer explained.<\/p>\n
She said the next step would be the upcoming first cross-training workshop for the programme leads and trainers of all six organisations: \u201cThe collaboration will produce a resource pack of ten low-cost learning resources made from recycled materials. Each learning resource will have suggestions for activities, covering 20 weeks. The pack will support implementation of the identified micro-changes by providing practical guidance on using each activity to strengthen numeracy, visual-motor integration (VMI), and executive functioning.\u201d<\/p>\n