EARLY LEARNING RESOURCE LIBRARY (ELRL)

One of the challenges facing community-based ECD Centres is that due to financial constraints and lack of space, the majority of them do not have the resources to offer the young children in their care optimal learning programs and a variety of learning experiences.

Masikhule’s ELRL provides multiple ECD Centres with regular access to a large variety of educational resources. These include theme bags with activity ideas and materials necessary to implement our Early Learning Program, age- and language-appropriate educational toys, games and books for the children, as well as inspirational books for the educators, posters, fantasy corner dress-up items and much more!  Our delivery service ensures resources are delivered to ELRL members on a regular basis.

Playing outside allows children to develop gross motor skills, balance, coordination and physical endurance. Climbing, crawling, jumping and swinging are important activities to strengthen their bodies and develop their self-confidence.

We strive to provide outdoor play equipment for this purpose, along with training about what games and activities the children can play to develop gross and fine motor coordination, crossing the midline, motor planning and eye-hand coordination skills.

All children, of all ages, need to have access to books to improve early literacy skills, to develop their minds and aptitude for learning, their communication and language skills, their imagination and to expand their understanding of the world.  Reading (and being read to) helps to develop concentration skills and to de-stress and relax.  And it is fun!  Many children living in marginalised communities have a severe lack of access and exposure to reading material.  As part of our desire to introduce young children to the wonderful world of books, we aim to install reading corners at all the ECD centres we mentor. Each reading corner consists of a variety of age- and language-appropriate books and items to make the reading experience even more pleasurable, enticing and homely, such as comfortable cushions, mats, blankets and soft toys.

Masikhule aims to install playboards (blackboards that are at a height for children to play and learn on, rather than a blackboard up on a wall for a teacher to write on) at as many ECD Centres as possible. Playboards provide the ideal opportunity to encourage creativity as well as drawing skills, large arm movements, visual tracking, crossing the midline, eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills. We include suggested activities for the educators to practice with the children in order to ensure their development is fully stimulated.

Masikhule provides a service on behalf of the Department of Basic Education to assist with ECD Registration in 3 areas of the Helderberg. We capacitate and support partial care facilities in terms of the registration requirements as outlined by Children’s Act and prescripts; provide consideration for registration of partial care and ECD programs; facilitate the renewal of registrations and provide guidance and support in terms of norms and standards and governance of these ECD Centres.