We are thrilled to report that the challenges over the last couple of years have simply made us more determined than ever to keep making a positive difference.

We are grateful to our supporters, donors, our amazing team and, most importantly, the wonderful women that we work with in the Early Childhood Development (ECD) space.
 

ECD made the transition from the Department of Social Development (DSD) to the Department of Basic Education (DBE) at the beginning of April and we are hoping this will bring some positive changes to this sphere.

As we are all aware, the first 5 years of a child’s life are the most important:

Eight ECD Centre eductors have been attending our ELP training since January 2022. Four will be finishing off their training in July and another 4 will be joining the group from another 4 ECD Centres. Training takes place every 2 weeks and we have covered 11 themes this semester.  

Training includes all aspects of introducing the theme and the ELP to young children – from planning to creative activities, skills activities, songs and movement games. In-person training has provided the opportunity to practice, ask questions, collaborate and share ideas.  It has also included valuable time with our Occupational Therapist, Anjo du Preez, who deals with different aspects of development at each session.  

This wonderfully engaging and creative group have been an integral part of our online ELP testing phase and they have ensured our product is practical, relevant, easy to use and understand.

We’re taking Masikhule’s ELP online!

We have made very good progress with this project and we are excited by the very positive uptake by our beneficiaries. 63 Principals and educators have signed up during our test phase. The 8 ECD Centres currently attending our theme-based ELP training are all active users who use this tool to guide and support their colleagues when planning as a group. 

Each theme has a Daily Program to use as a guide when planning.  There are a variety of theme resources which include ideas for their theme tables, songs they can sing, art and creative activity ideas (using waste material) and a host of other activity ideas.  We are busy building the library of ECD Resources which is where users can access templates, recipes (e.g. to make playdough) and OT-related activities to enhance development.

We completed 2 sessions this semester, concentrating on Gross Motor and Fine Motor skills.  It has been a fun, creative, noisy and valuable time to share ideas, learn and grow as responsive teachers.

Developed by our OT, the main aim of these sessions has been to equip teachers with the insight, skills and knowledge of child development, why certain aspects of development are important, how they affect learning and ultimately aimed at keeping children on track for success.