Early Childhood Development (ECD)

Early Childhood
Development (ECD)
UNDERSTANDING ABOUT ECD
 Early Childhood Development is defined by several sources as “an umbrella term
which applies to the process by which children from birth to nine years grow and
thrive: physically, emotionally, mentally, socially, spiritually and morally” (DoE
1995:33; DoE 1996:3; DoE 1997a: Glossary; DoE 2001a:9; DoE 2001b).
 It refers to the growth and development, that is, to the physical, cognitive,
emotional and social modifications and man or woman experiences from intimacy
through to adolescence (Shaffer and Wood, 2005)
 ECD is also identified as early childhood care and development (ECCD) and
encompasses childhood education (ECE), early childhood care and education
(ECCE) and other descriptions (Neadeau et al. 2011).
A BRIEF HISTORY OF ECD PROVISIONING BEFORE 1994
 The "majority of children in South Africa's" history is one of disparities, with

various social inequalities and inadequacies negatively influencing their
development.
 Apartheid's racist practices and related socioeconomic inequalities were major
contributors to the adverse childhood that most black children experienced in the
past.
 According to Chisholm (2004), registration of ECD centers was still very
fragmented in 1994, when the country held its first democratic elections.
 Public pre-primary schools were classified as education, while "educare centers"
and "crèches" were classified as welfare.
 According to the history of ECD provisioning in South Africa, centers that were
marginalized during the previous bureaucracy, such as those found in informal
settlements and rural areas, were still not registered because they could not meet
the requirements, which were largely based on serviced urban sites.
 Despite these setbacks, there was a strong drive and willpower among all ECD role
players to address past inequalities.
The current ECD provision
 South Africa's Early Childhood Development established Africa's National

Early Childhood Development Policy, which focuses on ensuring that all
children, from birth to grade R, have access to high quality supplies.
 Also, is looking for greater returns on investment in education, to drive
employment and economic growth.
 ECD – nutrition and early learning in particular are likely to boost returns
significantly over the next years.
 The National Development Plan (NDP) and the National ECD policy of
2015 commit to ensuring that every child in South Africa has access to
the full range of ECD services by 2030.
Principles of Development
 Child development focuses on the adjustments that manifest throughout

the childhood
 The growth is continuous, reflecting greater steady traits such as
character and discontinuous, reflecting more determined characteristics,
such as language acquisition.
 Growth may also appear to be likely, unbalanced, and influenced by the
surrounding environment.
 The relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to the
system have long been debated.
 Early theorists emphasized the role of genetics (Urajnik and Garg, 2008)
The first five years of a child
Important because in these years children’s brains start to
develop:
 Cognitive development. It includes the ability of the child to acquire and
solve problems.
 Social and emotional development.
 Speech and language development.
 Fine motor skill development.
 Gross motor skill development.
The importance of ECD
 Learning begins at birth

 It lays the groundwork for a child's learning capabilities
 The first years of life are important
 Once children start attending early childhood development schools, their
attention span improves drastically.
 Young children are better able to listen, communicate effectively, follow
directions and participate in group activities.
 Children between the ages of two and five years old frequently begin to
learn how to control their emotions.
The role of the family and ECD
 It is the nature of parents to love their children

 The family is the most significant factor in the growth education of
children.
 Families are portrayed as the ‘building blocks for safe and sustainable
communities
 Parents and families at large are the primary caregivers,
 Parents have always been captivated by the rapid growth and
development
The ECD policy framework
 The policy ensures that the holistic needs of young children are met to
maximize the realistic of their full potential.
 The policy must safeguard the rights and welfare of the child as per the
child.
 The policy must be a partnership of all government ministries and other
partners offering services and programs for infants and children.
 The policy must be child-centered, recognizing that children are
voiceless, but they are also active participants and leaners in shaping
the events that influence their lives.
PRINCIPLES OF THE ECD POLICY FRAMEWORK
 Policy framework targets all children including the vulnerable and marginalized
from conception to eight years of age.
 Within this age range there are four definitive categories,
 conception to birth,
 birth to three years,
 three years to six years and
 six years to eight years.
 Although these children all have the same holistic needs, which consist of
 nutrition,
 health,
 nurturer,
 protection,
 stimulation and
 training.
 The policy must support and strengthen the community –based management of
early childhood services for sustainable development.
OBJECTIVES
 To ensure that quality services for infants and children are accessible
and affordable to all children including the vulnerable disabled.
 To mobilize resources to provide quality services to all young children.
 The goal for policy framework is to enhance access equity and quality
services for all children from conception to eight years. (Hoah, 2004;
Wekesa, 2004)

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Early Childhood

 The "majority of children in South Africa's" history is one of disparities, with

 South Africa's Early Childhood Development established Africa's National

 Child development focuses on the adjustments that manifest throughout

 Learning begins at birth

 It is the nature of parents to love their children

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