Parents trained as ECD leaders for kids

PARENTS in communities including Hopefield, Koperfontein and Green Village are being equipped to establish formal playgroups so that they can address the lack of access to early childhood development (ECD) services in the region.

Playgroup Site Learning Programme is training the parents of about 67% of Saldanha Bay Local Municipality children who can’t access formal ECD facilities.

The programme aims to build capacity among parents to ensure that children will have increased opportunities to access quality learning and caring programmes, resulting in their being better prepared to enter Grade 1.

Veronique Isaacs, the regional community operations manager for Umoya Energy, said: “Following the philosophy that parents are a child’s first teacher, this programme aims to empower parents by exposing them to the National Curriculum Framework Guidelines, so that they can better understand the key areas of their children’s development.”

The Umoya Energy-funded programme includes a number of training elements to build capacity as well as funds to cover a stipend for parents who are selected as playgroup leaders and provide a meal each day for up to 100 children who are participating in these formalised playgroups.

The parent-training workshops focus on a number of topics impacting on the well-being of children and roles and responsibilities of parents. In addition to this, parents are exposed to the National Curriculum Framework Guidelines which will equip them with an understanding of the early Learning and development areas for children.

Once the workshops are completed, parents will be identified for further training on the Playgroup Site Learning Programme, so that they can fulfil the role of playgroup leaders.

“This programme will allow for 100 community children to be part of this playgroup intervention, as well as to receive a nutritious daily meal,” Isaacs said.

The programme will benefit women and men who can become ECD practitioners serving the young and vulnerable in their respective local environments.

Families and parents will be exposed to the needs and necessity of ECD.