Literacy festival targets parents, ECD practitioners
PARENTS and early childhood development (ECD) centre practitioners in Buffalo City Metro were this week taught how to make toys from recycled materials and were encouraged to be involved in their children’s education by reading to them.
This was at a two-day literacy festival to promote reading to and playing with children, which started on Monday and ended yesterday.
To try and transform ECD services offered in rural communities, Blue Crane Foundation, the University of Fort Hare and the Ndlambe Traditional Council developed a holistic programme that assists the ECD centres to professionalise their services.
In each of the two days, the children were entertained while ECD practitioners and parents were trained.
The festival took place at Xhamini Community Hall in Tsholomnqa.
Besides the fun and added value of the festival, this was also an opportunity for the organisations to launch their “library in a bag” programme, where each family on a bimonthly basis will receive a bag with a book and toys to promote reading and playing at home.
These bags and toys were made by the parents and practitioners at the festival.
UFH director of early childhood development Dr Namhla Sotuku said a big issue faced in ECD centres was the non-involvement of parents in their children schools.
Sotuku said by teaching and showing parents what happens at school and also teaching them how to be involved, they could change this.
Sotuku said it was important for them to come to rural schools as they were the ones who were neglected from certain services which were important in early childhood development.
She said there were 40 different centres in Xhamini which were all competing against each other instead of working together in ensuring the needs of the children were met.
She wants this programme change that.
Furthermore, the organisations will conduct play groups for the parents to guide them on how to play with the toys and read stories to their children. to