Skill boost for childcare staff
Rotary helps train early childhood workers
FUNDISWA Nqelenga has been working at a Mdantsane daycare centre for six years, but it is only this week that she began to truly understand what child development is all about.
Nqelenga, along with 24 other early education practitioners, spent her day in a large sunny classroom yesterday at the Institute of Training and Education for Capacity Building (Itec) in Southernwood.
In 18 months’ time she will emerge with a further education training certificate in early childhood development (NQF level 4) and return to the Uzukhanye Daycare Centre with an understanding of the cognitive development of the little children in her care.
She is part of a second phase of a R3-million Rotary project. The first phase of 25 students started classes last year and will graduate in August.
The training programme is the brainchild of the Gately Rotary Club, which, in association with the East London, Bonza Bay, Arcadia Rotary clubs as well as American Rotary clubs and the US Rotary Foundation, donated funds to upskill early childhood development practitioners in the city.
The programme is being launched at the East London ICC this morning. “Rotary International identified six focus areas and we as clubs aligned ourselves to these and chose education as our key focus area,” said Gately Rotary Club foundation chairman Piet Bosch.
“An investment in this area is an investment in the future – early intervention in a child’s life will determine their physical, emotional and cognitive development and improve their chances of living a better life.”
Itec early childhood manager Elly Kew said although the 50 students on the Rotary-funded project were already working or running informal early childhood centres, they were underqualified.
“They have been doing childminding and keeping children out of harm, but now they will have a better perspective of child development,” said Kew.
“They will understand how doing things like sorting shapes, learning colours and doing ageappropriate puzzles helps a child’s fine and gross motor skill and cognitive development.”
Itec managing director Michele Kay said the training taught students the importance of structured organised play.
She said students who were principals of centres would be in a position to register with the social development department and receive a subsidy.
“This is really important because it means self-sufficiency.”
In the Itec classroom yesterday women were clustered around desks and investigating a book corner, a tiny fantasy kitchen and a block-building nook.
“I have been an early childhood development practitioner at Khanya Daycare Centre in Newlands for 22 years,” said student Nompumzo Mgwenyeni.
“This is only my second day at Itec, but I am already learning about how to analyse and prepare a programme.” —