An experiential adventure in learning about Early Childhood Care and Education
ECD services, including early learning stimulation, can yield lifetime development returns for the child and his or her family and society
Walter Sisulu University (WSU) is a recipient of funding from the Department of Higher Education (DHET) and the European Union (EU) through the Teacher Education for Early Childhood Care and Education Project (TEECCEP).
Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is a new area that the WSU Faculty of Education is adding to its programme offerings.
As there is a need to build capacity in this specialised area, I was nominated as a scholar to be awarded a bursary for postgraduate studies in the field of ECCE, along with two other newlyappointed lecturers.
WSU collaborated with other universities, public and private institutions in the development of a programme framework for a Bachelor of Education in ECCE (B Ed ECCE) and a Diploma in ECCE (Dip. ECCE).
This was a very valuable experience and enabled the ECCE team at WSU to design and develop a Dip. ECCE.
One of the highlights of my involvement in the TEECCEP was attending a workshop conducted by the Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa (PRAESA), affiliated to the University of Cape Town.
The workshop was part of the EU and DHET funded TEECCEP and was attended by representatives from other universities, early childhood education training institutions, and representatives of government and funding organisations. It dealt with the fundamentals of nurturing and educating 0-4 year olds.
The workshop, which was titled, What should we do with the children on Monday? Educating ourselves, educating our children: a 5-day curriculum orientation, introduced me to key policies that inform the Early Childhood Development field.
What struck me as really important in these policies is the emphasis placed on the rights of children and the need to enable social justice for all children.
I found learning about the potential benefits
of ECCE for children from disadvantaged areas very inspiring, given that the geographical area that I live and work in includes many economically disadvantaged families.
The National Integrated Early Childhood Development Policy (NIECD) states that “low socio-economic status is a key predictor of poor early childhood development.”
However, the provision of timely and appropriate quality early childhood development services, including early learning stimulation, can “yield lifetime development returns for the child, his or her family and society”.
As part of the “hands-on, experiential adventure bringing theory and practice together”, we organised learning environments for the different Early Learning Development Areas (ELDAS) as described in the National Curriculum Framework for birth to four (NCF). Apart from being informative it was also highly enjoyable.
I was empowered with knowledge of how babies and young children learn, pedagogical strategies to support children’s learning and ways of working in group settings with babies, toddlers and young children.
I learned that the pedagogy of play is at the centre of children’s learning in ECCE and that the creation of learning environments according
to the ages of the children needs more attention in the centres.
Unfortunately, the centres in rural areas are often the most neglected and under-resourced, but we also learnt that learning experiences for young children can be constructed by using everyday resources such as found/recycled materials, clay, wood, sand and water.
I came to understand how much can be done to stimulate children’s learning and development, even in a disadvantaged context, but also how much still needs to be done.
I was hands-on in organising the learning environment for the ELDA that deals with identity and belonging through play.
I was exposed to ideas on how to involve children in play, creating an environment that embraces identity and belonging and that babies learn better in a colourful and interesting environment in which they have to touch some of the objects.
This workshop took place in 2018 when I had just joined the TEECCEP team at WSU and it strongly influenced my view of young children as actively engaging with the world around them.
It is us adults who need to create opportunities for children’s natural curiosity and creativity to flourish, because this is how they learn best.