Creche teachers graduate with practical skills

Early Childhood Development (ECD) practitioners graduated from a Grassroots Educare Trust training course, which empowered them with practical skills to implement in their classrooms.

The 10-week course is known as a Site Learning Programme and forms part of the National Curriculum Framework (NFC), which is a national guideline document for all ECDs. 

Pulane Khatseane, an assessor and moderator at Grassroots, said the training course helps ECD teachers to plan the activities they do with children daily, and how to implement them.

"The importance of this training is for all ECD centres to provide quality learning through play. The question we ask is how to make learning part of the children’s development. The training is a skills programme designed for anyone in ECD. It is focused on the practical. Some of the participants come with no experience and this serves as a foundation. Some received training up to Level 5, but most of it is theory, and they don't know how to implement it practically in the classroom. So apart from planning the daily activities, this course also shows teachers how to observe the children play and what their aims are for that particular activity. In this way, the child will be developed holistically,” Ms Khatseane said.

One of the graduates, Mpume Mhlongo from Khayelitsha, used to work as a domestic worker and had no training before she joined Ubukhobakhe Educare Centre.

“When I walked in at the educare centre, I realised this is not just a creche, but an institution. I am really grateful for this training opportunity. I didn’t complete my matric, so there were many doors shut for me. I must admit I was scared at the beginning, and it was a bit of a struggle to understand certain things, but our trainers were so patient with me. Now I am privileged to say that I have done this training. Being an ECD teacher is not just about making sure that the children are fed and their nappies are changed. I gained a lot of knowledge and my cup is overflowing with gratitude,” Ms Mhlongo said.

Desiree Morris, the principal of Zinzendorf Moravian ECD centre in Hanover Park, also did the training.

“This training is definitely not futile. I am the first of the Hanover Park ECD Forum to undergo this training. I have done so many courses before. I had theoretical knowledge, but did not know how to implement it. This training empowers teachers, and in turn it has an impact on the greater community, because the children will be assured of quality education,” Ms Morris said.