The Gauteng Provincial Government will support 700 000
children aged 0-4 years in early childhood development centres across the
province in the next five years. It will also provide funding for curriculum development
and training of teachers.
 
This was announced by Premier David Makhura during his
State of the Province Address (SOPA) on Tuesday.
 
The Gauteng Department of Social Development as the entity
responsible for children between the age cohort, plans to increase access to
ECDs by doing the following in 2020/21 financial year:
 
• Funding of 91 580 beneficiaries through equitable
share funding
• Funding of 17 668 beneficiaries through ECD Conditional
Grant
• Of the 17 668, 1403 beneficiaries are from the fully
registered ECDs and 16 265 from the conditionally registered ECD centres
• To upgrade 16 ECD centres that are conditionally registered
• To build 2 low cost ECD centre with a capacity of 60
children in Ramaphosa and Springs hostels in Ekurhuleni
• To upgrade 2 unregistered ECDs to through ECD Conditional
Grant to be moved to conditional or fully compliant ECD centers in Hekpoort and
Komdraai
• The Department has built 27 ECD centres and in process
to complete 3 additional in the upcoming financial year
• The three additional ECD centres will be built in Devon,
Bantubonke and Bekkersdal with a capacity of 120 in each centre.
 
Makhura also emphasized that all crèches operating in Gauteng
are expected to comply with the ECD norms and standards and follow the approved
curriculum so that they can offer our children a proper foundation. 
 
This will be done through continuous implementation of the ECD
Massification programme:
 
• The
Department has planned to monitor 900 registered ECDs to ensure compliance to norms
and standards
• To conduct verification of 1 339 unregistered ECD centres
for compliance
• To continue raising awareness on media and massify capacity
building sessions, door to door to the unregistered ECDs
• To train 68 unqualified ECD Practitioners from registered
ECDs on NQF level 4
• To train 30 unemployed youth on NQF level 4 as ECD
Practitioners.