Failure to invest properly in ECD services for our young children has meant that patterns of education and employment have not fundamentally changed. As a result, we have missed an opportunity to build and redistribute our national wealth. We cannot look back in 20 years’ time and say that we have still failed our children. We know how to change their future – and together, we can.
This publication was developed in conjunction with Ilifa Labantwana and Kago Ya Bana, and details a plan to achieve this universal coverage of early childhood development services. The National Development Plan (NDP) and the National ECD policy of 2015 commit to ensuring that every child in South Africa has access to the full range of ECD services by 2030.
The NDP recognises that this goal will only be possible with innovative public-private partnership. While some goals in the NDP might seem unlikely to be reached, this one can be achieved. All the ingredients needed are already available; with collective and focused effort we can achieve this vital goal for equity. Because ECD has so many aspects to it, every sector of society needs to play its part. Many pieces are already in place, but there are still some big gaps that can be filled. Now is the time to put in place a powerful social compact for ECD.
Read the pdf here or click on the cover image to download.
