Opportunity 4: Reflection and Analysis
Bent, but not broken
In this article Professor Nonkhanyo Mdzanga, who was a contributing editor to our Human Factor publication, poignantly describes the difficult journey of parents to come to terms with having a child who has autism, but she also offers inspiration and shows how networks of parents can support each other. Read the essay below – choose […]
Posted on 20 Jan 2020
‘I love the feeling of keeping them safe’ – Men as early childhood development practitioners
“I’m the one that’s struggling here, not her.” This was a father’s response to my umpteenth reassurance that his daughter was okay in her new playgroup. At that moment she was happily arranging mud cakes on a log under the plum tree. I realised later he was observing me to be sure that his daughter […]
Posted on 16 Oct 2019
Commentary on the proposed migration of ECD functions from DSD to DBE
The commentary below was delivered by DGMT CEO, Dr David Harisson, on the proposed migration of ECD functions from DSD to DBE at the NECT 2nd Education Dialogue on ECD on 12 April 2019 Time of opportunity The President’s SONA announcement of a transfer of responsibility for ECD centres from DSD to DBE and the […]
Tags: DBE, Department of Basic Education, Early Childhood Development, ECD, NECT, Opportunity 4
Posted on 17 Apr 2019
Risk and opportunity as early childhood development moves to Department of Basic Education
This year’s State of the Nation Address may have radically changed South Africa’s prospects for education and economic growth. For the first time, there is a clear commitment to early childhood development (ECD), which is globally recognized as the most powerful investment in human capital that a country can make.[1],[2] At last there is real […]
Tags: DBE, Department of Basic Education, Department of Social Development, DSD, Early Childhood Development, ECD, ECD Scale-up, Opportunity 4
Posted on 11 Feb 2019
Love, Germs and Skill: Reframing early childhood care and education
In this talk DGMT CEO, Dr David Harrison, shakes up our thinking about early childhood care and education by asking probing questions such as “what is love?” and “how can we harness the power of love to enable children to thrive?” He draws on biology, genetics, chemistry and history to bring us closer to answering […]
Posted on 6 Aug 2018
Homeopathic doses of early learning just won’t work
Once the dust settles, it will dawn on us that much of the extra R57 billion allocated to higher education will be wasted as half the beneficiaries drop out. Why? Because their educational foundations are too shaky to cope with the demands of university or college. Over the next three years, more than a trillion […]
Tags: Early Childhood Development, ECD
Posted on 26 Feb 2018
The South African Child Gauge 2017: Invest in children for sustainable development
Most of South Africa’s children are surviving, but too many are failing to thrive and achieve their full potential, and this is costing the economy billions in lost human potential. Investing in children – and particularly in violence prevention, networks of care, nutrition, education and inclusive services – would drive the next wave of social […]
Tags: Child Gauge, Early Childhood Development, ECD
Posted on 28 Nov 2017
What a difference the Child Support Grant makes!
The South African Child Gauge 2016 by the Children’s Institute at the University of Cape Town has recently been released and – focusing the theme of Children and Social Assistance – it offers an interesting spotlight on the Child Support Grant (CSG). Here follows some very encouraging facts shared in the publication relating to the benefits of the CSG […]
Tags: Child Gauge, Child Support Grant, Early Childhood Development
Posted on 7 Mar 2017
Unlocking the economic value of young children
First published on Business Day Live, 27 May 2016 Most business people are hard-nosed and soft-hearted. This has been my experience in trying to galvanise corporate support for social development over the past 25 years. These are exactly the attributes needed to find economically sound solutions to the country’s social problems. However, corporate professionals often act […]
Tags: Early Childhood Development
Posted on 27 May 2016
The “ordinary magic” that can change a child’s future
This article was first published in the Star on 9 May 2016 Since 27 April 2015, ‘Mandela’s children’ have been turning twenty-one. They are the first of the ‘born-free generation’ to become adults. Are they better off than young adults were in the early nineties? It’s a difficult question to ask at the best of […]
Tags: Early Childhood Development, Early literacy
Posted on 11 May 2016
