Five opportunities for early childhood development in SA’s social compact

In his speech, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the National Dialogue would involve “extensive and inclusive public participation” to form a common vision with a clear programme of action.

While it’s unclear when and how this dialogue will take place, there is an urgent need to put children’s development and well-being front and centre.

Adequate investment in early childhood development is the most effective action a country can take to break cycles of intergenerational poverty. This means ensuring children attend quality early learning programmes, are safe, cared for and have access to nutritious food so that their bodies and brains can grow and develop.

However, some of the gains we’ve made since 1994 to improve the lives of children are starting to reverse. New research shows that child poverty and child mortality have increased sharply, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. There’s no time to waste. With just six years left to meet the National Development Plan targets, we need to accelerate our investment in children as the development of our nation depends on it.

With this in mind, a coalition of NGOs working in the early childhood development sector comprising the DG Murray Trust, Equality Collective, Ilifa Labantwana, SmartStart and Grow Great, has identified five opportunities that must form part of a new social compact going forward.

1. Back crucial early childhood development reforms

Children need nurturing care during their first 1,000 days of life in the form of adequate nutrition, opportunities for early learning, good healthcare, responsive caregiving, safety and protection. However, there are large gaps in accessing these fundamental pillars of early childhood development, which is why the sector has long been lobbying for reforms that would improve the accessibility and quality of early childhood development for all children. This intensive lobbying has culminated in the Real Reform for Early Childhood Development publishing the People’s Manifesto for Early Childhood Development which outlines the systemic changes and coordinated effort needed to boost the sector. By mid-July, 6,000 people, 170 organisations and four political parties (DA, Rise Mzansi, Bosa and ActionSA) said they supported the manifesto.

2. Businesses and government must work together to reduce the cost of nutritious food

Adequate nutrition is not just a need; it’s a child’s right. Even though we live in a country that produces enough food, high levels of poverty and inequality coupled with the rising cost of food mean far too many people suffer the consequences of child malnutrition. One in four children under the age of five is stunted because of chronic malnutrition. We need to make nutritious food more affordable through the proposed double discounting of 10 high-protein foods. These foods were chosen because they could provide high nutritional value at the lowest cost, especially for families living below the Food Poverty Line. The proposal championed by DG Murray Trust and Grow Great asks food manufacturers and retailers to forego their profits on at least one product label of the 10 food items and for the government to support this proposal by providing a rebate to retailers and manufacturers.

3. Extend nutrition support to all early learning programmes

If children don’t eat well, they can’t grow well and learn well. The government currently provides a R17 per child per day subsidy to registered early learning programmes, of which just R6.80 is intended for nutrition. But the subsidy reaches too few children and is too low. This is why the government must provide nutrition support to all children attending early learning programmes, including those who are not yet registered.

4. Support the Children’s Amendment Bill

The Children’s Amendment Bill is a crucial piece of legislation that will unlock an enabling legal framework for the provision of holistic, well-funded, inclusive and quality early childhood development in the country. Passing this draft law must be a priority for the seventh Parliament before the end of 2025. Not only does it streamline the registration process for early learning programmes, but it also mandates municipalities to do their part by ensuring the availability and maintenance of early childhood development facilities. Many of the barriers to registration lie at local government level where land-use requirements (zoning), excessive costs for building plans, high fees and onerous health and safety requirements all pose hurdles for early childhood development practitioners. Passing the bill would make a difference in improving access to early learning in some of the country’s poorest communities. However, there is still work to be done to ensure that municipalities guarantee an enabling environment for early childhood development provisioning.

5. Work together to accelerate delivery for children

Placing children at the centre of national development and fast-tracking the delivery of services requires the combined efforts of the government, civil society and business. Responding to the needs of children does not fit neatly into the mandate of a single state department, instead, it cuts across several departments, with civil society playing a crucial role in plugging gaps in delivery. What we need now is political commitment, a common agenda and a whole-of-society response.

As the government prepares for the National Dialogue, we hope that children are given the chance to participate in the process that will shape our collective futures.

Zoë Postman is the head of communications for social change at the Equality Collective. This op-ed is the collective brainchild of the DG Murray Trust (DGMT), Equality Collective, Ilifa Labantwana, SmartStart and Grow Great.