RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THE FIRST FIVE YEARS ARE THE MOST CRITICAL IN EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENTMillions of children in South Africa face adverse conditions in their environment that put at risk their ability to reach their full potential. Their development is stunted by decades of inequality in the region that has led to:
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- Only 33.8% of children in South Africa attend early learning programs.
- There are an estimated 7.1 million children in South Africa under the age of 6, nearly two-thirds of which live in the poorest 40% of households.
- The highest rates of poverty, 72.9%, can be found in the Eastern Cape where populations are spread out through rural and remote areas.
- Poor living conditions – food insecurity, inadequate sanitation and water – affect growth and development during critical years. In the Eastern Cape:
- 60% of young children do not have access to adequate water.
- 30% of young children fall below the food poverty line.
*Community survey of 2016, Stats South Africa, 2015
In partnership with the local communities, we have identified seven different locations in the Eastern Cape region where we can open a preschool to support the children in the area.
Each school will be built from a shipping container modified into a classroom with an attached roof and rain-water collection barrel, a fence to keep the animals out, and basic classroom supplies. We will hire and partner with a local teacher to offer a quality and relevant curriculum as well as nutritious food each day.
TIMING
Our goal is to open one school each year. Our first school opened in January of 2019.
OUTCOMES
The young children of South Africa will have access to a nurturing and supportive early learning environment. The school will provide skilled and dedicated educators who will foster social/emotional and cognitive development. Students also receive a healthy meal each day – nutritious food boosts learning and memory function. Kids will be able to play, read, laugh, learn and enjoy opportunities that are otherwise unavailable to the children in these rural areas.
The children of A Child Becomes Preschool in West Seattle will benefit from a regular exchange of recorded videos and letters. Each classroom will learn about the others culture, family life, and traditions by sharing song, dance, books and activities. In doing so, each will develop friendships, celebrate the beauty of diversity and learn early that they are all members of the same human family.
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Thanks to your support, our first preschool is open!
Our team traveled to South Africa in December of 2018 and spent three weeks gathering supplies, building, painting and then then transporting the container preschool to its new home. In January 2019, 20 preschoolers in the Eastern Cape region of South Africa had their first day of school. Our goal is to open one each year. Fundraising for the second school is underway and we aim to open in January of 2020. Your support will enable us to continue our work as we open new schools and help to create a pathway out of poverty for these young children.
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