Early Childhood Development provision in rural and urban contexts in the North-West province

Abstract

South Africa is facing numerous educational challenges in the foundational stage of learner development. The National Development Plan (NDP) focuses on developing Grade R children, but conceptual growth and stimulation need to begin far earlier than Grade R, according to Biersteker (2010) and Henning (2012). The focus of this dissertation is therefore on the grade R and pre-Grade R years, specifically on the quality of programmes offered at selected registered and unregistered sites in rural and urban contexts in the North-West province. The aim was to determine to what extent the programmes on offer effectively address key aspects of early childhood development (ECD). Quality was assessed in relation to three key areas that are critical to ECD, namely teacher development, curriculum development and child development, as well as the five main areas of child development, namely physical, social, emotional, cognitive and linguistic development. The study focused on six centres ‒ 20 practitioners and 5 principals took part in the study. Data were collected by means of interviews with the practitioners and principals, as well as observations and journal keeping of the daily activities at the ECD centres. Data were analysed thematically according to the five developmental areas. Descriptive vignettes were created from the interviews and observations for each centre. Findings revealed that the quality of ECD provisioning is affected by factors such as underqualified or unqualified practitioners, inadequate resources, lack of parental and societal support, and language barriers. The latter are creating challenges for effective ECD provisioning as parents tend to send their children to better-resourced centres where the home languages of the children are often not spoken. This is a challenge for the future training of ECD practitioners. Suid-Afrika staar tans talle opvoedkundige uitdagings in die grondslagfase van leerderontwikkeling in die gesig. Die Nasionale Ontwikkelingsplan fokus op die ontwikkeling van graad R-kinders, maar volgens Biersteker (2010) en Henning (2012) moet konseptuele groei en stimulasie redelik vroeër as graad R begin. Die fokus van hierdie verhandeling is dus op die jare voor graad R, spesifiek op die gehalte van programme wat by geselekteerde geregistreerde en ongeregistreerde sentrums in stedelike en plattelandse kontekste in die Noordwes-provinsie aangebied word. Die doel was om vas te stel in watter mate die programme wat aangebied word die sleutelaspekte van vroeë kinderontwikkeling (VKO) aanroer. Kwaliteit is bepaal in verhouding tot drie sleutelaspekte, naamlik onderwyser-, kurrikulum- en kinderontwikkeling, asook die vyf hoofareas van kinderontwikkeling, naamlik fisieke, sosiale, emosionele, kognitiewe en linguistieke ontwikkeling. Die studie het op ses sentrums gefokus – 20 praktisyns en 5 skoolhoofde het aan die studie deelgeneem. Data is ingesamel deur middel van onderhoude met praktisyns en skoolhoofde, en ook deur middel van waarneming en joernaal inskrywings van die daaglikse aktiwiteite in VKO-sentrums. Data is tematies volgens die vyf ontwikkelingsareas ontleed. Beskrywende vinjette is geskep uit die onderhoude en waarnemings vir elke sentrum. Bevindinge het getoon dat die kwaliteit van VKO-voorsiening beïnvloed word deur faktore soos ondergekwalifiseerde of ongekwalifiseerde praktisyns, onvoldoende hulpbronne, gebrek aan ouerlike en maatskaplike ondersteuning en taalhindernisse. Laasgenoemde skep uitdagings vir effektiewe VKO-voorsiening, aangesien ouers geneig is om hul kinders na sentrums met beter hulpbronne te stuur, waar die huistale van die kinders dikwels nie gepraat word nie. Dit is ʼn uitdaging vir die toekomstige opleiding van VKO-praktisyns.