Nurturing Futures ECD

We see a world where rural children know that they are worthy of a future & are provided with a foundation that adequately prepares them for future opportunities.

In the Eastern Cape, only 26% of children are enrolled in Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres (ECD Census Data, 2021). This is comparable to our catchment area's 75% of 3-4 year old children who do not attend any type of ECDC (small mapping exercise by Layita, 2022). 48% of these children's families did not even know of an ECDC nearby. The biggest hurdle is access: our mapping exercise showed that 43% of families would have to travel 30 - 60 minutes to get to an ECD, whereas 27% of families need to travel more than an hour. 

We are therefore on a mission to both enable better access to early education as well as improve its quality by equipping & supporting both caregivers & parents in contributing to children's development. 

Our ECD projects

Masikhule 

ECD Centre

Masikhule, meaning "we are growing," offers nurturing care for 40 children, ages 2-6, in 3 classrooms. Our ECD centre, founded in 2018, not only serves as a centre of excellence from which we can use our human & material resources as a hub for the ECDC Support Network, but also to support the health project: many healthcare professionals can commit to such a rural hospital long-term while their children's early education is being taken care of on-site. 

ECD Support Network

Layita supports ECD centres in the wider Elliotdale region through support visits, training workshops & resources. Our partnership with SmartStart & Khululeka is also key in this project - together, 60 new ECD practitioners are equipped & supported to run an ECD centre as a small business, creating safe spaces for learning as well as a means to an income. Our bi-annual Internship Programme, based at Masikhule, further equips individuals to gain the skills & confidence to grow their own ECD work.

Community Literacy

Though the early years are by far the most impactful, we know that older children & adults also need healthy recreational activities & opportunities for further learning. In this respect, we're working on our ever-growing library & over After School Programmes three days a week. We are also an official distribution partner for BookDash. 

Community Library

Based at Madwaleni Hospital, our library offers isiXhosa & English books for both adults & children working or admitted at the hospital. Other ECDCs also take out books here while we support caregivers in nurturing their children's literacy through caregiver workshops. The closest alternative public library is 32km away, in town. 


Enrichment Programmes

Our After School Enrichment Programmes are designed for foundation phase learners to support their holistic development. It includes weekly reading clubs, MiniChess & sports.

Most of our budget gets allocated to Nurturing Futures with its various running costs. 

If you or your organisation also work in early education, let's connect!