Learning Brief Launch - An Advocacy Call: Addressing Local Government Barriers for ECD Centres

CECD launches our Learning Brief - 𝐀𝐧 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥: 𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐂𝐃 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬. Access the Learning Brief and online resources here https://cecd.org.za/learning-brief-li... We discuss the important work CECD has done and continues to do with the City of Cape Town (as the pilot) to address key regulatory and financial obstacles that prevent ECD centres from becoming compliant with municipal by-laws and ultimately reaching silver- or gold-level registration. As you may know, early childhood development (ECD) centres serve our youngest children, and yet most centres in South Africa cannot access the vital ECD subsidy provided by government. To access this ECD subsidy, ECD centres must reach silver- or gold-level registration through the Bana Pele ECD Registration Drive (or Mass Registration Drive), yet the biggest barrier to achieving this is municipal compliance. (Here is a video highlighting ECD principals’ experiences of the Mass Registration Drive and municipal compliance struggles    • A Year of the Bana Pele ECD Registration D...  ). Removing barriers to ECD centre municipal compliance, and ultimately registration at a silver or gold level, is critical as it ensures centres meet health and safety standards and allows centres serving vulnerable communities to access the ECD subsidy, aiding equitable access to quality ECD. This Learning Brief shares the outcomes, challenges and successes of CECD’s advocacy campaign to address these barriers by facilitating changes in local government regulations and processes, starting with the City of Cape Town as the pilot. The lessons from CECD’s work with the City of Cape Town demonstrate that municipal systems can be adapted to create a just, enabling and inclusive regulatory environment so that more centres become compliant, more children benefit from safe learning environments, and more centres can access the subsidy intended for them. The Learning Brief presents a real opportunity for all spheres of government and political leadership in offering practical guidance and tools to replicate, scale and transfer these successes across other municipalities. If we do not act, the dire state of children in South Africa will remain – where 1 in 4 children under age five are stunted. Where 81% of Grade 4 learners in South Africa cannot read for meaning. Where money allocated for ECD through the national budget gets lost through underspending because of overburdensome systemic and administrative barriers. Children must not be punished for system failure. Access the Learning Brief and online resources: https://cecd.org.za/learning-brief-li... Event credits to: • Yusrah Ehrenreich, CECD Advocacy and Social Justice Manager • Jessica Blom, CECD Deputy Director • Sarah Atmore, CECD Infrastructure Manager • Alderman Eddie Andrews, City of Cape Town Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment • ‪@inyathelo‬ With thanks to Abax Development Trust ‪@CityofCapeTown021‬ ‪@IkamvaLabantu1‬ Jim Joel Fund ‪@OppenheimerMemorialTrust‬ Trial centres and walk-in cases Van Wyk & Associates The incredible CECD team