The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) research highlights that a child’s earliest years are crucial for brain development, shaping everything from learning ability to behaviour and emotional wellbeing. Yet, access to quality early childhood education (ECD) remains out of reach for many South African families.
The Centre for Early Childhood Development continues to advocate for equal opportunities, with its Director, Professor Eric Atmore, acknowledging that while progress has been made, it remains limited.
“There certainly have been strides, but those strides have come from communities and the many tens of thousands of women, mainly, who start early childhood development programs,” said Atmore. “There have been strides from government, but nowhere near what the country needs and what was promised in 1994. So, it’s a bit of positive and negative.”
Atmore noted that of the approximately six million children under five in South Africa, only about 1.6 million are in some form of ECD provision. “That’s about 25–26%. The uptake is very low,” he said, adding that while not every child needs a full-day programme, government support is still essential to expand access.
He stressed that the state must play a stronger role in ensuring accessible, high-quality ECD. “The biggest problem with government is that there’s absolutely no political will to meet the needs of young children,” he said. “Young children get the least, yet they need it the most. We still need our president to go out and make a statement and take early childhood development to where it could be.”
Atmore added that sufficient funding and competent officials are critical to delivering effective ECD programmes.
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Meanwhile, Chairperson of the SA Congress for Early Childhood Development in the Western Cape and Principal of Vision Kidz.com Educare, Karrimah Jacobs, said the first five years of life are vital for building strong foundations. “During the first 1,000 days, from conception to about two years, 80% of the brain is formed,” she explained. “That’s why professionalising the ECD sector and training practitioners is so important.”
Jacobs added that financial challenges remain a major obstacle. “Only 30% of ECDs receive a government subsidy. The rest depend solely on school fees, which often leads to losses,” she said. “Many principals don’t even take a salary from their own centres. This shows how urgent proper funding and support for ECD really are.”
Listen to the full interview below:
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