OUR MISSION
An Equal Start For All
Ilifa Labantwana works to secure an equal start for all children living in South Africa, through universal access to quality early childhood development.
Ilifa Labantwana 5 areas of focus
Data
Current early learning data
More than 3.2 million of our country’s 0-5 year olds still do not have access to any form of early learning programme.
Nearly 90% of these children come from the poorest quintiles, indicating that past inequities in access to early learning programmes remain a critical challenge.
Only 800 000 are accessing a registered programme and less than 700 000 children who access an early learning programme are government subsidised.
Latest updates
Our blog, publications, and research
Early Childhood Development Accelerator Series
Accelerator 1 | Towards universal access: A three-year plan for ECD funding This is the first in a series of briefs detailing opportunities to accelerate the expansion and improvement of early childhood development services towards universal access. This brief...
Our Successful ECD COVID Response Project wraps up
This is the sixth and final blog in our series documenting the ECD COVID Response Project, whose major activities concluded recently. Over the next few months we will be compiling and releasing a number of exciting learning and advocacy products which will showcase...
ECD COVID Response Project – Villiersdorp Benefitting from Compliance Materials and Vouchers
Children at Lithalethu ECD enjoy a meal that was enabled by the site voucher. The owner has hired cooks to ensure she can continue with her ECD teaching activities. In this blog series we have provided updates on the ECD COVID Response Project, which has been running...
- There are 6 million children aged 0 – 5 years in South Africa. 100%
- 4 million of them receive the Child Support Grant and they need subsidised early learning. 66%
- Only 1 million of children who need subsidised early learning – or 25% – are receiving it. 25%

Programmes and systems
Bhalisa Inkulisa Partial Care Registration System
ECD Infrastructure Support
Early Learning Playgroups
ECD Centre Enrichment
Home Visiting Programme
Ibhayi Lengane First 1000 days relationship support tool
Inclusive ECD programme
Philani Mentor Mothers
Sinovuyo Caring Families Project
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