Our Story of Change
Driving systems change to ensure an equal start for all children
South Africa is far off its target to offer the full range of early childhood development (ECD) services to every child by 2030. Access to and quality of services depend on income status, and the result of this inequality is clear in the country’s child outcome data. The largest survey of pre-school child development, the Thrive by Five Index 2021, found that 53% of 4-5 year-old children attending an early learning programme (ELP) are not on track for cognitive and/or physical development.
Unequal access to quality ECD services begins in pregnancy. Expectant mothers lack psychosocial support, as well as money to buy nourishing food. This impacts their well-being, as well as the well-being of their unborn child. Limited support and income to pay for necessities puts huge pressure on households in the highly sensitive early baby years. Many of these homes’ only form of relief is the R530/month Child Support Grant (CSG), which doesn’t fully cover the nutritional needs of children and has low coverage levels for babies under 1. A clear policy framework for early childhood nutrition does not exist yet. Therefore, too many of South Africa’s youngest children are malnourished.
There is a shortage of subsidised early childhood care and education programmes catering for the poor means that caregivers cannot work or seek income-earning opportunities, even if they want to. As children grow and need group ELPs to stimulate their fast-growing brains, caregivers may find they cannot afford to pay ELP fees. These children’s early development is compromised – limiting their chance to reach their full potential and hurting their entire education journey, ultimately perpetuating cycles of poverty.
At Ilifa, we improve policies, practices, mindsets and systems that address South Africa’s unrealised human potential. Since Ilifa’s inception 16 years ago, we have contributed to and strengthened the efforts of the entire ECD sector to enable children, caregivers, and pregnant women to access various components of the Essential Package of ECD services.
The Essential Package of ECD Services
Our collective efforts have brought about a groundswell in government and civil society thinking around the way ECD services are conceptualised, and this has significantly influenced policy and legislation in SA. The strategic partnerships we have nurtured, our evidence-based programme design, technical expertise, advocacy and deep understanding of government have given us a unique opportunity to effect change at various levels of the ECD ecosystem.
Our whole-system approach means that we take a long-term view and remain agile and adaptive as the operating environment evolves, new collaborators come on board, and opportunities present themselves.
Sixteen years on, our vision is still to ensure access to quality ECD for all children and to put caregivers and women at the forefront of ECD.
We are particularly proud of the major contribution that Ilifa has made towards a sustained increase in resourcing the ECD sector. Our work has contributed to a slow, but steady increase in the ECD subsidy, the first budget allocation for ECD infrastructure, funding for registration support, non-centre-based programmes being eligible for funding, financial support to ECD programmes during the Covid-19 pandemic, public employment funding targeted at ECD, a co-funded government public communications campaign targeted at caregivers and through our coalition work, increased investment from philanthropy in both expanding ECD programmes and developing ECD systems.
Irrespective of the progress over this period, the Covid-19 pandemic magnified the challenges faced by ECD service providers working in the poorest communities and the deficiencies in our systems to support them. Challenges persist around budget allocations, physical infrastructure, health and safety regulations, access to government funding, and poor institutional arrangements, amongst others.
The sector’s biggest strength is its mostly women-led workforce. Their resourcefulness and tenacity in the face of seemingly insurmountable daily obstacles is remarkable. They provide safe learning spaces for children guided by one of the most fundamental of human responsibilities: to provide children with the best possible start in life. They support caregivers in their homes with nurturing practices and offer guidance and referrals that connect caregivers wither other services. We are committed to helping build an ECD ecosystem where the women-led early childhood workforce is supported, upskilled, and given a fair opportunity to earn a livelihood.
We are ever mindful that to go far, we must go together. We would like to extend our gratitude to all our partners for their continued collaboration and support.
