This qualitative study explored caregivers' perceptions of factors influencing early childhood development in low-income, urban South African settings, from a social ecological perspective. Individual interviews were conducted with 15 caregivers of 3-5-year-old children; a reflexive thematic analysis approach was adopted. In the family and home…

This research entailed an ethnographic study that sought assets and resources to enrich pre-school learning in a community challenged by poverty. The aim of this research was to identify personal and environmental assets that could be used to enrich pre-school learning within this context--instead of focusing on needs and deficiencies. The assets…

Noting that disadvantaged communities in South Africa can be empowered by involving parents and communities in the development of preschool education programs, this report presents the achievements of South Africa's Early Childhood Education and Care (educare) programs. Educare aims to develop the young child's potential to be a meaningful part of…

This annual report describes the programs and staff for 1993 of Grassroots Educare Trust, an organization that helps South African communities provide preschool education and health care. Contents of the report are: (1) a list of the board of trustees; (2) a message from the chairman; (3) the director's report on external efforts and internal…

Since most black communities in South Africa have been made powerless because of race and poverty, there is a pressing need to empower the individuals of such communities to take charge of their own destinies, especially in the area of early childhood education and care (educare). Current educare projects are often completely or partially…

There is a pressing need to empower the individuals of dispossessed communities in South Africa to take charge of their own destinies, especially in the area of early childhood education and care (educare). Current educare projects are often completely or partially controlled by organizations or people outside of the community. A prime task of…

This report discusses findings from a review of a plan of the South African KwaMashu Christian Care Society (KMCCS) for introducing an educare program in which active older women give in-service training to grandmothers and other childminders who look after preschool children at home. Before launching the proposed program, a KMCCS committee…

Grassroots Educare Trust is a training and service organization for community-controlled educare centers. Sharon Hostetler, a volunteer community health worker/trainer, helped launch a 6-day health program for educare workers in South Africa. In post-aparthied South Africa, the preschool field has been identified as an important target group for…

In the 1980s, the Border Early Learning Center (BELC) was established to provide support and training for preschools and communities in South Africa. This report describes the rationale and process of an evaluation of preschools associated with the BELC. (The data and conclusions of the evaluation are not included in this report.) A questionnaire…

It is the right and responsibility of every community to take charge of the provision of preschool educare for its children. Many dispossessed communities in South Africa have lacked the skills necessary to organize and manage educare projects and schools. Many current educare projects are often completely or partially controlled by organizations…

The International Child Development Initiatives (ICDI) promotes the wellbeing of children growing up in difficult circumstances. ICDI works to improve policies and practices affecting these children by doing research and training. ICDI believes in the power of children and young people, supporting their rights and addressing the underlying causes…

This annual report discusses the work of the Grassroots Educare Trust to provide economic and technical assistance to 177 preschool communities throughout Western Cape Province in South Africa, with a heavy emphasis on those in poor, black-populated areas. After messages from the chairman of the board of trustees and the director, the report is…