Marc Lubner
Put a diverse group of children together, throw in some toys (or even just random objects) and, especially if they are young enough, they will soon be playing. Give a two-year old a stack of gifts and toys and it’s likely that the thing she’ll get most use out of is one of the boxes. For us, a box is a box, but to a two-year old a box is a car or a boat or a table or a place to hide the cat.
Older kids are a more inhibited both in terms of their imaginations and in terms of their awareness of strangers, particularly those from a different race or income bracket. And yet, give a group of boys a ball and fairly soon, those inhibitions fall away, teams are drawn up and the game begins.
There is much to be said about the power of play. Today (28 May 2013) is World Play Day, a day intended to highlight the value of play as a universal language which stimulates, unites, educates and, even more importantly, provides the foundation for early learning.
Play is initially how we learn. It enhances every aspect of a child’s development and learning. It is so important, in fact, that it is recognised by the United Nations as a basic right.
While spontaneous play certainly holds value, it is facilitated, intentional play which can make a significant difference in a child’s cognitive development. For example; providing children with resources like building blocks and sand pits lays the foundation for logical mathematical thinking, scientific reasoning and cognitive problem solving. It is this sort of play which forms the basis of Early Childhood Development (ECD).
Early Childhood Development refers to a comprehensive approach to policies and programmes for children from birth to early primary school with the active participation of their parents and caregivers. Its purpose is to protect the child’s right to develop his or her full cognitive, emotional, social and physical potential.
Research shows that there is an essential window period in the life of a child. Unless children between the ages of 0 and 6 years old receive effective stimulation, largely through targeted play activities, their life potential is greatly stunted. In short, adequate ECD plays an imperative role in breaking the poverty cycle. Children who have benefitted from such programmes have improved social and emotional behaviour, are less likely to drop out of school later in life, and have increased earning potential as adults.
There are numerous reasons to account for the enduring educational divide in any given school between learners living in townships and those from more affluent areas. Various socio-economic factors would set the township learner at a scholastic disadvantage – lack of adequate nutrition, lack of resources, lack of parental supervision and so on – but while any of these has the potential to be solved at any given time, there is one factor which cannot be undone; namely a lack of adequate Early Childhood Development.
The majority of parents in townships send their children to a crèche from an early age to allow them to return to work as soon as possible. The typical township creche is little more than a day care centre where only children’s physical needs are met.
The typical suburban parents send their children to a pre-school. Pre-schools focus on ECD, using play activities to teach and stimulate children.
As such, a middle-class child begins grade one having spent an average of 4 or 5 years already receiving an early education, whereas a township child who has attended a typical crèche has essentially only been babysat.
In a country where 40% of children grow up in abject poverty, there exist numerous challenges to ensuring the adequate provision of ECD to all children, not least of which is the inequality in access to these services.
Organisations like Afrika Tikkun partner with the Department of Education to develop ECD services in some of South Africa’s poorest areas, using play activities to develop young children in numeracy and literacy, and training teachers and principals in basic management and site development.
We maintain well-stocked toy libraries with scheduled times for play aimed at helping children to develop socially, emotionally and physically so that they are ready for primary school. We have done interventions with Grade R children who were behind peers in their developmental milestones, enabling them to be promoted to Grade One.
We currently have over 1000 children enrolled in our ECD programmes in Gauteng and the Western Cape and have seen great success in this area, but this is a drop in the ocean and much more needs to be done. Just as it takes a village to build a child, it takes a nation to build a nation. Parents across South Africa can be part of the solution through actions as simple as the donation of unneeded toys, books and play equipment.
While the media spotlight is fixed squarely on education issues at a school level, ECD, which is just as essential in the fight against poverty, is often forgotten. This week is Child Protection Week in South Africa. As we examine the societal challenges and dangers children face, let us educate ourselves about Early Childhood Development, so that as adults and as a nation, we can enhance the lives and education of our precious children and simultaneously the future of our country.
Marc Lubner is CEO of Afrika Tikkun, an international NGO that provides education, health and social services to children, youth and their families in South African townships.
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