Policy document
Assessing the policy options for the public provisioning of early childhood development programmes
Laura Emily Brooks, Janeli Kotzé, Colin Almeleh, Enganas Senona ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001South Africa has low access to early childhood development (ECD) programmes, with only 35 per cent of children aged zero to five participating, and even lower rates among poor households. Despite evidence that ECD programmes reduce poverty and inequality, only 13 per cent of children in the poorest income groups receive government subsidies. This policy paper evaluates two approaches for expanding public ECD provision: dedicated ECD centres or a mixed-model approach using existing facilities, finding that the mixed-model approach is more cost-efficient for achieving universal access to ECD.
Key points
- Current ECD access is 35 per cent for children aged zero to five in South Africa, with lower participation among poor households
- Government subsidies reach only 13 per cent of children in the poorest three income quintiles
- ECD participation is linked to benefits addressing poverty, inequality and unemployment, especially for disadvantaged children
- Shifting ECD responsibility to the Department of Basic Education could catalyse broader reform
- A mixed-model approach for ECD expansion is more cost-efficient than a purpose-built centre approach
Limitations
The document does not provide evidence on the effectiveness or outcomes of either expansion approach, as it is a policy analysis rather than an evaluation of implemented programmes. It does not compare actual results or long-term impacts of different ECD delivery models.
Abstract
Levels of access to early childhood development (ECD) programmes in South Africa are around 35 per cent for children aged zero to five, and lower for children in poor households. This despite evidence linking participation to benefits that address poverty, inequality and unemployment, especially for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Notwithstanding government’s commitment to ECD as a universal right in ECD policy, state subsidies benefit only 13 per cent of children in quintiles one to three, limited by marginal increases in public sector budgets over the past decade. Shifting responsibility for ECD programmes to the Department of Basic Education (DBE) has the potential to catalyse broad reform to ensure universal access to quality ECD programmes. This paper considers the access gap that the DBE must address to realise the universal right to ECD. It evaluates two policy approaches to the expansion of public provision of ECD programmes: through a purpose-built centre approach or a mixed-model approach. The cost, capacity and policy implications for these two expansion approaches are evaluated, showing that a mixed-model approach will enable the realisation of the universal right to ECD more cost-efficiently than a purpose-built centre approach.