Peer-reviewed article
Reimagining systems that support early childhood development centres in offering quality education
Adebunmi Y. Aina, Keshni Bipath ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5This study looked at the systems that help early childhood development (ECD) centres in South Africa provide quality education. Researchers interviewed eight staff members from four ECD centres in Pretoria and reviewed relevant documents. They found that national policies, internal policies, and financial systems all play a role in supporting quality education, but many staff were unaware of national policies. Centres in township areas lacked proper financial systems. The study calls for better training and awareness so that ECD staff can implement these policies effectively.
Key points
- National policies, internally generated policies, and financial systems support ECD centres in offering quality education.
- Many participants were unaware of existing national policies.
- ECD centres in township areas lack financial systems to support quality education.
- The study recommends strategies to raise awareness and enforce adherence to government policies.
- Practical training for principals and teachers is suggested to help translate policies into effective systems.
Limitations
The study is based on a small qualitative sample of eight participants from four centres in one city, so findings may not generalise to other regions or larger populations.
Abstract
AbstractSystems ensure the attainment of goals at any educational level, including quality early childhood education. Various studies focus on the benefits and components of quality early childhood education, yet none emphasise systems that will support early childhood development (ECD) centres in offering quality education. This study explored existing systems that support ECD centres in providing quality education to young children. The study adopted a qualitative research approach and collected data through document analysis and face-to-face interviews with eight participants purposively selected from four ECD centres situated in Pretoria. The data were analysed thematically. The findings revealed that national policies, internally generated policies and financial systems support the participating centres in offering quality education. However, many of the participants did not know the existing national policies. The findings also revealed that ECD centres in the township area do not have financial systems to help them provide quality education. The study recommends effective implementation strategies to foster awareness and enforce strict adherence to government policies at ECD centres. The study contributes to awareness and adherence to quality early childhood education by suggesting that ECD centres, principals and teachers should engage in relevant and practical training on effectively establishing systems from the available national education policies that will help them offer quality education.Contribution: This study adds to the body of knowledge by filling in the gaps on how ECD principals and teachers understand national policies and translate them into systems that assist them in managing their centres on a daily basis. The novelty of this study is the empirical input from different disciplines (Early Childhood Education and Management and Policies Studies), in a way that enables one to comprehend the role of educational management and policies studies at the early childhood learning centres in South Africa, which is the emphasis of the Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa.