iThemba Community
FOCUS ON iTHEMBA
iThemba Educare Programme
ECD (Early Childhood Development) Facts
Young children who receive the right preparation during their early development are equipped with basic life skills that assist them later in life. When these basic building blocks are absent, the effects of the delayed development in the early years can adversely affect the ability of the young child to reach his or her full potential later in life.
Closing the learning gap in higher grades begins with children attending high-quality early childhood development programmes... skills built in these early years produces the foundations for tertiary level success.
It is evident from the research shared above that high-quality Early Childhood Development (ECD) matters!
Understanding that a child’s life-long learning potential and success is dependent on them having received comprehensive learning experience during their formative years is critical. One could almost think of these years as being the foundation upon which all the building blocks for a balanced and well-rounded adult life are first established, making this window of opportunity crucial for investment.
Our iThemba Educare Programme supports the significance of ECD and provides children in low-income communities with the opportunity to benefit from quality learning. We also believe in the importance of empowering the women who have the responsibility of caring for these children with the knowledge and skills needed to support their development.
We work alongside eleven Pre-Schools in KwaZulu-Natal
We work alongside eleven Pre-Schools in KwaZulu-Natal where the focus is on facilitating elevated educare to children between the ages of 0 and 5 years. With sustainability in mind, we believe in empowering the women who own/lead these Pre Schools to not only run successful learning hubs, but profitable businesses too. The Programme has a multi-pronged approach in that it supports the fundamental components of ECD by facilitating teacher and parent training; ensuring the children have access to age appropriate learning materials and nutritious meal at school.
Ultimately the goal of our Educare Programme is to elevate the level and quality of ECD in community based Pre-Schools to ensure that these children receive the best start in life.
In order to achieve this we have adopted a holistic approach involving the following:
- Adequately training and developing teachers and principals
- Providing age-appropriate learning materials and resources
- Offering guidance and mentorship to staff from a trained ECD Monitor
- Seeing that children receive a nutritional meal at school
- Educating parents on the role of effective parenting
- Ensuring the Schools provide conducive learning environments by upgrading their facilities (transformation projects)
Our Partnerships
Through our partnership with a network of education, training and nutrition experts, we ensure that the needs of these various areas are properly met.
In addition, one of our goals is to assist these Pre Schools to become legal and sustainable enterprises that benefit from receiving a government subsidy. 8 out of 11 Pre-Schools have managed to successfully register as Non-Profit Organisations, 6 of these are receiving a subsidy from the Department of Basic Education.
Transformation Projects
Meet Our Pre-Schools
Core Strength
Container world has been privileged to be a part of the collaboration initiated by Focus on iThemba, in which there can be an assurance of children receiving excellent and ongoing early childhood development care.
Mrs Sandy Watt I CSI Manager for Container World
FOCUS ON iTHEMBA
iThemba Scholars Programme
From 2016 the iThemba Scholars Programme was initiated where boys and girls of our partner Pre-Schools who demonstrate strong academic qualities are awarded donor-funded scholarships to attend Waterfall Schools from the age of 2-3.
Located on our iThemba Campus, Waterfall Schools, encompassing Waterfall Pre-Primary, Waterfall Preparatory and Waterfall College, offer quality education from 12 months to Grade 12. These coeducational independent centres of excellence provide quality holistic education with a caring, innovative, personalised approach interwoven with Christian values, community outreach initiatives and affordability. The schools are members of ISASA (Independent Schools Association of South Africa).
16 children from Grades 0000 to 10 are currently being supported within the Programme:
- 100% of the cost of each Scholar’s tuition, stationery and books is covered
- A Programme Manager adds value by monitoring and evaluating the progress of the Scholars
- A resident Social Worker provides the necessary social and emotional care to the Scholars and their families
- Parents of the Scholars attend our Parent Training Programme
The Programme is Unique
The Programme is unique in that it aims to support the social, emotional and academic development of each Scholar, understanding that each one is different and carries his/her own potential. We believe in the benefit of working closely with their teachers, parents and our social worker to 2 provide the child with a well-rounded learning experience, and invariably, the skills needed to succeed in life.
From 2025, we look forward to expanding the reach of this Programme to High-School going scholars who have been selected to receive a Principals Recognition Bursary through Waterfall College.
Ultimately, we aim to see 32 children being supported, ages ranging from Grade 0000 to Grade 12.
The Core Strength of the Programme
A core strength of the Programme is the offering of a Programme Manager and Social Worker. These positions are held by two formidable women who make it their mission to ensure that every scholar receives the support they need to learn, grow and thrive. Our Programme Manager is responsible for the on-going monitoring of each child’s academic growth and helps us identify areas in their journey that require further intervention.
Through regular check-ins with teachers, she ensures that we stay well informed of their progress and respond swiftly to needs which sometimes require the expertise of our Social Worker. This amazingly compassionate woman provides the necessary emotional and social support to not just the children but to their families too. Her kindness, big smile and friendly demeanour endear her to our Scholars, and it’s through her careful and considered approach to managing situations that she garners their trust, love and respect.
When considering the growth of our Programme and the diverse needs of every scholar (both present and those to come), we cannot go without recognising these ladies for the crucial role they play in nurturing the hearts and minds of all the children in our Programme.
