To highlight the contribution of women in early childhood development (ECD), national early learning delivery platform, SmartStart hosted its annual Day of the Stars conference in Johannesburg from 15 to 18 August. Bringing SmartStart’s network and partner organisations together, to collaborate on how they can continue to actively enable growth within the early learning sector, the annual event is the largest gathering of its kind in South Africa.
Grace Matlhape, CEO of SmartStart, opened the event with a review of early learning in 2023; “It is essential that we take the time to celebrate the women who are driving development within the ECD sector. We are still facing a persistent bias in the under-valuing of women’s labour, which translates into wage gaps for practitioners. By leveraging the potential of the ECD sector, we can begin to address the inequality – and provide a much-need boost to our economy.”
The conference was supported by SmartStart’s franchisors, including Little Elephant Training Centre for Early Education (LETCEE), Training and Resources in Early Education (TREE), Khululeka, Little Seeds (BADISA), The Early Learning Resource Unit (ELRU), Lima Rural Development Foundation, 3L Development, The Knysna Education Trust, Penreach, Siyakholwa, Molteno Institute for Language and Literacy, Lesedi Educare, Project Preparation Trust (PPT) and South African Youth Movement (SAYM).
Women are the foundation of South Africa’s ECD sector, making up over 95% of staff in early learning programmes across the country, according to a survey by the Department of Social Development (DSD). Very often, these women run early learning programmes as micro-enterprises, from their homes or community spaces within their neighbourhoods, providing affordable access and care to over one million children.
Up to 90% of practitioners earn less than minimum wage, according to a census conducted by the Department of Basic Education last year, despite the massive responsibility they hold of raising the country’s next generation. As part of the conference, early learning experts hosted workshops to explore strategies to ramp up advocacy for the sector – to expand access to, quality for and sustainability of early learning programmes.
An estimated 1.3-million children between the ages of three and five are not attending any form of early learning; “This represents the scale of opportunity to provide direct employment for women in the ECD sector, provided we invest in their potential. We also need to remember that these children are not just numbers. They are our future leaders, teachers, and skilled professionals – but only if they receive the essential developmental foundations that early learning provides,” says Matlhape.
Using a social franchise model, SmartStart builds on the experience of existing civil society organisations who recruit, train, and license women to launch and run early learning social enterprises, for children aged three to five. Since 2015, the non-profit has recruited, trained, and supported over 15 000 early learning practitioner franchisees, reaching 177 000 children with quality early learning. By 2030, SmartStart aims to reach one-million children between the ages of three and five annually. For more information, visit www.smartstart.org.za.
