Forward of the 2025 Nationwide Finances Speech, the Actual Reform for ECD motion calls on Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to place cash behind the federal government’s commitments to develop entry to early childhood improvement (ECD) companies for each baby.
South Africa’s youngest youngsters are in disaster. Seven out of ten youngsters reside in poverty and 1.15 million youngsters aged 3-5 aren’t accessing any early studying alternatives, leaving them ill-prepared for formal education. Of those that do, 57% of the kids accessing ECD programmes don’t meet the early studying requirements anticipated for his or her age, are stunted, or each.
In his State of the Nation Handle on 6 February 2025, President Cyril Ramaphosa mentioned that the federal government would register and formalise current ECD centres and be certain that they’ve the amenities, coaching and supplies they should present high quality early studying.
Authorities’s bold and progressive 2030 Technique for ECD Programmes, and the Bana Pele mass registration drive, can improve entry to ECD for extra youngsters, however gained’t achieve success with out an elevated finances.
Presently, lower than 0.2% of presidency expenditure is allotted to early studying and dietary assist for kids aged 0-5. Little or no further funding has been made accessible to mirror the political intent to develop ECD entry, with dire penalties for kids and the ECD workforce.
For instance, the ECD subsidy, which is the primary funding instrument for enabling entry to ECD programmes for deprived youngsters, has been frozen at R17 per baby per day since 2019, eroding its worth by 1 / 4. Because of this hundreds of ECD programmes have been left worse off by rising inflation, leaving them unable to supply high quality meals for kids, equip their amenities, and pay their workers an honest wage. Till the subsidy worth is restored, the federal government is successfully shrinking its assist for ECD in low-income communities.
We urge Nationwide Treasury to:
● Restore the worth of the ECD subsidy to its 2019 buying energy of R23 per baby per day instantly, at a value of R1.2 billion. Decide to growing the worth to R46 by 2030.
● Present subsidised entry to ECD programmes for a further a million youngsters by 2027.
● Double funding for ECD infrastructure and registration assist to R300 million in 2025/26.
Investing in ECD companies is crucial to sort out the triple problem of unemployment, poverty and inequality by laying a basis for improved instructional outcomes, gender fairness, and inclusive financial progress. Implementing the 2030 Technique for ECD Programmes would assist create 70 000 care and early studying enterprises and assist the creation of 300 000 new care jobs. An growth of ECD companies to all youngsters may cut back childcare burdens for as much as 2 million ladies, selling their equal financial participation.
It’s clear that an funding in ECD is an funding within the simply and equitable society we try for.
Assertion Issued by Actual Reform for ECD
Actual Reform for ECD (RR4ECD) is a broad-based alliance advocating for holistic, well-funded, inclusive, and high quality early childhood improvement (ECD) companies. It helps a broad community of over 600 practitioners and is backed by greater than 200 organisations. For extra data, go to their web site:
