There was jubilation in their air when owners of eight Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres recently received their National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Level 4 certificates.

After many hours of studying, the women said their hard work has paid off.

Their journey to obtaining the equivalent of a Grade 12 or matric qualification had been facilitated by Training and Resources in Early Education (TREE), who provided the professional training for these women. The ECD partners with the Domino Foundation, based in Durban North, to empower women.

Nicky Walton, Domino’s education co-ordinator, said they are indebted and thankful to funders who enable these education journeys for ECD owners.

“Our programme focuses very much on empowering ECD owners to develop themselves and grow their schools, putting them in a strong position to go forward running sustainable small businesses. It is so gratifying to see how these ECD owners have used this training to develop better early learning centres for their pupils. They are seeing the practical impact of improving their preschools’ educational offering on their pupils in the most critical period of their growth when 90% of brain growth and development takes place,” said Ms Walton.

TREE has trained 4 856 ECD practitioners, placed 11 toy libraries in three provinces and offer current webinars and stand-alone accredited elective units. They also offer a fully accredited NQF Level 4 qualification and non-accredited short courses, said Ms Walton. “Upskilling women with small businesses and who have a heart for improving South African children’s early learning experience is central to Domino’s ECD programme,” said Ms Walton.

The eight graduates can now move on into further education or training for even greater quality pre-school education their pupils deserve. One of the graduates, Ntombikayise Makhube, owner of Siyawunakekela, said she was thrilled to receive her qualification.

“I am deeply grateful for the Domino Foundation’s generous sponsorship of my studies. Their support has not only lifted financial burdens but also filled me with motivation and confidence. Receiving their backing has proven to me that hard work can be recognised and supported,” said Ms Makhube.

Ms Walton said that all of the ECD owners’ studies had been paid for through the generosity of donors who see the foundational value of investing in early education programmes.

Ms Walton can be contacted on education@domino.org.za or 031 110 7030.

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