Challenges faced by early childhood development centres in accessing government support in semi- informal areas: the case of Mamelodi Extension 6, city of Tshwane

Abstract

South Africa still experiences high levels of poverty, growing informal settlement and high levels of unemployment as indicated in the 2012 National Development Plan. Some settlements, informal and semi-informal areas are characterised by high densities and the lack of or poor levels of both physical and social infrastructures. The case study in this research report is a semi-formal settlement east of Mamelodi, an area known as Mamelodi Extension 6 in the City of Tshwane. Within this settlement, child minders or ECD practitioners offer day care services to households with pre-school children, aged from birth to 6 years. Most of these services are provided informally within the child minder’s own home, which during the day is a “centre” and in the evenings a residence. In some instances, an informal structure is placed within the yard and serves as the ECD centre, or one of the structures, such as a garage is turned into a class room The aim of this study is to establish the extent to which informality or semi- informal areas contribute to the inability of ECD centres to access government and non-governmental support. This type of support is important as most of these ECD sites are run by practitioners who need technical skills as well as support in the form of finances and physical infrastructure. The area under study is semi formalised as part of the in situ upgrades and part of relocation from other informal settlements. It is surrounded by a fully formalised township, with bonded houses, known as Mamelodi Gardens. It is also surrounded by some areas which are still informal. Within Ext. 6 land earmarked for social amenities is still invaded, contributing to some element of informality. Key conceptual points for this study are early childhood development, poverty and deprivation, lack of infrastructure and informality. The study uses these to understand how structural poverty and deprivation impacts negatively on the development of many young children living in semi-developed areas. It also seeks to understand the role of government in providing services within informal and semi-formal areas. In addition to this, the study seeks to understand how the absence of these services makes it difficult for ECD centres to comply with government regulations, excluding them from government and non-governmental funding. Failure to access government and non-governmental funding and support keeps the standards of these ECD centres low, which in turn has adverse effects on the quality of education provided by these centres. This situation creates a vicious cycle of poverty and inequality. The study is qualitative. Data gathering was through observations and interviews with the following key informants: municipal officials dealing with housing, those responsible for the issuing of occupational certificates, those dealing with social development, ECD practitioners and Department of Social Development provincial and regional officials. The key findings of the study confirm the notion that ECD sites which are in informal and semi-informal areas find it hard to meet the requirements of the Children’s Act, which prohibits them from accessing state resources in the form of subsidies and funding from the private sector.