Topsy Foundation NPC

At Topsy, it’s our mission to provide disadvantaged rural communities with the support and tools needed to raise happy, healthy and capable children. We strive to achieve this through our Early Childhood Development Programme. The programme goals are:

1. To ensure that children are healthy, safe and ready to start school
2. To provide children an opportunity to develop through play and creative activities
3. To encourage active community involvement in the education and care of young children through an integrated and holistic approach to their developmental needs

One of the many services offered through this programme, is the training of day care centre principals and practitioners in rural Mpumalanga, South Africa.

2017 was the third year of the practitioner training, facilitated by our partner, The ASHA Trust. Twelve of our ECD centre principals successfully completed the training, which was broken down into the following four modules throughout the year:

Module 1: How children develop and learn.

Learning outcomes:

• Identify three ‘ages and stages’ of child development: babies, toddlers and young children
• Describe domains or main areas of child development: Physical, social and emotional and cognitive (language and thinking)
• Recognise that children develop as a whole and that developmental domains are interrelated i.e. fit closely together.
• Recognise that every child is an individual and that each child will grow in their own pace.

Module 2: Physical development

Learning Outcomes:

• Describe the general stages of physical development
• Describe how different factors could impact upon physical development
• Ability to support the physical development of babies, toddlers and young children

Module 3: Social and emotional Development

Learning Outcomes:

• Describe how relationships with adults and children develop and are expressed
• Identify factors needed for healthy social development
• Describe how different factors could impact upon social and emotional development

Module 4: Cognitive development

Leaning Outcomes:

• Describe the kinds of creative and critical thinking that can be expected from children at different developmental stages
• Explain how to support the cognitive and language development of babies, toddlers and young children
• Describe the kinds of verbal and non-verbal communication that can be expected from children at different developmental stages

On 10^th November 2017 a graduation ceremony was held for all 2017 ASHA Trust learners and Topsy was honoured to be included in this auspicious event. The guest speakers congratulated the graduates for persevering to the end of the programme, as well as being instruments of change in the lives of the children in our communities.

One of Topsy’s principals, Ms Agnes Gqoboka from Tholulwazi Day Care Centre, was selected to give a speech at the event. Agnes spoke about how the child development course had positively impacted her knowledge and understanding of children’s developmental needs as well as how they can enhance their development. There was much singing and celebration and a performance was given by children from Mini Busy Bodies Day Care Centre.

Congratulations to all the graduating principals and the Topsy ECD programme staff, and a huge thank you for their hard work and commitment. We look forward to working with a new intake of principals in 2018 and having another impactful year of training.

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