Why was the home based education program for toddlers and pre-schoolers developed?
Due to the coronavirus outbreak and the lock down laws applied on ECD centres, parents of Step Ahead Educare requested management to research and develop an easy to use educational tool, which will allow parents and caregivers to continue the age appropriate stimulation of their children, at home.
The following reasons added to this request :
- Many household incomes were severely affected by the lockdown. A more affordable solution had to be developed as many parents could no longer afford paying normal school fees, considering their children were being cared for at home, and not at school.
- Fear of contracting the virus : With no clear sight as to when ECD's will re-open, many parents indicated that they are not comfortable to send their children until they felt safe to do so. Amidst the fact that ECD's will be taking all precautionary measures to ensure the child's safety as far as possible, many parents who have the option of a caregiver, indicated their preference to continue with the home based program, with support from the school.
- Many parents felt they lacked the know-how and understanding to carry out the work of the ECD teacher at home.
- Significant concerns that children would not be receiving appropriate stimulation to ensure that developmental milestones are adequately reached.
The solution
Having carefully listened to the concerns raised by our families; Step Ahead Educare, together with partners, developed South Africa's first online Home Based support educare program for parents of toddlers and pre-schoolers.
Here are the benefits of the Home based support educare program:
- Considering that learners were not getting the full service and support at their ECD centres, we developed a tool that significantly reduced the monthly costs linked to educare services.
- Understanding that many parents would rather not take the risk of sending little ones into public spaces over this period, but yet still needing to ensure the development of their child; we have designed a tool to assist parents in reaching these goals with the added confidence of their children's safety at home.
- Being aware that most parents are not equipped and trained to teach little ones on a daily basis, we are focused on empowering parents to have the confidence and basic knowledge to work effectively with their children. It is for this reason that we have developed a user-friendly and home friendly program centered around play, to make it easy for any caregiver to follow with ease.
- By considering specific developmental milestones for each age group, as well as all the learning areas, our goal is to facilitate the process of achieving the necessary developmental outcomes.
Please take note that attendance at an educare centre does provide a holistic approach for child development. Active participation in such programs will have many benefits for your child in the long run. Factors such as socialisation and becoming familiar with predictable daily routines, serve to benefit your child in countless ways. This tool serves to meet stimulation and specific developmental goals, however, it cannot replace the holistic approach offered by registered early childhood development centres.