The core aims of the awards are to create awareness of the vital role that early childhood development (ECD) and education play in nation building and promoting excellence in the ECD sector.
Current partners are the South African Congress of ECD, the Department of Basic Education, the Department of Social Development, the Jim Joel Fund, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Aggrey Klaaste Nation Building Foundation. Media partners are SABC Education and the Sowetan.
According to the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, the first nine years of a child's life are fundamental to his or her development as happy, productive human beings. "In fact, these years are so vital that a country's very success as a nation depends on its early childhood development programmes," she says.
"Increasingly, both local and international research points to the fact that early childhood experiences have a more powerful and long-lasting effect on subsequent health, wellbeing and competence than was previously thought. This means that thousands of South African children who are born into and are living in conditions of extreme poverty are disadvantaged almost before they have begun their journey through life."
According to UNICEF, the SAECD Awards are unique in the world and provide a model for other countries to follow. The Awards recognise achievement by ECD practitioners, ECD Centres, projects and training and support organisations. There is also an award for best publication.
The SAECD Awards promote and recognise excellence, hard work, dedication and investment in the future of children by individual practitioners, community centres and organisations involved in the early childhood development sector. The awards aim to highlight the need for a sound system of early childhood development, based on an integrated approach that factors in children's health, nutrition, education, psychosocial development and other environmental factors within the context of their family and community.
Initiated in 2003 by Absa and the SACECD, this is the fifth year that the awards have been operating on a national basis. Since its inception, Absa and its partners have invested R11,4 million in the awards. The 2009 awards resulted in 200 candidates being trained in early childhood development best practice. The 2010 awards have so far resulted in more than 1 000 ECD practitioners being trained using a newly-developed handbook, the ECD Handbook on Best Practice for ECD Mangers, Practitioners, Assistants and Volunteers. In addition to training in best ECD practice, participants are trained in current regulations that affect the sector and leadership skills.
The entire ECD Awards process is geared towards encouraging ECD centres to be registered and to apply best practice in the physical, cognitive, emotional and spiritual development of children. This reduces child poverty as children who are in quality ECD centres are fed and provided with the right stimulation to grow into healthy, balanced adults.
