Staff Reporter
Safe early childhood development centres (ECD) can help protect vulnerable children, build confidence and reduce long-term cycles of trauma in under-resourced communities, the Santa Shoebox Project said as South Africa marked Child Protection Week.
The organisation said adequately equipped ECD spaces with trained teachers did more than provide a foundation for learning. They also helped small children develop the confidence to say “NO, stop, that’s wrong!”.
The statement was issued as the world marked International Children’s Day on June 1 and South Africa observed Child Protection Week.
The Santa Shoebox Project said quality ECD centres created safe environments where children could develop critical life skills, early literacy and numeracy, and hygiene awareness.
It said research suggested that children educated in supportive environments were significantly less likely to grow up being violent, helping to break cycles of trauma in under-resourced communities.
“Our work at the Santa Shoebox Project has
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