In a significant move to strengthen and support the Early Childhood Development (ECD) sector, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, Deputy Mayor Alderman Eddie Andrews, Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Francine Higham, and National Minister of Basic Education, Minister Siviwe Gwarube, convened a high-level ECD Indaba at the Cape Town Council Chambers.
The gathering brought together ECD practitioners, sector stakeholders, and City officials from across the metro to unpack the challenges facing ECDs and explore sustainable solutions to improve support, compliance, and accessibility.
“Early Childhood Development is the foundation of any healthy, capable, and thriving society. This Indaba is a commitment from the City to walk alongside our ECD sector, helping them to become compliant, resilient, and more accessible,” said Alderman Andrews.
The urgency of the issue is underscored by findings from the 2021 ECD Census, which shows Cape Town is home to approximately 2 620 ECD centres, serving nearly 100 000 children. Alarmingly, nearly 60%—over 1 500 of these centres—remain unregistered, leaving more than 63 000 children outside the formal support system.
To address these challenges, the City has embarked on a comprehensive reform process aimed at reshaping the regulatory environment to make it easier for ECD centres to operate legally and sustainably. These reforms include efforts to reduce administrative red tape, provide compliance support, and address infrastructure limitations.
“We are embarking on a community-engaged, multi-sectoral drive to support ECD centres, particularly in rural and disadvantaged communities, to meet registration requirements,” said Minister Gwarube. “By working across all levels of government, we aim to remove the barriers—whether they are infrastructure-related, compliance issues, or administrative blockages—that stand in the way of formalising these essential centres.”
The Indaba featured cross-sectoral discussions outlining the City’s ECD Task Team’s role, recent regulatory changes, and integrated health and social support initiatives for the sector. It also served as a platform for practitioners to connect with available resources and strengthen collaboration.
“Early Childhood Development is where a City of Hope truly begins,” said Councillor Higham. “Our directorate is investing R4 million in the current financial year to fund support services for ECDs. One of the major challenges is making these resources accessible, which is why we encourage ECD practitioners to join their local forums and engage in advocacy and learning.”
The City’s ongoing efforts reaffirm its commitment to building a more inclusive, supportive, and well-regulated ECD sector—one that truly meets the developmental needs of the city’s youngest residents.
