There are lots of exciting developments happening in the field of early learning, both at SmartStart and in other organisations and other countries. Watch this space to get the latest blog article, a piece of interesting research or an announcement about an upcoming event.
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Most recent
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18 Jan 2018
CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
Closing date 31 January 2018
Early learning is crucial preparation for school. And yet, every year, over 1 MILLION 3 and 4-year old children miss out on this strong foundation for future learning. This is a national crisis.
To turn this around, SmartStart has developed a pragmatic, affordable model to rapidly expand access to quality early learning. The SmartStart model works through playgroups and child-minding programmes, and supports a national network of practitioners to deliver these services effectively.
For more information, download the full Expression of Interest document and the application form below.
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17 Jan 2018
Four-year-old Sisanda Chilli, was born with Cerebral Palsy and because her development was different it caused difficulties in her learning and interacting with other children. When Phumzile Mngadi, a SmartStarter trained by TREE from Umdoni district, started her playgroup in August 2017, she was determined to help improve Sisanda’s life. In rural societies disability is often kept a secret, with many disabled children being hidden away. However, when Sisanda along with five other children joined the playgroup in August, Phumzile was excited.
Sisanda’s condition limits the control she has over some of the muscles in her body. When she first joined the playgroup, she was unable to talk or feed herself. Hopes were low of her being able to do things for herself. After only a few...
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17 Jan 2018
If you walk into any SmartStart programme, you are likely to see one of three things:
1) Children interacting with toys and objects
2) Children listening to a story
3) Children playing with their friends
On the surface, the children don’t seem to be doing anything too groundbreaking – do they? However, during each of these activities, children are in fact developing complex cognitive and character skills, which are preparing them to become productive and successful adults.
But how?
Let’s consider a three-year-old child building a puzzle with a friend. They are each taking turns to complete the puzzle, break it down and build it up again.
What to us might look like a simple (and very repetitive) game, is actually helping...
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Get involved! Find out more
To find out more about SmartStart and how you can get involved, contact the SmartStart office on 010 595 3902 or email us at hello@smartstart.org.za.