The ABCs of early learning

Jabulani Sithole is just six years old. Those six years have been tough for him. His mother is a domestic worker earning a meagre wage and his father died of AIDS shortly after Jabulani was born. He lives in Khayalethu, above the town of Knysna on the Garden Route.

Fortunately for Jabulani, his mother understands the value of education. She has scraped together her savings so that he can attend a preschool, which is affiliated to the Knysna Education Trust (KET), a registered non-profit and public benefit organisation.

Established in 1993, KET provides numeracy and literacy programmes and promotes effective early childhood development (ECD), including supplementary nutrition.

“Our interventions are based on a belief that an essential package of ECD services is needed to support the overall development of children. Programmes and projects target outcomes and ensure that Jabulani and others reach age-appropriate developmental milestones in all areas: cognitive, emotional, physical, and social,” explains Nicola Goodall, Director of KET.