John Taolo Gaetsewe District ECD Centres Are Giving Children a Stronger Start

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Across Kathu, Kuruman, Deben and Olifantshoek, 27 early childhood development (ECD) centres are giving young children a stronger start, thanks to a three-year programme. Since August 2023, the Kathu ECD Project has lifted average teacher performance by almost 28%, to 66%, and leadership and management scores to over 65%. It leaves behind confident principals, safer learning spaces and a team of local facilitators to carry the work forward.

The Centre for Early Childhood Development (CECD) and Kathu Solar Park (KSP) celebrated the close of the Kathu ECD Project, last week, 28 October 2026. ECD principals, teachers, local facilitators, partners and community members came together, at the Kathu NG Kerk, to mark what the project has achieved for children in the John Taolo Gaetsewe District.

“When we started in 2023, many of these centres were doing remarkable work with very little,” said Jessica Blom, Deputy Director of CECD, which led this project in partnership with Africa A+ Schools. “Three years later, the principals and teachers are leading with real confidence, and children are learning through play every day. That is exactly the foundation young children need, and those changes will last long after the project.”

KSP’s significant investment funded the training, equipment, new classrooms and stipends for ECD teachers.

Just as importantly, to make sure the benefits last, the project trained a team of local ECD facilitators who will continue to support centres in the area now that the project has ended.

The results shared at the event show clear progress. Teachers’ performance across 27 indicators rose from an average of 38,4% at baseline to 66,1%, while leadership and management scores rose from 39,8% to 65,5%. Every centre improved, and the centres that started furthest behind improved the most. Gaps in essential learning equipment have almost disappeared, and centres now have plenty of most of the items they need.

“Behind these numbers are real changes in daily life at the centres. Children now choose their own activities and learn through play with everyday materials. Principals budget, keep records and run their centres with confidence,” shared KSP’s Socio-Economic Development Manager, Sandisiwe Mntonintshi.

Several centres also received infrastructure upgrades. In partnership with Breadline Africa, pit latrines at four centres were replaced with safe, dignified toilets. Obama Daycare received a brand-new classroom, while Reaiteka Pre-School received new classrooms, a kitchen and an office.

“Today I stand before you not only as an ECD practitioner, but as someone who has grown, learned and come out of my shell. Before this training, I believed teaching was mainly about worksheets. Now I know that children learn best through playing, exploring and discovering, and that every corner of an ECD centre can be a learning space. I can even record my income without asking the next-door neighbour to help me calculate,” said Lisa De Koker, principal of Lisa’s Bumble Bees.

The event closed with thanks to Kathu Solar Park,  Centre for Early Childhood Development, Africa A+ Schools, the local facilitators, and the principals, teachers and families who made the project possible.