They want the per-child daily subsidy increased from R17 to R23

More than 100 early childhood development centre (ECD) practitioners picketed outside the Department of Basic Education offices in Pretoria on Wednesday. They want urgent action on funding for early childhood development centres in vulnerable communities. They especially want money for nutrition.

The protesters, wearing black, stood under the blazing sun, and submitted a memorandum calling for significant changes to current ECD funding mechanisms.

They argue that adequate nutrition in early childhood (up to the age of six) is crucial for child development and future educational outcomes.

They want the R197-million that has been allocated for a national nutrition programme pilot to be spent before the end of the financial year.

They also want the Children's Amendment Bill tabled in Parliament as a matter of urgency, as they say it will reduce regulatory barriers for funding ECD centres.

Zoë Postman from the Equality Collective explained the inadequacy of the current subsidy. The R17 per child subsidy is "next to nothing in this economy" to cover food, run a facility and pay teachers.

The subsidy has been frozen at R17 since 2019. Of that, only R6.80 is ring-fenced for nutrition.

"It's totally unacceptable and unrealistic," she said.

Mpho Mokoto, who runs Little Bright Champs Day Care in Finetown, which has 20 children, said her crèche charges only 250 a month.

"This is not even enough for the monthly food we provide for them because of inflation which keeps increasing."

She said she has adopted four children whose parents cannot afford the fees.

"It's heartbreaking to see children in the streets," said Mokoto. "When the year starts, we usually have more than 30 kids, but as it progresses many drop out. Parents say they can't afford Christmas clothes and fees for their children, and we understand, because many don't [have regular] work or receive child grants. They rely on menial jobs."

Tshepo Mantje, from the Real Reform for ECD Movement, said, "We see supporting ECD as having potential to address poverty and inequality."

Education department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said the department would study the memorandum and prepare responses "in a matter of days".

GroundUp experimented with AI Claude 3.5 Sonnet in the editing of this article.