Protea Glen Day Care Centre is determined to provide Early Childhood Development Services. The Centre was established seven years ago, funded by the Gauteng Department of Social Development and is situated behind Protea Glen Mall.
During an interview with Weekly Bulletin Writer, Tondani Muleya, the Principal at the Centre, Lindiwe Zulu, explained the operations. "We ensure that our children receive the best quality early learning and development. We capacitate our practitioners with relevant courses to ensure they carry out their duties to the best of their abilities. We do observe the progress of the children in the classrooms to identify learning barriers for early interventions. We are also able to identify the vulnerable and underprivileged learners. We sometimes assist children whose parents are unemployed with food parcels to close the gap of poverty", Zulu said.
"Our focus is to make provisions for all their developmental needs and ensure that we lay foundations for the skills needed to grow and thrive in all developmental areas to enable them to reach their potential and maximize their future well-being. We also ensure that they are well equipped when they start school. They are also taught to spend time together and to communicate to ensure they are not involved in bullying. As a Principal, I always encourage parental involvement so that even when children are at home, they receive positive support", she added.
She emphasized on the importance of operating legal centers. People must always remember that ECDs are for the best interest of children. The centers must operate legally and be compliant. Failure to operate legally is a contravention of the children's Act 38 of 2005. The Department of Social Development may approach the High Court to enforce closure.
"We currently have 94 children at our centre due Covid-19 pandemic, we cannot take beyond this number. We have 8 practitioners, 2 cooks and 2 cleaners. I really commend Gauteng Department of Social Development for affording us with employment opportunities especially for me. I came here following my retrenchment by the company I worked for in 2010. After losing a job as an Administrator, I enrolled with Matthew Goniwe School of Leadership and Governance to study ECD level 4 and later enrolled with Professional Child Care College to study Preschool Management and Administration. Social Development gave me an opportunity and I will forever be grateful", she concluded.