Excellent Early Learning Environment

She has every reason to be proud of what Disney ECD Centre has become. When the crèche’s owner, Dudu Nkhoma, first partnered with The Domino Foundation’s Early Childhood Development programme, her preschool had just two classrooms, a single toilet for the little learners and no feeding programme. Over the past 2 years, the centre’s operations and quality of learning have grown and are flourishing. The physical set-up of the centre is far better equipped to give the 64 pupils ample space to learn and play with three classrooms and playgrounds. Dudu pushed into every opportunity to develop her and her staff’s ability to deliver the quality early learning experience she believed her young charges deserved. She participated in educational workshops covering a range of subjects covering holistic learner development, some of which included educational themes, assessing and recording learner progress, and creating age-appropriate learning resources from recycled materials. A feeding programme is now well-established and the children’s ability to concentrate in the classroom and general wellbeing have improved.

Because she was determined that Disney would be a viable and sustainable small business, Dudu enrolled in basic financial management courses through the Kolisi Foundation which is also assisting with porridge for the ECD centres partnering with Domino on the South Coast. Throughout her time of thoroughly equipping herself and her five teachers to run a preschool-of-choice in her community, mentorship and support was given by Domino’s field workers on their regular site visits. Zanele Nzimakwe, Domino’s Link lady, commented: “The partnership with the NPO has meant Dudu’s crèche has moved from being under-resourced in many ways to one which is now an educationally sound environment for the children in her care.”