The Early Learning Resource Unit

Barb: Very exciting yesterday as we visited a program very much like RCC.   The Early Learning Resource Unit (ELRU) provides training to providers and has a publishing arm, just as we do! More later, but here's their website: www.elru.co.za. Also visited another program that is trying to start a library!  More on that effort later as well.


I can tell I'm going to have to continue posting after we return until I can catch up. We are seeing so much and going so fast and long that I am behind. 

Phew!

Cammy: today my mom had meetings so I got to go sight seeing.

I went to Pretoria, we went to a government building where Mandela was sworn in as president and we went to a monument. It was 131 steps to the top!

We also had lunch at a place with a huge tortoise and a black rabbit!

My new best friend

Penguins!

Cammy: The place where we visited the penguins was called Boulders Beach, on a false bay. From what we saw it was a good environment for them to live in. Boulder is famous for having a colony of African penguins. Even tho it's close to a town, you can see the penguins up close here. The penguin colony  has about 3,000 penguins! 

Food of Africa

Barb: This restaurant is called Gramadoelas. 

s.

Mama Toni

Cam:  Mama Toni was really nice. She was making sure that kids had safe places to be and food to eat. Lots of kids don't have parents because of HIV/aids, so they need places like hers. I got to see the computer lab and meet some kids that were using the computers.

Comparisons and Contrasts

Barb: I visited East Suburbs Pre-school Primary School. This private child care center served middle/upper class families. This was a quality program: Much outdoor play space, degreed teachers, etc. Some of the play spaces might not meet licensing standards, but sure looked fun! Full full day cost is approximately $230/month.

I also visited Phehella Day and Night Center, a family childcare center.  This facility was a stark contrast to the East Suburbs Pre-school.  This home was serving 131 children. Nine or ten spend nights there. Cost ranged from approximately $25-50/month. As you can see from the picture many children are placed in very small rooms. While we were there most children were watching television. 


There was a small computer lab in the home. This was considered to be a program whose workers were striving for quality, seeking training from the SANTS program (more about this program in another post). There was a posted schedule, some learning materials, pictures on the walls.

Barb: The disparity between rich and poor in South Africa is the greatest of any place in the world. We see the contrast everywhere.  Unemployment is around 30%. The hope and possibilities for this new (1994) country are evident everywhere. Much first world infrastructure is in place. We have heard over and over about how the president has made early childhood education a national priority as beginning of scaling and developing a quality education system. Many believe that this is what is necessary-- quality free accessible education for all-- to fully realize the potential of this magnificent country and to allow for the development of an economy that can sustain the population.   

Ma Toni on the strength of South African women: "You strike a woman, you strike a rock."

This project serves orphaned and/or very poor children.  It is amazing grassroots response from women to deal with the country's orphaned children. There are over two million children in South Africa orphaned as a result of AIDS. Mama Toni is an amazing woman with an inspiring heart and energy helping children.  She insisted on greeting each of us at the entrance by welcoming each person by name and a hug, but her biggest hugs are for children -- the children fortunate to be in her care, and Cammy!

Professional Journal

Citizen Ambassador Programs

10/06/10 Afternoon

City: Johannesburg

Team Leaders: Russell/Day

Dr. Sally Nichols-Sharpe

Site: Tsogang Sechaba Community Project

 This afternoon we visited the Tsogang Sechaba Community Project, better known as Ma Toni's. As we pulled into the Soweto neighborhood we saw the typical concrete and mortar houses of the area surrounded by a gated fence. The only feature identifying that this was not a typical home was the sign above the gate. Ma Toni was there to greet each of us by name and with a hug,  As a young mother of three, and six months pregnant with her fourth child, her husband died. As she told us she raised her four children on her own by being strong and doing whatever needed to be done. The underlying belief that she could successfully provide for her children is the basis for the conceptual framework of her  comunity project. In 1995, Ma Toni began this community center in her own home based on the needs of children in the area. There are three small buildings and a freight container to meet the needs of 400 children every day and on a piece of land that is not a quarter of an acre in size. One two room building serves as Ma Toni's home, one as offices, one as a computer lab, and the freight container has been converted into a kitchen and food storage.

The project serves over 400 children a day breakfast, tea, and lunch. Children are provided food to take home with them to eat over the weekend when they are not in school. Since there is no indoor space for the children, except for the computer lab, all of the children activities take place outside, including meals. The center serves children ages 10 to 17 on site and children ages 5 to 17 in six surrounding schools. Nutrition is a key focus of their efforts, but they also have programs that work with Orphan and Vulnerable Children, Social Security issues, Bereavement and Family Counseling, Gardening, and Women Empowerment.

 Unfortunately, most of the children had left before we arrived. There were a half dozen children working with an instructor in their computer lab. The children were open and willing to answer questions. What I noticed as we went through the buildings was the limited equipment that was available to children except for a few board games. This small space and lack of resources does not begin to describe the impact of this program. What I take away from my visit is not what the facility lacked, but what it had in Ma Toni and her staff: their committed support to meet the needs of all the children. As Ma Toni spoke to us she often referred to the strength of South African women to provide. As she said “You strike a woman, you strike a rock.”

Report from the Field

Barb: The National Department of Basic Education is the body responsible for all schools grade R to grade 12. Schooling is compulsory between the ages of seven and 15 years and in terms of the constitution all learners are guaranteed access to quality education. There are two types of schools independent (private) and public.

The Dept is responsible for education across the country as a whole while each of the nine provinces has its own education dept. Provinces are like our states. The central government provides a national framework for school policy, but administrative responsibility lies with the provinces. Power is further devolved to grassroots level via elected school governing bodies, which have a significant say in the running of their schools.

The discussion about the evolution of the issue of education in general and early education specifically was fascinating in the context of this relatively new government. While the issues are very similar to issues in Minnesota (quality, access, unequal service delivery, multiple departments not working together or struggling to work together, not having an effective and efficient delivery system), they appear to have made major strides in addressing many of these issues since 2005.  Certainly not without continued challenges, but different in how depts are being held to specific outcomes through what appear to me to be innovative cross-agency structuring and accountability. They have developed some very sophisticated infrastructure, plans to assure collaboration, integrated monitoring frameworks and evaluation tools using research pilots to provide feedback quickly to various departments at the province level on how they are doing to meet various outcomes. They also are designing integrated data-marts to collect cross dept data. Very impressive and frank discussions about progress and challenges.

Cammy:  Really long plane ride. Only good thing was one of the movies you could watch was Twilight Saga: Eclipse.    Helped put the gift bags together last night. Heard Lady Gaga in the hotel restaurant during breakfast.  

Ms. Kelly, I walked 176 steps today!

Putting together the gifts

Barb:  Still working out access, but here is brief update: Our Johannesburg guide's name is Happiness and she gave us one of our first interesting tidbits about Johannesburg-- it's the only major city in the world that is not on water (river, lake, ocean). It is on gold, however!


After dinner everyone in our delegation gathered to pool our gifts for the various programs and people that we are visiting.  We created gift bags to deliver as we go.  


My gifts came from Redleaf Press, of course:

All the Colors We Are by Katie Kissinger, Theories of Childhood, by Carol Garhart Mooney, Visionary Director by Deb Curtis and Margie Carter, and Prime Times by Jim Greenman,  Anne Stonehouse, & Gigi Schweikert. 


I would have brought more but I was constrained by weight limits... This was a first for the press which has  never had someone order our books by the pound….  :-)



Our librarian and early education staff suggested some children's books to bring, and we brought some Parent Aware bibs toys for the orphanage we will be visiting. 

Here is the first leg of our itinerary! We arrive tonight.

 It’s “subject to change” but for now this is the plan.  

Tuesday October 5 - Arrive in Johannesburg in the evening (remember, local time is 7 hours later than Minnesota) and travel 20 minutes to the Southern Sun Grayston hotel.  Dinner with a local guide who will discuss logistics for tomorrow, “specifically gifts for the afternoon professional meeting.” We will be eager to test our connectivity (internet).

Wednesday October 6 – Johannesburg! After orientation and cultural briefing on S. Africa, we will hear from Mary Clasquin-Johnson, a local education professional who will provide delegates with an overview of early childhood education in South Africa.

After lunch we will depart for Soweto, the massive SOuth WEstern TOwnship of Johannesburg, a city of stark contrasts, home to two Nobel Prize winners (Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu).

Thursday, October 7 – Professional program on early childhood development work being done in Soweto and impact of social and political contexts on children’s development and education. Visits to a preK and grade school classroom and program on early childhood teacher training programs and healthy, safety and education.

Afternoon exploration of Pretoria, which has a stunning architectural and cultural history .  Evening welcome from the people of Lesadi Cultural Village and African feast!

Friday, October 8 – Farewell to Johannesburg and Hello Cape Town!

We end our Johannesburg stay with an exploration of the darkest years in South African history, and the world’s only negotiated revolution, at the Apartheid Museum. Likened to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., this impressive museum takes you into the beating heart of the Freedom Struggle, the grip of the National Party’s regime during the apartheid era, and the giddy days of liberation.

Fly to the southern  city of Cape Town in the afternoon and progresss to the Southern Sun Cape Sun hotel.

A few hours closer

Barb: On the plane(s)!...Cam is reading Chicken Soup for the Teen Age Soul on Tough Stuff. I am not reading anything nearly that heavy!

Getting Ready

Cammy: Most of you know that I am a figure skater. I am excited because I am leaving for South Africa after I just passed Freestyle I and moved to Freestyle II level. Yay!

Getting ready to get ready!

Barb: At 6:45 p.m. Friday, Oct. 1, I realized that I did not have Cammy's airline ticket. Called the airline and they couldn't verify that we had tickets because we are part of a group-- they said I would have to call back Monday morning when the office opened. Since we are leaving Monday morning, I started to get concerned (ok, I was hyperventilating). Fortunately, Group Leader Sue knew that the home office for People to People was in Seattle-- I was able to call and get the ticket emailed. Disaster averted!