Early Childhood Development
At Ransom Foundation, we equip communities and teachers by assisting with ECD resources, renovations or upgrading of facilities or the construction of ECD appropriate classrooms in communities that do not have the resources available to do this for themselves.
Along with this, we commit ourselves to long term relationships with these communities to provide coaching in school, classroom and curriculum management. These services are provided to students who are in training with us or who have completed their SAQA accredited NQF certificates with us in previous years.
We remain forever grateful to all individuals, companies and organisations who have supported our work and who have made it possible for us to develop such overwhelming and fulfilling relationships with the people and communities that we serve.
WHY EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT?
From the minute a child is conceived, education begins. In most cases this is not a known fact and much developmental progress is delayed due to parental and even societal ignorance.
In South Africa, the importance of Early Childhood Development and the stimulation of developmental progress is becoming a recognised priority.
However, infrastructure and resources are not easily accessible to communities without the necessary financial means. The Department of Social Development is doing everything within it means to encourage greater awareness and good practice in the many ECD centres around our country, but they simply do not have the resources to provide all the necessary funding, beyond feeding schemes and basic grants in their attempt to assist the registered centres to achieve their goals.
EQUIPING EDUCATORS
The ECD programme focuses on improving the quality, access and resourcing of early learning and development for children aged 0 – 9 years. This is achieved by equipping educators through a fully accredited course. By focusing on under resourced and marginalised communities, ECD continues to be a priority of both RANSOM and the South African government.
Our Early Childhood Development Accredited Training Provider (ETDP SETA Number 10440) provides SAQA accredited Level 4 and 5 certificates in ECD practice. The qualification allows the practitioner to work with children from birth to Grade R.
RANSOM’S CONTAINER CLASSROOM
It was with these factors in mind, that the Ransom Team designed a cost-effective, low-maintenance and long-life classroom from containers.
Our design embraces the ECD didactic and empowers the practitioner to implement everything learnt in training to encourage the holistic development of the children who are placed in his/her care.
Our container classroom allows for all play areas, all learning areas and all storage of equipment and resources as well as ablution facilities (non-flush toilets).
These classrooms can be erected in the remotest of areas, since they are designed not to be dependent upon municipal services like electricity or running water.
The construction of the classrooms will also support the infrastructure of the local community by drawing on the building and construction skills of that community. The construction method is designed in “kit-form” and will take approximately 2 weeks to complete after the initial pouring of a foundational slab.
YOUR SUPPORT
We would be most grateful for any form of support you and/or your company or institution could afford us in our attempt to provide these classrooms to the children of communities in Tshipise, Venda or Mamelodi, Pretoria East, finding themselves in financial dire straits. Please connect with mike@ransomfoundationsa.org to join hands with these exciting projects.
