How do I register an ECD centre?

Early Childhood Development (ECD) refers to children from birth to nine years. An ECD centre can be a crèche, day care centre for young children, a playgroup, a pre-school or after school care.

To establish and register an early childhood development centre or to apply for changes to an existing registration certificate you must:

  • contact the office of the Department of Social Development nearest to the proposed centre
  • consult the local authority (municipality) to obtain the right of use and the necessary health clearance certificate to run the centre in a particular place
  • contact the local Departments of Education and Health in the area where the early childhood development centre is located to find out if they have any other requirements.

You can consult the Guidelines for Early Childhood Development Services [PDF] for more information on the requirements for such a centre.

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