(ECD) centre?
11 October 2007
When someone wants to establish and register an Early Childhood Development
centre or needs to apply for changes to an existing registration certificate
the following is very important:
Any person, organisation or community, which intends to set up an Early
Childhood Development centre, must contact the office of the Department of
Social Development nearest to the proposed centre. The local authority
(municipality) must be consulted to obtain the right of use and the necessary
health clearance certificate to run the centre in a particular place.
The registration or re-registration of a centre will be considered by the
Minister when a report and a recommendation by the Department of Social
Development have been received. A certificate from the local authority stating
that the centre complies with all the structural and health requirements of the
local authority must accompany the report of the Department of Social
Development.
Where minimum standards are not met, the centre can be provisionally
registered and a subsidy may be paid to enable them to meet the minimum
standards within a specific time frame. If these conditions are not met, this
may result in closure of the facility or service. An early childhood centre is
subject to quality assurance review or inspection by the Department of Social
Development at least once a year. All applicants must also 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.
Registering an Early Childhood Development centre
Step one
A person intending to establish an Early Childhood Development centre has to
contact the social worker or other official employed and authorised by the
provincial Department of Social Development at the district office in their
region to arrange for an interview.
The following will be discussed:
* registration requirements
* child care Act
* registration procedures
* minimum standards
* application form
* subsidy procedure
* monitoring and evaluation
Step two
The social worker or other official employed and authorised by the
provincial Department of Social Development will provide the applicant with an
application form and any other relevant documents to use as guidelines.
The following documents, attached to the application form have to be
completed by the applicant:
* menu
* daily programme
* needs assessment form giving details of the area local to the centre in terms
of number of young children and how many other centres cater for them i.e.
explain the need for this centre in this area.
The applicant also has to submit a copy of:
* a lease agreement, proof of ownership or permission to occupy the
land
* job descriptions for centre staff, including grievance and disciplinary
procedures.
No incomplete forms will be accepted. All documents required are to be
submitted with the application form to enable the evaluation process for
registration to begin.
Step three
When the properly completed application form and all relevant documents
listed in step two have been received, the social worker or other official
employed and authorised by the provincial Department of Social Development does
the following:
* visits the premises
* informs the environmental health officer by letter
* informs other relevant stakeholders by letter, for example Department of
Education, that an application for registration has been received.
Step four
When the health clearance certificate and other reports have been received,
the social worker or other official employed and authorised by the provincial
Department of Social Development does the following:
Completes the checklist of all requirements detailed in steps two and three
and if these have been met, issues a provisional registration certificate
(valid for one year). During this time a subsidy may be granted to the centre
to enable them to meet the minimum standards.
The following conditions need to be met:
* administrative and financial management systems have to be satisfactory
* services provided to the children in terms of physical, emotional,
intellectual and social care have to be satisfactory
* the physical condition of the centre has to be satisfactory
* the general functioning of the centre has to be satisfactory.
If not satisfactory, the social worker or other official employed and
authorised by the provincial Department of Social Development will continue to
consult, advise, empower, build capacity and review the facility.
Step five
The social worker or other official employed and authorised by the
provincial Department of Social Development will monitor the centre for one
year and do an assessment of the services offered by the centre,
including:
* the general care of the children
* administrative systems
* financial systems
If satisfactory, a full registration certificate will be issued (valid for
two-years) and a subsidy may be paid. If not satisfactory, the provisional
certificate will be extended for a further six months during which a subsidy
may be paid. If the centre does not meet the minimum standards after this six
month period it will be shut down.
Step six
The centre must be monitored by the social worker or other official employed
and authorised by the provincial Department of Social Development for
two-years.
A developmental quality assurance assessment must be done and the registration
certificate will be renewed or withdrawn.
A centre has to re-register when an applicant intends to:
* move the centre to another building or premises
* extend or decrease the size of the existing structure
* increase the number of children enrolled
* sell the business or change ownership.
The procedure for re-registration is the same as for registration.
Enquiries:
Louise Erasmus
Tel: 012 312 7606
Issued by: Department of Social Development
11 October 2007
