PARENTS of children attending Mkhuseli Koliti Crèche, in the Thornhill community, joined in the extensive refurbishment programme to help upgrade and expand the Early Childhood Development (ECD) facility, which will be officially reopening in January 2021.
“We are forever grateful for the assistance from the parents from our crèche, as well as to Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm, who funded this massive refurbishment, as we can now accommodate at least seventy additional learners in the new academic year,” said Emerentia Potgieter, Principal of the crèche, situated within the Kouga Local Municipality.
The new facility can now support additional children entering Grade RR and ensure that they receive meaningful learning opportunities, in preparation for attending Grade R, in a formal school in the following year.
“We also anticipate that parents will be more eager to support the school and its programmes in the coming months and years since the renovated facility provides much hope for an improved and better future for their children,” Potgieter said.
Close to R1million was funded, to provide a new prefabricated unit, electrical installation, plumbing, an office, storeroom, kitchen upgrade, ablution facilities as well as high security perimeter fencing. Other refurbishments, some of which the parents joined in to assist with, included the replacement of windowpanes, internal and external paint works, and other general repairs.
“We are delighted to be supporting a community crèche that has the involvement of its parents and the general community, as shown by all those who got involved in carrying out some of the repairs,” said Hlengiwe Radebe, Economic Development Director for Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm.
The wind farm has supported this crèche in various programmes over the last few years, including ECD training for three practitioners for NQF Level 4 and Level 5. Principal Potgieter, completed NQF Level 5, in this programme, in addition to Claudine Hendricks and Lungiswa Futha.
This ECD Centre is one of three facilities that were evaluated to identify specific infrastructure support ranging from the provision of a classroom and major repairs to the provision of ablution facilities, painting, partitioning, security fencing and play equipment.
“ECD remains a critical point for our country’s social and economic transformation and development, and we want to see children develop holistically, with the support of qualified practitioners and suitable facilities within our beneficiary communities,” Radebe said.
