The City of Cape Town has announced four regional Early Childhood Development (ECD) conversations in October to help guide the City’s priorities for the sector.
Conversations across the city
The Community, Arts and Culture Development Department will host the conversations, which are open to ECD practitioners, principals, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), government departments and sector partners.
Participants will be able to engage directly on regional challenges, identify solutions and contribute towards the City’s annual ECD programme priorities and strategic plan. The four conversations will culminate in the annual City of Cape Town ECD Indaba, announced for 2027, which will consolidate recommendations from all four engagements into a City-wide action plan.
Building on previous indabas
The department hosts compliance drives and roadshows in communities throughout the year to engage the ECD sector on their journey to compliance. The conversations build on three previous ECD Indabas.
“Most of a child’s development occurs before age five and by investing in the sector, we are helping to shape cognitive abilities, emotional health and ensure future academic success,” said the City’s Mayco member for community services and health, Francine Higham.
“Previous indabas focused on supporting and training ECD operators, and with the upcoming conversations, we hope to create a platform for them to influence policy and service delivery. We’re enabling conversations around what they need and how we can work together towards solutions.”
Dates and venues
The conversations will take place from 08:30 to 15:30 at:
- Parow Civic Centre, Thursday 8 October
- Brackenfell Civic Centre, Monday 12 October
- Sarepta Community Hall, Wednesday 21 October
- Retreat Civic Centre, Tuesday 27 October
Watch the City’s social media pages for updates.
For more information on support provided to ECDs, visit the City’s ECD centres page.
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