COUNT
COUNT’S JOURNEY TO ASIDLALE
COUNT’s long and rich experience in maths education in South Africa has taught us this:
- Parents are the child’s first teacher,
- Early stimulation is crucial for later success in math,
- Play is a key ingredient to early learning and enjoyment/interest is the cornerstone of all learning,
- Parental involvement and/or community participation is essential for effective and sustainable interventions ,
- ECD continues to be under resourced in South Africa
As a result, in the early 2000s, COUNT began working in the early childhood development space and piloted Family Maths Science and Literacy (FMSL) programme throughout Southern Africa. The primary objective was to inspire parental involvement in playful learning activities which could be done at household level or in community workshops. Over a 25-year period, various FMSL models of delivery have been implemented, and one of the key learnings has been that implementing interventions without a strong local community voice and government involvement was not a winning formula. Empowering communities to demand play and early childhood stimulation programmes, and participate in the creation of it, would create more cost effective, resilient, and sustainable play and early learning initiatives.
With play as a focus for COUNT’s early childhood interventions, COUNT brought A Chance to Play on board as an additional programme. COUNT is now rich in play and learning content, but lacking knowledge and expertise in community mobilizing and media messaging. When COUNT was invited to join the Asidlale network, we experienced a new wave of hopeful energy – knowing that placing children and play at the center of wholistic development would be a much more joyful and effective way to bring families into the play and learning space.
What does COUNT bring to the Asidlale table? Family Maths Science and Literacy manuals and courses, A Chance to Play manuals and courses for Play Facilitators, Parents, and Play Trainers, and experience and expertise in working with play in Early Childhood Development centres, playgroups, and households.
Families of preschoolers joining in a Play Day Event at an ECD Centre in Motherwell, Eastern Cape, as part of a Family Maths Science and Play programme offered by COUNT
With play as a focus for COUNT’s early childhood interventions, COUNT brought A Chance to Play on board as an additional programme. COUNT is now rich in play and learning content, but lacking knowledge and expertise in community mobilizing and media messaging. When COUNT was invited to join the Asidlale network, we experienced a new wave of hopeful energy – knowing that placing children and play at the center of wholistic development would be a much more joyful and effective way to bring families into the play and learning space.
What does COUNT bring to the Asidlale table? Family Maths Science and Literacy manuals and courses, A Chance to Play manuals and courses for Play Facilitators, Parents, and Play Trainers, and experience and expertise in working with play in Early Childhood Development centres, playgroups, and households.
COUNT highly values the strengths that the Asidlale network offers – with partners’ proven success in community mobilization and involvement, and we look forward to a national movement – unlocking community-based assets and energizing communities to make play and early learning happen everywhere.
