Early Childhood Care and Education in Botswana: A Necessity That Is Accessible to Few Children

Tapologo Maundeni

doi:10.4236/ce.2013.47a1008

Abstract

Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programs are essential because they boost children’s perceptual, physical, mental, linguistic, emotional, social and intellectual development. Despite the benefits of ECCE, such programs are accessed by just a handful of children in the context of Botswana. Hence a majority of children who are eligible for ECCE programs tend to miss out on the benefits of such programs. The purpose of this paper is three-fold. First, it provides brief background information about the development of ECCE in the country. Second, it discusses why and how little attention has been paid to ECCE in the country. Third, it highlights implications of excluding many children from ECCE. The author concludes by making several suggestions that could go a long way to ensure that children eligible for ECCE have access to ECCE programs of good quality.

Highlights

Tapologo MaundeniChildhood Care and Education (ECCE) programs are essential because they boost children’s perceptual, physical, mental, linguistic, emotional, social and intellectual development
Seventeen percent of children eligible for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) in Botswana have access to such programs (UNICEF 2007)
Another example that shows how lack of comprehensive formal ECCE programs may put children’s wellbeing at risk is that working mothers who earn low wages do not afford to hire committed domestic workers to look after their children while they are at work

Summary

Tapologo Maundeni

Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programs are essential because they boost children’s perceptual, physical, mental, linguistic, emotional, social and intellectual development. Despite the benefits of ECCE, such programs are accessed by just a handful of children in the context of Botswana. The purpose of this paper is three-fold. It provides brief background information about the development of ECCE in the country. It discusses why and how little attention has been paid to ECCE in the country. It highlights implications of excluding many children from ECCE. The author concludes by making several suggestions that could go a long way to ensure that children eligible for ECCE have access to ECCE programs of good quality

Introduction

Brief Background Information about the Development of ECCE in Botswana

Findings

Way Forward