Early means early: understanding popular understandings of early childhood development in South Africa

Abstract

ABSTRACTScientific and policy advances are putting early childhood development (ECD) at the center of efforts to improve human development. This study was undertaken to understand what knowledge and attitudinal barriers exist that hinder the full-scale roll-out of services for the youngest children and their families. We used anthropological methods honed by the Frame works Institute to plumb beliefs about early childhood development among members of the public and implementation and policy stakeholders,and compare those with the findings from ECD research. While members of the public and stake holders agree on the importance of ECD, as demonstrated in other country settings, a major barrier to directing services to the youngest children is a perceptual tendency to ‘age up’. That is, to consider learning and other important skills as being acquired in the pre-school rather than infancy period. Communication strategies that incorporate debate are needed to give full effect to the ECD and related policies, especially around the topics of prioritizing the youngest children, physical punishment, child rights, and the pervasiveness of threats to ECD arising from poverty and disadvantage.