Systems ensure the attainment of goals at any educational level, including quality early childhood education. Various studies focus on the benefits and components of quality early childhood education, yet none emphasise systems that will support early childhood development (ECD) centres in offering quality education. This study explored existing systems that support ECD centres in providing quality education to young children. The study adopted a qualitative research approach and collected data through document analysis and face-to-face interviews with eight participants purposively selected from four ECD centres situated in Pretoria. The data were analysed thematically. The findings revealed that national policies, internally generated policies and financial systems support the participating centres in offering quality education. However, many of the participants did not know the existing national policies. The findings also revealed that ECD centres in the township area do not have financial systems to help them provide quality education. The study recommends effective implementation strategies to foster awareness and enforce strict adherence to government policies at ECD centres. The study contributes to awareness and adherence to quality early childhood education by suggesting that ECD centres, principals and teachers should engage in relevant and practical training on effectively establishing systems from the available national education policies that will help them offer quality education.
This study adds to the body of knowledge by filling in the gaps on how ECD principals and teachers understand national policies and translate them into systems that assist them in managing their centres on a daily basis. The novelty of this study is the empirical input from different disciplines (Early Childhood Education and Management and Policies Studies), in a way that enables one to comprehend the role of educational management and policies studies at the early childhood learning centres in South Africa, which is the emphasis of the Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa.
Quality early childhood education, according to a large body of research, is critical to improving health, academic levels, future employment possibilities and the eradication of poverty and inequities.
A system could be described as how things are structured and done to achieve predetermined goals. A system is mainly referred to as a group of components that work together to achieve a common purpose or objective.
Without effective systems in place, it will be challenging to offer quality education to young children, which is essential as the foundation of education. Policies are necessary to build systems and define the rules, regulations, procedures and protocols that schools require to run smoothly, safely and to deliver quality education. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the existing systems that supported ECD centres in offering quality education by exploring the policies, finance and management quality of the selected ECD centres. Exploring the policies, finance and management quality could help identify aspects to guide schools and support their system building for quality education. Hence, the research question to address the aim of the study is, ‘How do policies in ECD centres enhance the operational systems in sustaining quality education?’
Theoretical perspectives for the study are provided next, followed by a description of the framework for ecological and system-level settings and cross-cutting quality dimensions.
Literature regarding factors that support system building such as policies, finance, management and leadership quality is relevant in this study. The theoretical framework underpinning the research is also discussed.
Policy formulation is the first factor that forms the basis for system building. The common purposes of enacting these policies are to ensure that quality education is provided for young children through relevant systems available at the ECD centres. For example, Manyike
Management and leadership quality is the second factor that is likely to influence the application of and responsiveness to policies that guide staffing issues, supervision and the organisational climate.
Lack of funding is the third factor that could prevent the ECD centres’ ability to build a system to improve the provision of quality education. Financial resources play a role in system building, and a lack of financial resources negates the attainment of any goal, including system building. However, a worse scenario would be when available funds are mismanaged.
Education for All Dakar Declaration (UNESCO), the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (United Nations) and the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health have identified early childhood education as a specific component in their funding strategies (p. 365).
Unfortunately, it appears that for many governments, the pre-primary sector of the education system is the one that is least likely to receive much-needed investment for the delivery of quality education.
The Britto, Yoshikawa and Boller
Ecological and system-level settings and cross-cutting quality dimension.
The relevant systems refer to the larger organisational and institutional systems within which ECD centres exist,
Furthermore, research suggests that a comprehensive view of quality ECCE should include ecological standards outside the ECD centre environments also on a broader systems level.
A qualitative approach to research through the interpretive paradigm was used in this study because the study’s focus was on providing detailed information and in-depth descriptions of existing systems that support ECD in offering quality education.
Biographic information of centres and participants.
Centre location | Participants (pseudonyms) | Position in centre | Age (years) | Years of experience in ECD centre |
---|---|---|---|---|
Centre A township | PeaceT | Principal | 32 | 4 in current centre |
JoyT | Practitioner | 42 | 4 in current centre | |
Centre B township | KindnessT | Principal | 36 | 5 in current centre |
GreatnessT | Practitioner | 30 | 6 in current centre | |
Centre C suburban | SmartS | Principal | 61 | 14 in other centres |
25 in current centre | ||||
HumbleS | Practitioner | 61 | 18 in another centre | |
12 in current centre | ||||
Centre D suburban | PerseveranceS | Principal | 46 | 6 in another centre |
3 in current centre | ||||
ExcelS | Practitioner | 29 | 6 in another centre | |
1 in current centre |
ECD, early childhood development.
Face-to-face, semi-structured individual interviews were used to collect data from eight purposively selected participants from the chosen registered ECD centres. The participants include four ECD centre principals and four teachers. The selected participants were expected to have a job experience of at least three years in their present post. They were expected to have a level of experience and knowledge that would foster answering the research questions.
Data analysis was done thematically through transcribing data and familiarising ourselves with the data. Codes were generated after which subthemes were formulated; themes were then established and guided by the research question and the theoretical framework. The thematic analysis aimed to identify significant themes and provide answers about the phenomenon under study. The researcher observed ethical principles by initially obtaining clearance to conduct the research from the relevant bodies – the University Ethics Committee and the Department of Social Development. Before the data collection, participants were informed about the purpose of the study and their rights to withdraw from the study at any point in time.
The data generated stemmed from the participants’ existing system that guided them in the day-to-day running of the centre. Therefore, their description of these systems was gleaned from the national policy, the centres’ admission policy, employment policy and financial systems. Hence, the themes that emerged related to the knowledge and implementation of national policies, managing people through internal policies and managing and controlling the financial system. The findings are discussed under the knowledge and implementation of national policies, managing people through internal policies and management of financial systems sections.
Several government policies that registered ECD centres can adopt will help build a solid system to achieve the ECD objectives. Unfortunately, the participants could not relate to most ECD policies, such as
On the positive side, the participants demonstrated fair knowledge of National Norms and Standards for ECD. Section 79(2) of the
SmartS: ‘I read all the policies we received from the Department of Education. We receive them from time to time, like the ECD policy, the guidelines for preschools, the principal’s guidelines, and everything we need to know. We follow the Government policies by ensuring that children eat good food and are safe all the time.’ (Principal, 61 years old, from suburban centre, 39 years of experience in ECD centre)
ExcelS: ‘I read from the National Norms and Standards document where they said kids have the right to safety, to drink clean water, to be cared for, and also how we need to manage the toilet facilities. In my classroom, safety is my main priority because parents rely on us for the safety of their kids.’ (practitioner, 29 years old, 7 years of experience in ECD centre)
The data analysis revealed that participants from the suburban centres displayed more knowledge of ECD national policies and adapted them to develop a system on how to plan effectively for the teaching of young children. However, the township centres did not display good knowledge of national policies which might affect the quality of education provided to young children in their centre. This finding shows that the township participants could not establish a practicable system that could guide them in providing quality education from the national policies as they are not aware of the policies’ existence. As a result, it contradicts Neuman and Devercelli’s
The findings reveal that the participating ECD centres built a system on managing people through their internally generated policies such as the admission policy and employment policy. Most ECD centres usually develop their operational systems from internally generated policies and procedures to support functions such as hiring practitioners, contacting parents and using the centre’s resources. These policies function as a system on how things should be done regarding specific actions for specific situations. The participants described their internal policies such as the admission policy, health policy and employment policy:
PeaceT: ‘We have an admission policy and an admission form that parents fill in. It contains the child’s details, parents’ details, child’s immunisation details, and who is going to bring and fetch the child. We also have a “sick” policy – when the child is sick in our centre; we call the parents to come to fetch them.’ (Principal; 32 years old; 4 years of experience in ECD centre)
SmartS: ‘In the admission policy, parents will get to know the rules and regulations of the centre, such as commencing and closing times, due dates for fee payment. In the admission form, the parents fill in their child’s name and date of birth.’ (Principal, 61 years old, from suburban centre, 39 years of experience in ECD centre)
JoyT: ‘From the admission policy, I learnt about the “sick” policy that we must not give a sick child medication from the centre, but we must inform the parent if a child is sick. And when a parent brings medicine, there should be agreement between the practitioner and the parent to give medicine to the child.’ (Practitioner; 42 years old; 4 years of experience in ECD centre)
The data revealed that all the centres have admission policies given to parents after their children are registered at the centre. The admission policy serves to orientate the parents about what to expect from the centre and what is expected from the parents, such as their rights and responsibilities. This policy implies that if both parties (parents and ECD centre) keep to the terms of the admission policy, there is potential for a good relationship that directly impacts the quality of education available for young children. The findings regarding the use of admission policy to build a system of effective management and communication with parents disagree with some researchers such as Atmore
Another system built by the participating ECD centres to display their management ability is the employment policy. It stipulates the terms and conditions of service of the staff at the ECD centres. The participants expressed the following:
PeaceT: ‘We also have an employment policy. Here the dress code is included which we must abide by. Also, our values, we have to be honest, clean and disciplined.’ (Principal; 32 years old; 4 years of experience in ECD centre)
HumbleS: ‘We have a work policy where one of the conditions is that you don’t have to use your phone during classes, and you don’t have to shout at the kids. We, as the staff, should not engage in conflicts because it is not healthy for the kids. Also, the late coming of staff and many other rules are stipulated in this policy.’ (Practitioner; 61 years old; 30 years of experience in ECD centre)
ExcelS: ‘We have many rules here. The first one is about the dress code; the practitioners must not wear clothes that will expose their bodies. Secondly, practitioners must respect parents. Also, language, we must speak politely to the children, to staff and to parents. We are not allowed to use cell phone during school hours.’ (practitioner, 29 years old, 7 years of experience in ECD centre)
Document analysis of admission, health and employment policies.
Policy document or centres | Township centre A | Township centre B | Suburban centre C | Suburban centre D |
---|---|---|---|---|
Admission policy | It contains general information such as the details of parents and children, school hours, documents needed for enrolment, school fees for the different age groups, the due date for school fees payment. | It contains general information such as the details of parents and children, school hours, documents needed for enrolment, school fees for the different age groups, the due date for school fees payment. | It contains general information such as centres A and B but includes a clause like 15% interest added to the outstanding fees. |
It contains general information such as centres A and B but includes if fees are not paid by the 7th of the month; for more than 2 months in a row, 1-day notice will be given to the child, to leave the school. It contains the menu roster. |
Health policy | It provides general information such as that medication will be administered with parental consent; medicines will be labelled with the child’s name on it and kept in the fridge. | It provides general information such as that medication will be administered with parents’ consent; medicine will be labelled with the child’s name and then kept in the fridge. | It provides more information than the general information provided in centres A, B and D. The Tshwane Municipal Clinic visits the school during special health campaigns, dental clinic visits and speech therapy visits. | It provides general information such as that medication will be administered with consent from a parent, and medicines will be labelled with the child’s name and kept in the fridge. |
Employment policy | This is also referred to as staff policy. It does not provide detailed employment information but provides the standard of performance. Practitioners must be honest, no child abuse, no conflict at work, no alcohol at work, no use of phone, always be prepared for the daily programme. | It could not provide employment policy. | It contains general employment details such as salary, leave, job description, performance standard, punctuality, children, other staff members and parents. | It contains general employment details such as salary, leave, job description, performance standard, punctuality, children, other staff members and parents. |
The internal policy documents provided by the participating centres revealed that they operate differently in terms of interpersonal relationships, communication, salaries of personnel, daily activities, nutrition and access to health benefits. These differences are as a result of resources that they possess – especially the management and leadership style. Notably, the principal and practitioners at the centres are the primary resources because their innovative and creative capabilities will enable them to build systems for connecting and accessing support from the external environment.
Management and leadership capacity are critical components for making decisions such as resource allocation, managing people, detecting training needs and communicating with parents and community members.
Financial resources are at the root of achieving any worthwhile goal, including quality ECCE enhancement when properly managed. Hence, I sought to understand how the participating ECD centres receive funds and how such funds are managed and directed towards promoting quality ECCE. The participants responded as follows:
PeaceT: ‘The DSD gives stipends for food and also subsidises our salaries.’ (Principal; 32 years old; 4 years of experience in ECD centre)
KindnessT: ‘Government funding is usually allocated yearly. We usually submit our papers in terms of the Constitution, and they give us money quarterly.’ (Principal; 36 years old; 5 years of experience at ECD centre)
PerseveranceS: ‘Our source of income is through fee payments from the parents, with no financial support from the government.’ (Principal; 46 years old; 9 years of experience at ECD centre)
SmartS: ‘We do not get any form of financial support or assistance from the government.’ (Principal; 61 years old from suburban centre; 39 years of experience in ECD centre)
The findings reveal that the participating township centres receive financial support from the government. The suburban centres do not receive any form of government financial assistance but solely rely on school fees paid by the parents. The funding received from the government by the township ECD centres confirms suggestions that ECD centres should get support from provincial departments.
KindnessT: ‘We have too many financial challenges because parents are not paying on time, so we get paid late, and this causes demotivation. This is a huge problem because we get our salary sometimes on the 7th of the month.’ (Principal; 36 years old; 5 years of experience in ECD centre)
GreatnessT: ‘Sometime[s] parents pay late, and that means I also get my salary late. And this occurs often, which is very demotivating. These are our financial challenges.’ (Practitioner; 30 years old; 6 years of experience at ECD centre)
PeaceT: ‘Some parents pay and some do not pay. We call meeting for non-paying parents. Some do not have good reasons as they just want to use the school, but some have genuine reasons because they are not working so we say bring the child, and when you have the money, you can come and pay.’ (Principal; 32 years old; 4 years of experience in ECD centre)
This finding concurs with Baka
PerseveranceS: ‘Some of the parents struggle to pay fees. I try to persuade them to make payment through phone calls, emails, and if I see them, I talk to them personally to find out why they have not yet paid. I must say most of my parents respond.’ (Principal; 46 years old; 9 years of experience at ECD centre)
SmartS: ‘We put posters by the gate saying it’s the week for paying school fees. We use newsletters at the end of the month reminding them. We also send WhatsApp messages. Sometimes I stand at the gate with a list showing who has not paid, so we can communicate with the parents, as communication is critical. Mostly I handle this aspect, and it has been very successful. We don’t have many non-paying parents.’ (Principal; 61 years old from suburban centre; 39 years of experience in ECD centre)
The data revealed that the parents in township centres are lenient to prompt fee payment. Centres also do not have strict measures to ensure prompt payment as stated by PeaceT (‘bring the child, and when you have the money, you can come and pay’). This signifies that no specific policy was communicated to the parents regarding late payment or non-payment of school fees. For example, if a parent fails to pay fees, the ECD centre can refuse further admission of the child. However, this must be in writing, and parents must sign such a document. Although the sympathetic stance by township centres is admirable, it adversely affects the centre’s management, especially salary payments, and it demotivates staff. Hence, an effective system for collecting fees will facilitate prompt payment, which will invariably increase the financial resources available to promote quality education.
The existing systems that guide and support participating ECD centres in offering quality education to young children come in existing national policies, internally generated policies and financial, administrative practices. Participants could not fully utilise the available national ECD policies to build practicable systems around them because of their limited knowledge about the existing national policies (especially at township centres). The recommended ECD teacher training workshops provided by government and tertiary institutions will capacitate them with the appropriate knowledge.
The findings reveal that the participating centres built a system to manage and relate to people through their internal policies such as the admission, medical and employment policy. The content of these policies differs from one centre to another. The internal policies of suburban centres include essential information that helps to identify the quality of service available for the children, such as free health examinations for young children, and for parents to get to know the quality of food given to the children as per menus which are included in the admission policy. Township centres’ medical policies do not have such information. Hence, their young children do not enjoy free medical examination, and parents are not informed about the type of food given to their children because no menu was advertised. The differences in the internal policies reveal disparities in service delivery. These differences widen the gap in the provision of education for young children.
The sources of funding in participating centres are mainly school fees and stipends received from the government. The suburban centres charge higher fees, and they ensure that parents pay school fees promptly, whereas the township centres charge minimal fees. However, the township centres are unable to build effective systems that will ensure that parents make prompt payments. Therefore, they are unable to purchase essential resources and pay practitioners’ salaries on time. This delay in payment of practitioners’ salaries demotivates them, cascading into the quality of service delivery to young children. The implications of the study for ECD centres (especially township centres) indicate that more essential management or leadership skills that will enhance them to seek support and build operational systems from their ecological system as recommended by Britto et al.
An effective system is essential at all levels of education, especially at the foundation stage of learning. This study brought to light the existing systems at the very starting stage of education (ECD centre) and the challenges faced in different contexts (township and suburban centre). For young children to enjoy quality education through effective systems at their various early learning centres, it has become urgent for the government to develop effective strategies to make national ECD policies more accessible to ECD practitioners in township centres. The government should encourage uniformity in the contents of the internal policies used at various ECD centres irrespective of the location. Similar internal policies can help improve the provision of equal access of young children to quality ECCE. It is also recommended that practical and continuous training should be made available to the ECD principals regarding building effective management and financial systems. Early childhood development principals both at the township and suburban centres are also encouraged to enrol for short courses on system development in schools. The development and growth of ECD principals’ skills regarding system building will place them in a better position to create structures and systems in their centres to smooth the running of the centre and equally offer quality education for the younger children.
This article was produced with the support of the Teaching and Learning Development Capacity Improvement Programme, a partnership programme between the Department of Higher Education and Training and the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department or the European Union.
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
A.Y.A and K.B. equally contributed to this research article. A.Y.A was the doctoral student, and K.B. was the supervisor and wrote the article from A.Y.A.’s thesis.
Ethical clearance to conduct the study was obtained from the University of Pretoria, Faculty of Education Research Ethics Committee (clearance number: EC 18/11/02).
This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article.
The views and opinions expressed in this research article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any affiliated agency of the authors.