CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES OP-ED
Investment in Early Childhood Development ensures a solid foundation for our young children and harnesses the potential of a women-led care economy.
Despite the increasing recognition of the importance of Early Childhood Development (ECD), financing for the sector continues to be a drop in the ocean of what we need to reap the rewards of a women-led, adequately funded and high quality ECD sector.
The 2022/23 Budget and Division of Revenue Bill (the Bill) — which determines how the government’s revenue will be allocated to the national, provincial and local spheres of government — shows that the national budget for ECD has not increased and, in real terms, decreases due to inflation.
Laura Brooks is an economist at Ilifa Labantwana, Kayin Scholtz is the ECD Resource Hub Manager at the DG Murray Trust and Zoe Postman is the Head of Communications at the Equality Collective. These organisations form part of the Steering Committee of the Real Reform for ECD Campaign under which this article is published.