Education and Development

Early Childhood Development

Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve (CWBR) has built a fully equipped pre-school that has facilities for 80 children.

The equipment includes all furniture, fittings, educational equipment and playgrounds. It also operates a nutritional programme and has provision for teachers to receive further teacher skills development for the pre-school educational programme.

The previous school, based in a corrugated iron shack, had no windows, no running water, no kitchen, no toilet facilities and only one door.

During the building of the ECD school, volunteers joined the children at the old site to assist the teachers and educate the children. They also arranged outings to a farm where the children played in a natural learning environment, enabling them to use all five senses.

As part of this project, the children are also taken on day-outings to experience the natural world. They visit local eco-educational centres and natural outdoor areas where they have interactive encounters and learn about animals and nature.

The eco-educational outings are available to Early Childhood Development Centres and Day-Cares, as well as school going children up to the age of twelve.

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