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GEORGE NEWS - Two George municipal early childhood development centres in Rosedale - Rosedale Educare Centre and Rosedale Nursery - are doing tremendous work in their community, but need help to address certain dire issues like continuous break-ins at their premises.
George Mayor Leon van Wyk recently visited them to acquaint himself with the circumstances at the centres.
Rosedale Educare Centre currently accommodates 20 children, less than half the number of pupils they used to have before the start of the pandemic. The ages range from babies to five-year-olds.
The reduced numbers can mainly be ascribed to parents' financial problems due to Covid-19. Parents do not have steady incomes and therefore payments from parents differ from week to week or month to month.
According to the principal of the centre, Sarah Yazo, they also experienced break-ins. "We receive food from Soul Food, a non-profit organisation, but once the public see that the food is delivered, we have break-ins at the centre," she said.
Van Wyk said this is a sad reality faced by educare centres. "We need to sit with the various departments who are involved with educare centres to make sure that they receive assistance and that all their needs are addressed. We have educare centres within our municipal area that are doing tremendous work," said Van Wyk.
"I am so glad to see the good use of containers at these schools here in Rosedale, with the two educare centres that turned containers into classrooms where children can learn and play safely."
Rosedale Educare play area.
Rosedale Nursery
The Rosedale Nursery educare centre has a hall that provides cover and protection to the pupils during winter and summer.
The hall is also the base from where children and residents in the surrounding community are provided with meals. They feed about 30 people from the community once a day.
They accommodate 70 children at the nursery and cater to children between one and five years old.
This educational centre, like many others in the municipal area, is riddled with challenges. The Rosedale Nursery has been victim to break-ins where their equipment and first-aid kits have been stolen.
They also need paint, varnish, mattresses, mats, toys, tables, toilets and more.
Van Wyk said regardless of the good work being done by these educare centres, they still need additional assistance in various forms in an area where there is a fair amount of poverty. "The municipality needs to play that facilitating role to ensure that assistance is provided to such organisations," he said.
Members of the public who want to assist the early childhood development centres can contact the municipal Community Development section on 044 802 2000.
Mayor Leon van Wyk, Tozama Joni, Karren Kortjie, Nontobeko Gonyela, Sanika Richanberg, Billy - Jean Bresner Ward Councillor for Ward 14, Cllr Melvin Roelfse and at the back Cllr Sean Snyman at Rosedale Nursery.
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