Yesterday 25 January 2012, the City of Cape Town’s Council approved the transfer costs for two Early Childhood Development (ECD) sites: one in Rocklands and one in Ocean View.

This decision allows the Social Development and Early Childhood Development Directorate to fast-track the construction of a Centre of Excellence on each of these sites. The land on which the centres will be situated belongs to NGOs which are already involved in early childhood development. The City managed to negotiate a transfer of the land in order to roll out its programme of providing quality community facilities for holistic early childhood development.

“I am very thankful that we now have the permission to go ahead as a Directorate and begin the construction of these Centres of Excellence,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Social Development and Early Childhood Development, Councillor Beverley Cortje-Alcock.

In both instances it was difficult for the organisations to pay the costs related to transfer and they therefore agreed to offer land to the City. Like many other community organisations these NGOs are often hamstrung by lack of financial resources.

Councillor Cortje-Alcock said that she would continue to look for ways to remove the obstacles that prevent delivery of excellence to our communities.

“Early Childhood Development is an important part of our Integrated Development Plan as a Caring City and we are intent on ensuring that we bring quality Centres of Excellence to the communities that need them most,” she said.

Centres of Excellence are pre-school facilities which allow the wider community and other ECD centres access to the facility as well as opportunities for training.

“We intend for these facilities to become the heart of the community when it comes to advancing the cause of the children and the youth,” said Councillor Cortje-Alcock.