City’s Early Childhood Development indaba empowers ECD operators to become compliant
10 November 2025
The City of Cape Town hosted its second Early Childhood Development (ECD) Indaba at the Civic Centre yesterday, 8 November 2025, bringing together over 300 ECD operators and key government representatives. The indaba allowed for direct communication between the operators and relevant City departments and education stakeholders in order for them to better understand the steps involved in becoming fully compliant and operating safely. Read more below:
Under the theme “Pathways to Compliance, the City of Cape Town, through its Spatial Planning and Environment (SPE) Directorate and the Community Services and Health Directorates in collaboration with the National Department of Basic Education yesterday provided a collaborative platform where ECD operators could gain a better understanding of the practical steps involved in becoming fully compliant - from land use and building approvals to meeting fire safety, health and environmental standards.
‘Today’s Indaba showcased what real partnership looks like. By bringing together every part of the compliance chain - from planning and health to education - we’ve given ECD operators the clarity and confidence they need to move forward. Our focus as the City is to be an enabling regulator, which helps these centres meet the standards that keep children safe, while strengthening the foundation for better learning outcomes in the years ahead,’ said the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews.
‘Since our first Indaba, we’ve listened closely to practitioners about the challenges they face. Their feedback has directly shaped the progress we are reporting today. From simplifying property processes and improving access to information, to taking hands-on support into communities across the city. Our goal is clear: to make compliance a supportive pathway, not a barrier. When ECD operators are empowered to meet safety standards, children are protected, families are supported, and we strengthen the learning foundations of a City of Hope,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services & Health, Councillor Francine Higham.
The City serves as the regulator responsible for ensuring that Early Childhood Development (ECD) facilities operate safely, legally and in accordance with planning, health, and safety requirements. The municipality’s approach to ECD compliance is centred on empowerment rather than enforcement. By simplifying processes and improving coordination across departments, the City is helping operators understand and meet compliance requirements in practical, achievable ways.
The goal is to enable more centres to operate safely and legally, ensuring that every child has access to a quality early learning environment.
The Indaba brought together local, provincial, and national partners, including the National Department of Basic Education, the Children’s Institute, and key City departments, demonstrating a shared responsibility for the quality and safety of early learning.
The aim of this collective effort to encourage compliance is to strengthen the foundation of the ECD sector - because when compliance and quality are improved at this level, the long-term outcomes across the education system improves too.
The Indaba underscored that compliance is not a barrier, but a pathway to better outcomes - safer facilities; improved quality of care and stronger learning foundations. By walking alongside ECD operators and providing access to the right information and support, the City is helping to formalise the sector in a way that uplifts both children and communities.
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
