By Nikki Florence, SABC Education, Head of Outreach Unit

South Africa’s future depends on a thriving early childhood development culture and system and a nation-building programme that is helping in this crucial area is the Absa and Sowetan Early Childhood Development (ECD) Awards. The awards are sponsored and run in association with SABC Education, the national Education Department, South African Congress for Early Childhood Development and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund and the Aggrey Klaaste Nation Building Foundation.

The programme encourages the professional development of ECD practitioners and the infrastructure development, improvement and support of ECD centres and ECD resources and training organisations. It also focuses on the development of infrastructure, improvement and support of ECD centres, resources and further training of ECD organisations.They include caregivers, teachers and managers of ECD centres, crèches and kindergartens – as well as the tutors and organisations that nurture the teaching staff. The awards given are for best resource and training organisations, home-based centres or play groups, practitioners and community based centres, and innovative ECD programmes.

Hundreds of nominations have been submitted. Site visits and short-listings are taking place this month. Provincial award ceremonies - to select national finalists – are being held throughout November. The finalists will be announced in Pretoria, Gauteng on December 3, 2009.