The Gauteng Department of Social Development has urged parents to check the legitimacy of an Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centre prior to enrolling their children.
This comes after a number of incidents occurred in various ECD centres that were not registered.
In the most recent case in Westdene, Johannesburg, two toddlers died allegedly after consuming rat poison.
Investigations are continuing into the cause of the deaths.
Director for Restorative Services to Children at the Gauteng Department of Social Development, Keba Ntwampe says registration certificates of ECD centres give guidelines about safety, education and nutritional programmes.
Ntwampe says,”When parents plan to admit the children in ECD centres, they need to ask the centre for registration certificates. The registration certificates will come from municipality to say that they meet all the environmental health requirements. The other one will come from the Gauteng Department of Social Development, which will indicate that the programme of ECD is registered with the department.”
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