In February 2023, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Early Care Foundation launched the Early Childhood Development (ECD) Forum Leadership Pilot Programme. This initiative stemmed from the recognition of the untapped leadership potential within ECD Forums and the transformative impact they could yield. The program garnered participation from 13 ECD forums across Gauteng and unfolded over 18 days, comprising immersive in-person support workshops and tailored one-day site visits to each ECD Forum. Furthermore, participants were afforded the opportunity to apply their newfound knowledge by crafting project proposals, with the prospect of securing funding to actualize their community-driven initiatives. 4 ECD Forums from the 13 were rewarded with funds to realise their projects.
After numerous cycles of review and refinement and incorporating valuable feedback from participants, the course material for the programme has now been finalised and made open-source. Freely accessible to the wider ECD sector to amplify the influence and leadership of ECD Forums, thereby catalysing meaningful progress within the sector.
The ECD Forum Leadership Course Modules:
Module 1: Understanding Community Development
Module 2: Establishing a Local Forum
Module 3: Community Stakeholder Relationships to Support Local Forums Barriers to effective ECD delivery
Module 4: Resource and Sustain a Local Forum
The link to the course material is below:
ECD Forum Leadership Programme video
