ABOUT US

 Early Education training through the Play-with-a-Purpose ECD mentorship and teacher training programme. This programme has been internationally published, researched and reviewed. It incorporates:

• Leadership and Management training for the principal
• Budgeting, accounts and finances
• Time Management
• Human resource management (job descriptions etc)
• Policies and procedures for the ECD Centre
• Relational leadership, code of conduct and disciplinary procedures
• Statutory registration guidance
• Classroom Management

Ensuring the implementation of developmentally appropriate skills learning.

• Stimulating literacy, numeracy, problem solving, life skills, social and emotional skills through play
• Creativity in the classroom
• Full Nursery-School in a Box – educational equipment for all learning areas
• A book library called ‘Literacy in a Box’ with sufficient books for teachers to encourage literacy and a love of books.
• A full registration pack for statutory registrations required by the ECD centre. We guide the centre and empower them to become registered.

Nutrition

• Training on nutrition, menu planning and practical cooking training – for cooks and principals

Parent training and engagement

• Using the Nursery-School in a Box as a Toy Library to empower parents
• Nutrition training
• Developmental principles for under 6’s
• Financial literacy
• Implementing a book library in the ECD centre for the children and parents
• Early years training for the first 1000 days of a baby

Health support

• Knowledge of local health services
• Training on use of the Peek Acuity application for basic vision testing
• Training on use of HearZA for basic hearing testing

Play with a Purpose Educational Trust is trading as Preschools 4 Africa.  Preschools 4 Africa has its roots in the Play-with-a-Purpose educational programme which was founded in 1991. Registered as an Educational Trust in 2002. The Play with a Purpose Trust is a South African non-profit organisation that has had over 25 years of Community Development and Early Childhood Development experience. We currently mentor over 70 preschools with another 500 preschools that have benefited from our training throughout South Africa and Zambia as well in the United Kingdom, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Australia, Ghana, Malaysia, Singapore, Nigeria, United States and Botswana.

Preschools 4 Africa aims to assist young children in their quest to obtain quality and relevant early childhood education in order to ensure that they are in a position to ultimately be gainfully employed and become global citizens. Research indicates that a child that does not receive the correct education in the first five years has a 70% chance of being arrested for a violent crime and has less than a 30% chance of entering tertiary education. We aim to be part of the change in uplifting education in the fight against crime.

The effectiveness of the Play-with-a-Purpose programme implemented through Preschools 4 Africa has been published as a research article in the International Journal of Child and Youth Care: CYC-Net, through Monash University, South Africa.

Preschools 4 Africa is a much consulted expert in the field of Early Childhood Development having been featured as Play-with-a-Purpose on the following: ETV; Morning Live; Pasella; Kaelo; Let’s Fix It; the After Dark with Eric show on SA FM; SMILE FM and on ETV’s Great Expectations – How to find the Perfect Preschool, and others.

Our founder, Robyn Wienand is recognised as an expert on toys and games for educational development and has been on the professional panel of judges for the SA Toy Association. She was runner up for TLC Africa Woman of the Year in 2012. Robyn is the Co-chair and Civil Society Representative on Government National Intersectoral Early Childhood Development Forum representing the Association of Christian Schools International and Preschools 4 Africa. Robyn was awarded the Paul Harris Fellow award in 2017, this honour was also given to Nelson Mandela and Mother Theresa to name a few. In 2018 Robyn was selected onto the Advisory Board for Africa’s EduWeek with an aim of Advancing Education in Africa.