EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT CENTRE

The Valleys and Mountains Development Foundation was founded in 2008 in response to needs identified in the community. In 2007 a group of women from the Happy Valley community brought it to our attention that an unbelievable number of preschool children in their community were neglected on account of the socio-economic and psycho-social situation.

The Lammeroes-Project Early Childhood Development Centre opened its doors in February 2008 with the assistance of a young registered counsellor for community mental health.

Why Lammeroes? All livestock farmers know that the annual “crop” of new lambs is the crucial factor regarding the sustainability of their farming operation. If the lambs do not get the full treatment and care they require to grow up as strong, healthy sheep, the farmer will soon be out of business. If a lamb gets neglected, it can never grow up to be a productive sheep; no care at a later stage can compensate or rectify the damage caused by the lack of attention to life important needs right at the beginning.

The V&M Foundation has an all-encompassing curriculum to develop each child in our care holistically: on the physical, emotional, intellectual, social and moral levels.

Currently 166 children between the ages of two-and-a-half and five years old are developed. The low level of literacy within the community complicates the problem as many of these children do not receive the support that is needed at home. The majority are from single-parent (mainly mothers or grandmothers) families.

The number of preschool children in the community outnumber the available facilities by far!  We could have had more than double the number of children if only we had the premises and educational facilities.

The school is housed in the original Happy Valley Primary School building which belongs to the Anglican Church. The building was very dilapidated when we moved in, but through the generosity of various kind hearts, we were able to do renovations to the building and add a 9m x 9m lean-to as a sheltered playground, a mezzanine where children can play and read as well as a fully fitted kitchen. Thanks to a later generous donation another building with all the necessary facilities could be built on the Church grounds.

 In the Class-room:

The interior of the classrooms is decorated and arranged to enhance the learning experience.

The children are taught by six ECD practitioners together with four ECD assistants; all from the local community receiving continuous development whilst working. THIS is what one calls empowerment! 

Furthermore, the Lammeroes-Projek creates the space whereby parents can be supported and giving parents the opportunities to develop and empower themselves through continuous programmes such as the WordWorks Programme and the Effective Parenting Course.
 
Successful completion of these programmes mean that the parent can graduate with their child! Through the development of the children at the ECD centre and the parenting programmes the family is directly and positively impacted which nurtures a home environment for each child that is conducive to healthy and wholesome growth.