“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela. Help us help Early Childhood Development Centres around Western Cape change the world around us…

The Learning Initiative is a non-profit organisation striving to support those experiencing learning barriers by providing professional services to disadvantaged communities.

James J. Heckman said, “As a society, we cannot afford to postpone investing in children until they become adults, nor can we wait until they reach school age – a time when it may be too late to intervene. The best evidence supports the policy prescription: invest in the very young and improve basic learning and socialisation skills.”, with this is mind the Blocks4Growth Stimulation Programme was established by the Learning Initiative. The programme was developed to promote holistic growth within 4-5 year old children to better prepare them for formal schooling. The programme has three target areas namely the children, their teachers and their parents.

WHY FOCUS ON EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT?

The early years of a child’s life, form the building blocks of a child’s emotional, social, physical and cognitive development. Considering this, it’s quite obvious that you can never have a greater impression on a person than when they are in their early childhood years.

Early childhood professionals are trained in identifying areas where support is needed for each child and building programs and activities around these. The approach taken to build a strong foundation for a child’s emotional, social, physical and mental development, will prepare them for a lifetime and have a direct effect on their overall development and on the type of person they will become. That is why understanding the need to invest in very young children is so important, so as to maximize their future well-being.

“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” - John Dewey.

Support a life by investing in education and early intervention by donating and helping us help more children.