Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) are vital indicators to healthy living and safe environments for child development. The aim of the study was to determine WASH status and practices in ECD centres located in low socio-economic areas of Nelson Mandela Bay during 2017. This cross-sectional study elicited responses from 46 ECD centres which had a total of 3,254 children and 172 caregivers. A structured questionnaire and visual observation were used. Using core WASH in schools' indicators (WinS) showed that despite improved water sources being available in 91% of the facilities, WinS for hygiene was poor. The study observed that 57% of the respondents had improved toilets accommodating both genders. In 29% of ECD centres, 6–10 children make use of a ‘pottie’ while in 9% of the cases, more than 20 children make use of one ‘pottie’. The use of the bucket system was noted in 22% of the ECD centres. In 79% of the ECD centres, children wash their hands in a communal plastic bowl. Only 11% of the study population washed hands hygienically under a running tap or tippy tap. WASH conditions in the ECD centres in the study area require urgent attention and further investigation for practical solutions.
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To explore and describe caregivers' handwashing knowledge and practices in the context of underprivileged urban communities. Design: A qualitative descriptive and exploratory study was conducted during August and September 2017, through five focusgroup discussions, with caregivers of children younger than five years attending ECD centres. Setting: Early childhood development (ECD) centres in various underprivileged communities in Ibhayi and Motherwell, Nelson Mandela Bay. Subjects: Thirty-five adults, aged between 24 and 60 years, functioning as primary or secondary caregivers to 105 children, participated.Results: Three themes emerged, of which the first entailed the knowledge of handwashing and compliance with water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) recommendations. Practical challenges that may prevent compliance with recommendations were highlighted. Handwashing as a social norm emerged as the second theme, and reflection on strategies at primary health care level to increase awareness regarding handwashing in communities was the third theme.
Conclusion and recommendations:Current handwashing counselling at primary health care sites may not be perceived as relevant in underprivileged communities. However, with adequate support ECD practitioners have influence to change the handwashing behaviour and knowledge of pre-school children and families. Furthermore, communication and dissemination of handwashing messages should be clear, practical and relevant to address inappropriateness of current poster images and should include suggestions on what to do when experiencing infrastructure challenges and in times of water restrictions. Health-promotion strategies should focus on optimising handwashing practices while caring for pre-school children.
Provision of early childhood development (ECD) stimulation and adequate nutrition should be a priority for social workers who monitor ECD programmes. The objective of this study was to assess and describe ECD indicators in the context of the nutritional status of preschool children in an underprivileged community of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. A descriptive, cross-sectional study design was selected using a quantitative approach. The study population consisted of children older than 60 months, and in Grade R classes. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to determine associations between the nutritional status and ECD indicators. Children in the sample (n = 105) had a mean height-for-age z-score (HAZ) of −0.68 (SD = 0.91), with 11 children of the sample classified as stunted or short for their age. The assessments of the ECD indicators revealed that 30 per cent of the participants’ ability levels in the domains of social-emotional development, physical-motor development and cognitive development did not meet age-appropriate requirements. Stunted children performed worse across all domains, particularly in terms of physical-motor development being significantly (p < 0.05) poorer than children with normal height for their age.
Early Childhood Development (ECD) has become a priority area of social work, in both developed and developing countries. In this article, the term ECD supervisors refers to the social workers working with ECD centres in the capacity of supervisor. These social workers can provide valuable insight into the unique management tasks and associated professional development areas uniquely required when working in the ECD sector. The goal of this conceptual article is to identify these professional development areas of management tasks required from social workers who supervise ECD centres. Ultimately, these management tasks are synthesised into three categories, namely tasks which require technical, relational and administrative skills respectively. This is an attempt to preserve the institutional memory of South African social workers, given the current shift of ECD governance functions from the Department of Social Development to the Department of Basic Education.
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