Friends to see, games to play, fun to be had, and learning to share in this happy environment.
The value of early childhood development is well recognised for the social and educational development of children. The provision of crèches is also critical for the upliftment of households, by enabling mothers to obtain employment, while their young children are safely cared for. In rural areas where unemployment rates are high, it is particularly relevant and the demand for pre-school facilities is great. Happy Homes Preschool was started by a member of the Justica community in 2001, with 28 children. The crèche, close to &Beyond Kirkmans Kamp, consisted of a corrugated iron shack sheltered under a Marula Tree, this set up was used as both a classroom, and the founder and headmistress’s desk.
Through the generosity of Africa Foundation donors, the first two brick and mortar classrooms were constructed in 2003. Since then the school has continued to develop in terms of its resources, and also its popularity. Continued support has enabled the addition of an extra two classrooms, a kitchen, playground equipment, a water borehole and most recently, ten environmentally-friendly Enviro Loos.
An infant programme extended the services offered by the crèche in 2014, to further support parents of very young children, needing to go out to seek employment.
Today the school has an enrolment of over 180 children aged between 0 – 6 years, cared for by 20 members of staff.
years