We had the pleasure of hosting The Reach Trust at Umncedi. The visit was an inspiring step forward in exploring how our strengths can complement each other to impact early childhood development meaningfully.
The Reach Trust brings powerful tools and resources to the table, while Umncedi offers deep-rooted connections within ECD networks. At the heart of our conversation was collaboration, how we can combine efforts to reach more children with quality early stimulation.
The Reach Trust presented “Finding Thabo”, an innovative, play-based approach designed for children aged 3 to 6, with special emphasis on the Grade RR year. This resource is tailored to support ECD practitioners, even those with little or no formal training in delivering high-quality stimulation in low-resource environments.
Finding Thabo is most effective when used both at home and in the preschool space, creating continuity between the child’s two learning environments. In the classroom, teachers receive specially prepared daily activities that build on one another through a scaffolding approach. Each picture lasts for one month (four weeks), with practitioners receiving daily messages (five times a week). Each message includes a minimum of five unique activities, resulting in over 100 brain-stimulating activities per month.
We’re excited about the possibilities that lie ahead and look forward to what this partnership could mean for the future of early learning in South Africa. To find out more about Finding Thabo please click here
