HED4808
ASSIGNMENT 2 2025
DUE: 17 JULY 2025
SEMESTER 2 2025
,HED4808
ASSIGNMENT 2 2025
DUE: 17 JULY 2025
QUESTION 1:
How do you understand the concept of Early Childhood Development (ECD)? Compare
and contrast the ECD approach in South Africa with that of a European country of your
choice. Support your discussion with relevant examples.
Early Childhood Development (ECD) refers to the physical, cognitive, social and emotional
growth that occurs from birth until about eight years of age. This period is marked by rapid
brain development and the laying of foundational skills for lifelong learning (Vandenbroeck,
Coussée & Bradt, 2010). In South Africa, ECD ranges from both formal Early Childhood
Development and Care (ECDC) centres and longstanding indigenous caregiving practices,
whereas in Sweden, the European country chosen for comparison ECD is delivered almost
entirely through a state-subsidised, universal preschool system (Skolverket, 2021).
South African versus Swedish ECD Approaches
In South Africa, ECD services range from home- and community-based care rooted in
indigenous knowledge where caregivers pass on cultural values through proverbs like “every
mother dances her own child” (Okwany, 2016) to privately run or government-subsidised ECD
centres that follow Western pedagogies (DoE, 1996). The South African Constitution
guarantees all eleven official languages may be used, reflecting the country’s multicultural
ECD landscape, but resource shortages mean many centres struggle to offer quality
programmes (Ilifa Labantwana, 2021). By contrast, Sweden’s Förskola (preschool) system is
universal, free for all children from age one, and underpinned by a child-rights framework.
Swedish preschools emphasise play-based learning, outdoor activity regardless of weather,
and individual support to foster each child’s development, with high staff-to-child ratios funded
through municipal budgets (Skolverket, 2021). Where South African in-service training for
ECD practitioners remains voluntary and uneven, Sweden mandates continuous professional
development for all preschool teachers to maintain consistent quality (Skolverket, 2021).
, As South Africa’s dual approach allows for preservation of indigenous caregiving traditions
alongside formal ECD, it also creates inequalities in access and quality, especially in under-
resourced communities (Ilifa Labantwana, 2021). Sweden’s universal model demonstrates
how state commitment to funding, professional development, and inclusive, play-centred
pedagogy can deliver high-quality ECD across urban and rural settings. South Africa could
draw on Sweden’s example by expanding universal subsidies, strengthening in-service
training requirements, and ensuring that ECD curricula value both cultural heritage and
internationally recognised best practices.
ASSIGNMENT 2 2025
DUE: 17 JULY 2025
SEMESTER 2 2025
,HED4808
ASSIGNMENT 2 2025
DUE: 17 JULY 2025
QUESTION 1:
How do you understand the concept of Early Childhood Development (ECD)? Compare
and contrast the ECD approach in South Africa with that of a European country of your
choice. Support your discussion with relevant examples.
Early Childhood Development (ECD) refers to the physical, cognitive, social and emotional
growth that occurs from birth until about eight years of age. This period is marked by rapid
brain development and the laying of foundational skills for lifelong learning (Vandenbroeck,
Coussée & Bradt, 2010). In South Africa, ECD ranges from both formal Early Childhood
Development and Care (ECDC) centres and longstanding indigenous caregiving practices,
whereas in Sweden, the European country chosen for comparison ECD is delivered almost
entirely through a state-subsidised, universal preschool system (Skolverket, 2021).
South African versus Swedish ECD Approaches
In South Africa, ECD services range from home- and community-based care rooted in
indigenous knowledge where caregivers pass on cultural values through proverbs like “every
mother dances her own child” (Okwany, 2016) to privately run or government-subsidised ECD
centres that follow Western pedagogies (DoE, 1996). The South African Constitution
guarantees all eleven official languages may be used, reflecting the country’s multicultural
ECD landscape, but resource shortages mean many centres struggle to offer quality
programmes (Ilifa Labantwana, 2021). By contrast, Sweden’s Förskola (preschool) system is
universal, free for all children from age one, and underpinned by a child-rights framework.
Swedish preschools emphasise play-based learning, outdoor activity regardless of weather,
and individual support to foster each child’s development, with high staff-to-child ratios funded
through municipal budgets (Skolverket, 2021). Where South African in-service training for
ECD practitioners remains voluntary and uneven, Sweden mandates continuous professional
development for all preschool teachers to maintain consistent quality (Skolverket, 2021).
, As South Africa’s dual approach allows for preservation of indigenous caregiving traditions
alongside formal ECD, it also creates inequalities in access and quality, especially in under-
resourced communities (Ilifa Labantwana, 2021). Sweden’s universal model demonstrates
how state commitment to funding, professional development, and inclusive, play-centred
pedagogy can deliver high-quality ECD across urban and rural settings. South Africa could
draw on Sweden’s example by expanding universal subsidies, strengthening in-service
training requirements, and ensuring that ECD curricula value both cultural heritage and
internationally recognised best practices.
