Knowing that your child is safe, cared for and learning in a nurturing environment makes all the difference when you head to work each day – especially in rural areas where villages are often far from work centres.
For Du Roi Nursery employees with young children, the on-site Du Roi Creche provides that reassurance, allowing them to focus on their work with peace of mind, knowing their little ones are in good hands. “The creche started in 1990 – under a tree – and moved to the first classroom in 1991. Since then, the creche has prepared hundreds of children for school,” says Anne-Hélène Meyer, general manager.
For the teachers of this creche the goal is excellence and a recent audit by the ClemenGold Foundation’s Teacher Toolbox programme affirmed that they are indeed reaching their goals. Du Roi Nursery Creche has achieved the highest overall STAR Assessment score among 14 early childhood development (ECD) centres around Tzaneen that are participating in the ClemenGold Foundation’s Teacher Toolbox programme, with an impressive score of 83%.
The assessment, conducted using Grow ECD’s assessment tool, evaluates nine key areas of centre management and care, from governance, staffing and infrastructure to health and safety, nutrition, the classroom environment, and teaching and learning.
The creche excelled in several areas, achieving 100% for Nutrition and Food Safety, 93% for its Teaching and Learning Programme, 92% for its Classroom Environment, and 88% for both Infrastructure and Health & Safety. “We want to give children the strongest possible start to their schooling, and we know this depends on all the areas that were evaluated,” says Jackie Eland, Du Roi Creche Administrator.
The Teacher Toolbox programme provides training, mentoring and practical support to strengthen educators’ skills and improve the quality of care and early learning they provide. While the STAR Assessment results are certainly worth celebrating, they also provide a useful benchmark and invaluable online resources for continued improvement.
For more information:
www.clemengoldfoundation.com
www.duroinursery.co.za
https://growecd.org.za/
