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Happy Festive season to all our sponsors, volunteers, students and staff. This was a very busy year and there is so much to share.
Knysna Education Trust is in their third year of presenting FET accredited Pre-school teacher qualifications. With a strong service provider, Professional Child Care College, KET offers part-time courses to students who work, while simultaneously accessing quality training within the Garden Route. A total of 27 students completed their courses at the end of this academic year.
Fifteen students completed the Basic Child Care Course. Six students graduated on a pass level, receiving on average, marks above 60%. Two students received marks above 75%, which is considered a merit, and six students received a distinction, above 80%, for their overall mark.
This year 12 students completed their Preschool Teacher's Course, which gives them a full NQF Level 4 Preschool Teacher qualification. With this they can register with SACE (South African Council of Educators).
Intensive Intervention Programme 2018 – This was the second year of this program and many positive changes were made . We started off with pre-screening 400 children in February and had 220 children in the Therapy Groups. A total of 24 weeks of Therapy Groups were presented twice a week at 18 different sites. Between all the hard work there was time to share fruit with the children, some tasting strawberries (for the first time) during our theme "Healthy food" and all the children in the groups each received their very own soft toy to cuddle when we discussed "Our feelings". The boys especially loved our theme "Transport". Wonderful books like The Hungry Caterpillar and Handa's surprise was read and discussed weekly and really aroused the children's interest not only in books and stories but also about the world around them. It was difficult for the team to say goodbye to the children in the therapy groups we have come to love them and is sad to see them move on to Grade R.
Our Parenting workshops were all well attended and we were able to upload the CareUp app on 350 parents' phones. In October the parents, teachers and schools who used the app the most was rewarded with certificates. All schools in the program received a certificate for participation. This year 50% of the children in the therapy groups were tested on the ELOM (Early Learning Outcomes Measure) to determine how successful the program and therapy groups were this year.
There are currently almost 300 children on the ACE (Adopt a child's education) programme, and thanks to the loyal support of our kind donors these young children are able to attend preschool where they previously would not have been able to. There is an on-going drive towards increasing these numbers annually. The only way to tackle the alarming national literacy and numeracy statistics is to teach these vital lessons to pre-schoolers. The ACE Programme continues to be a top priority for us.
To further assist with the Literacy and Numeracy development of the young learners we serve, the FONIX literacy and NUMICON mathematics programmes are implemented daily in 75 preschools in our area. These programmes tackle the essential skill of learning to read and count, in a fun and interactive way – Play is after all the best way for children to learn.
We remain humbled by the dedication of our preschool teachers who despite scares resources, trying conditions and a lack of fee paying parents, still strive every day to make the preschool years count, for every child in our community. WE salute them!
Regards from the KET team.
Published 18/12/2018
Obtaining a formal ECD preschool teachers' qualification in Knysna, has been out of reach of most young teachers due to the formidable challenges this brings. Significant obstacles include having to travel to neighbouring towns, and as many of these teachers are the only caregivers at a preschool, this also means taking time away from the Preschool and having to pay a stand in teacher, this has been extremely difficult and very costly.
Recognising this, and on the back of existing training programmes KET sought for many years to be able to offer quality SETA registered NQF ECD training locally.
By putting in place a series of strategic partnerships, and a strong team on the ground, KET launched our first round of formal ECD training in July 2016. The training is run at the KET training centre, which has been upgraded to be a complete resource centre.
The student teachers work through a nationally certified curriculum and have onsite support in the form of the resource centre, training materials, and one on one coaching, translation, and assistance from the KET Education facilitators.
The cost of SETA registered training is another significant factor which inhibits teachers from obtaining formal qualifications. Most of the teachers rely on incomes from their own preschools, which serve a community where most parents cannot afford to pay towards their children's schooling. This leaves these teachers earning very little and affording additional fees for studies is just not possible.
As far as possible, financial assistance is sought by KET through social entrepreneurs, corporate and sponsored bursary funds. We are very proud to welcome on board a new bursary funder, Rotary Club Northampton West.
This grant initiated following a Rotarians visit to Knysna and witnessing first-hand the quality of work being done by The Knysna Education Trust.
With the correct qualifications a young teacher can provide the children in her care with the necessary lessons they need to THRIVE and not just survive. For children to be ready for formal schooling their preschool years are the place essential lessons are learned, without these lessons – children are at risk of not reaching their full potential and falling behind in the later schooling years.
With Support such as these bursaries, KET can lay the foundations for well qualified and competent teachers which will ultimately be able to support children on every level and provide them the essential building blocks they need to thrive and become successful Adults.
We are extremely grateful to all the members and Rotarians from The Rotary Club of Northampton West who were instrumental in seeing this grant realised, and look forward to sharing the success stories of the chosen candidates in the future.
Published: 28/11/2018
An exciting recent addition to the programs run by KET is the Intersive Intervention Program (IIP) for 4-5 year olds. It is a known fact that children at this age have an astounding capacity for learning. Not only are they inquisitive by nature and blessed with a rich imagination, but they also absorb information at a supersonic pace.
Since this is the perfect time to stimulate the building blocks required for formal learning, the program aims to identify children that are at risk of being disadvantaged or not achieving their developmental, cognitive and language milestones. They are included in small-group interventions aimed at stimulating their learning through sensory play, gross and fine motor activities as well as story telling and the use of a persona doll.
The team consists of two Occupational Therapists and three Teachers. We also make use of volunteers and assistants for the translation of the program into the mother tongue of the children.
Published: 04 November 2018
Employment of preschool teachers is projected to grow 17% from 2012 to 2022, which is faster than the average for all occupations. The importance of early childhood education is starting to get its just emphasis. Early Childhood Development is seen as one of the most cost-efficient investments in human capital which leads to a country's sustainable development. Additionally, the population of children ages 3 to 5 is expected to increase, further heightening the demand for qualified preschool teachers.
Knysna Education Trust is in their third year of presenting FET accredit Pre-school teacher Qualifications. With a strong service provider, Professional Child Care College, KET offers part-time courses for students to work while simultaneously accessing quality training within the Garden Route.
We have students showing incredible enthusiasm, passion and dedication in their assignments and practical application.
“The Knysna Education Trust (KET) Training Centre is so far the best opportunity choice I have made. They are very helpful and understanding specific needs for each student. I enjoy being in class because our lecturer Angelina Smith is very clear, helpful and supportive throughout lectures. The KET Training Centre is convenient for me, due to the fact that they are locally situated. I find great value in the training centre, not just to be career driven but it also helps me with my personal life and raising my two children. I feel confident that in the future I could make a difference in someone’s life and be able to teach someone else by becoming the best teacher I can be. All thanks to KET and their personnel.” ~ Student, Nadine van der Walt, May 2018
Article written by Angelina Smith (Education and Training Manager, KET)
Click on these links to view the course content or download an application form.
Published: 29 October 2018
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