Research 

In J. Georgeson & J. Payler (Eds.), International perspectives in early care and education (pp. 93-102). London: Open University Press. 

This chapter focuses on practitioners involved in early childhood care and education, in particular, those involved in innovative family- and community-based models being developed in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and Free State in South Africa. These models provide alternatives to centre-based provision in contexts where primary caregivers are living in poor socioeconomic conditions. The practitioners, known as community development practitioners and family facilitators, are responsible for implementing comprehensive programmes for vulnerable children and their families in homes and communities. For this demanding work, practitioners receive basic training and irregular stipends. The adoptions of alternative models to centre-based provision and the inclusion of the new practitioners in the early childhood workforce pose challenges regarding qualification, career path, community involvement, and issues of quality.