Practitioners/Teachers 

In Richter, L., et al. (2012). Diagnostic review of early childhood development. Pretoria: Department of Performance, Monitoring and Evaluation & Inter-Departmental Steering Committee on Early Childhood Development 

Main points discussed in this paper include: There is an undersupply of safe and affordable childcare, full day or after-school care, for those families who need it. This includes working or work-seeking parents, parents in full time education, parents of children with disabilities and those children whose families cannot care for them without assistance. While about 56 percent of 3-and 4-year-olds have access to out-of-home care, only 18 percent of children under 3 years and fewer than 1 percent of children with disabilities; Childcare is often custodial and does not always include opportunities for learning; Service quality is strongly related to fees paid, and poor children tend to have lower quality care which does not necessarily promote their development; There is no mechanism for regulating or supporting childminding for fewer than six children in home care, even though this is a common and appropriate form of care for very young children; Employer support and trade union demand for childcare is only now emerging; There are no legislative requirements or incentives for employers to provide child care facilities or support; The Public Service Draft Policy on Childcare is a welcome development. 

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