Cotlands
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : i***e@c******s.o*g
Mission Statement
Mission: To create a more equal and prosperous South African society by increasing vulnerable children’s access to play-based early learning opportunities. Cotlands specializes in Early Childhood Development through non-centre based, play-based learning. The first 1000 days of a child’s life are the most crucial in terms of development. It is during these early years that the foundation for all maths, literacy and emotional development are laid. The right nutrition, proper health care, as well as emotional and cognitive experiences during this period have a significant impact on a child’s ability to grow and learn and eventually to break the cycle of poverty once they are adults. Cotlands' services address these first 1000 days: The underlying premise of this service is to take the programme to children in their communities, where due to small numbers or space restrictions, it is not possible to build ECD centres. The early learning programme is offered in community halls, garages, shacks, homesteads, or other temporary structures. This avoids expensive infrastructure costs and ensures that no children are excluded because of where they live.
About This Cause
We have celebrated our 84th birthday as a reputable South African Non-Profit Organisation in August 2020, having won numerous awards for good corporate governance. We seek to find scalable models to ensure more children have access to early learning opportunities through structured early learning playgroups (ELPGs), supported by Cotlands toy libraries and mobile toy libraries. The ELPGs and toy libraries provide access to early learning opportunities for young children, who are currently excluded from early childhood programmes due to services not being available in disadvantaged areas. Early learning opportunities are critical for young children in order to lay a solid foundation which will enable children to be successful at school. The Cotlands play-based education model is a holistic solution that includes access to ECD education, health intervention and monitoring, nutritional intervention and psychosocial intervention and monitoring. Cotlands’ beneficiaries are vulnerable children from marginalized communities, living in extreme poverty, who has no access to ECD. We address key early learning and development gaps and give children the opportunity to not only survive, but thrive into adulthood. The play-based early learning playgroup programmes are divided into playgroups for: Birth to two-year-olds Two- to four-year-olds A nutritious breakfast and snack is provided for each child attending early learning playgroups. To provide an integrated service to our children, a nurse and social worker visit the early learning groups regularly. The nurse conducts routine screenings of children’s general health, measures and weighs the children to check for stunted growth and poor nutrition, screens children for symptoms of illness, including HIV and TB, and checks immunization cards for defaulters. The social worker determines which children do not have access to social grants and helps the family to access grants if they are eligible. This professional also ensures that all orphaned or abandoned children are legally placed with their primary caregivers. Families are helped to enrol children into formal schooling once they turn six. Together with the Early Learning Facilitator, the social worker observes children for signs of neglect or abuse. The nurse and social worker visit the families of any children flagged with possible health or psychosocial concerns at home. Cotlands also have Toy Libraries: Cotlands believes that if every child had access to a toy library that provides high quality play-based early learning opportunities, he/she would have the required foundation to make it through formal schooling, pass matric, gain employment or continue their studies and contribute to the economic development of our country. To make our services more accessible, Cotlands also deploys mobile toy libraries to reach children in remote and under-resourced areas. A mobile toy library is a vehicle equipped with a wide range of educational toys and resources to enhance learning for young children. The mobile toy library visits a number of places during the course of a week. Play sessions are set up under gazebos to create opportunities for children to interact with the books and equipment. A toy library is a high impact, cost effective, non-centre based programme that gives children, their families, early learning facilitators and ECD practitioners’ access to a collection of carefully selected educational play materials, play sessions and training on how to use the toys to encourage development.