Cotlands and Jidmac launch pioneering model to bring SA’s Bana Pele vision to life

As the world marked International Day of Play yesterday and celebrated the vital role of play in every child’s development, Cotlands, a leading early childhood development (ECD) non-profit organisation and Jidmac, a property development and rental management company, announced the launch of an innovative Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Hub in Princess, Roodepoort (primarily known for the Princess Informal Settlement).

The new hub model is a transformative approach designed to accelerate access to quality early learning opportunities for vulnerable children while bringing South Africa’s Bana Pele Shared Blueprint to life.

The Bana Pele Blueprint, led by the Department of Basic Education and partners across government, civil society, philanthropy and business, calls for a shift from fragmented ECD programmes to connected ecosystems that place children at the centre and ensure universal access to quality early learning by 2030, ensuring every child can thrive by five.

Ian Coetzee, chief executive officer of Jidmac, says, “Jidmac provides affordable, income-based accommodation, creating secure, well-managed residential environments for families who would otherwise not have access to quality housing. In our commitment to community impact, Jidmac has developed the ‘Jidmac Upliftment Centre’, a managed, safe facility that accommodates organisations such as the Cotlands ECCE hub, thereby extending its reach to enable trained professionals to support and uplift underprivileged children through structured programmes. Shaping a ‘New Tomorrow Today’ -one child at a time.”

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For nearly 90 years, Cotlands has worked alongside vulnerable children and communities.

Building on decades of experience in play-based early learning, toy libraries and accredited practitioner training and community-based programmes, the organisation is now creating integrated ECCE Hubs that strengthen every part of a child’s network of care.

“Our ECCE hubs are more than early learning centres – they are eco-systems of care. The Bana Pele Blueprint challenges us to think beyond individual programmes and create connected ecosystems that support children, families, practitioners and communities. Through our ECCE hubs we are turning that vision into action,” said Dr Monica Stach, chief executive officer of Cotlands.

The Bana Pele Blueprint highlights the importance of these mixed modality approaches.

As South Africa works towards the Department of Basic Education’s goal of universal access to quality early learning by 2030, both organisations believe that strong partnerships will be essential to achieve sustainable impact at scale.  

Cotlands plans to establish more of these hubs across the country.

This demonstration site can inform future expansion in other provinces to contribute towards a national effort to improve access, quality and school readiness outcomes for the million children that don’t have access.

“On International Day of Play, we are reminded that play is not a luxury – it is a fundamental right and one of the most powerful ways children learn, develop and thrive. Through our ECCE Hubs, we are creating play spaces for an ecosystem of care that supports parents, caregivers and practitioners to ensure every child has the opportunity to ignite their full potential through play,” concluded Dr Stach.