A shaky head start during preschool years could be subjecting poor children to academic difficulties during their formal schooling, a new SA study suggests.
Research by the University of the Western Cape found not only do these children lack parental guidance at home, but shortcomings by early childhood development (ECD) centres spell trouble for their developing minds.
The research — which investigated parent involvement among preschoolers across 20 ECD centres in Philippi, Cape Town — found that preschool children from this community lacked stimulation. Most did not have toys to help build their vocabulary, reading and numerical skills. But the unwillingness of caregivers to get involved with their children’s activities is more likely to set them up for failure.
Fewer than half of the caregivers frequently encouraged their children to imitate daily activities such as preparing food or cleaning the house.
More than half the children were never told or read stories by their caregivers or someone else in the house, which may compromise the emergent literacy of the children. Researchers noted that the low frequency of reading at home could be related to the low educational attainment of the caregivers. Other factors may also be at play, such as low energy levels among caregivers juggling work and family.
About 90% of caregivers didn’t have matric, which had negative implications for children’s development.
“Children raised by educated caregivers are more likely to receive better educational opportunities. This is partly because educated parents are more likely to initiate the education process during the preschool years and continue throughout schooling,” wrote researchers Dr Amiena Bayat and Siphe Madyibi in the SA Journal of Childhood Education.
“Children raised by educated caregivers also have a higher probability of performing well academically.”
More than half (52.5%) of the children did not live in the same household as their fathers, while 47.5% lived with both their parents, who were either married or cohabitating. More than half the parents were unemployed and dependent on social grants. Only 42% of caregivers were economically active, and the majority were receiving some form of social grant.
Researchers said not only were female-headed households more susceptible to poverty as women are generally paid less than men, but the absence of fathers is likely to have unfavourable effects on children who grow up without their primary male role model. Children with mothers and fathers at home are likely have greater social capital and more opportunities to learn and develop their full potential.
Parents admitted to not creating enough time to play with their children, with some citing exhaustion from managing work and family as the main reason. A high proportion of the children received answers when they asked about the names and functions of objects, and all the caregivers reported frequently engaging in conversation with the children.
Singing with children was also relatively frequent, but researchers attributed this encouragement to siblings who often sang with the preschoolers rather than the caregivers. Researchers said the low frequency of reading and telling stories in households was most concerning. Many parents didn’t attend parents’ meetings because they either were not aware, crèche meetings clashed with personal schedules such as church choir meetings, they simply forgot or were too tired.
ECDs were also found wanting.
The principals were asked how many meetings were called each year to get parents involved in their children’s learning and development. About 15% of ECD principals did not attempt to involve parents in their children’s early learning, citing it was early in the year to get parents involved or they had just started out at their facility and would involve parents later.
While some principals said they included parents through WhatsApp groups, voluntary feedback when parents fetched their children, through home activities and parent meetings, others expressed frustration about the process of involving parents as some of them regarded ECD centres as babysitting facilities rather than education facilities.
“For instance, we tell the children that before coming to school in the morning they should ask what day and date it is from their parents, then give feedback in class. If they do that, tell the children the day and date, it becomes easier for us. When you ask the children to give feedback in class, you realise that the parents are not helping us to do our job. They divert all the teaching and learning responsibility to us,” said one ECD practitioner.
“We call the parents each quarter, sit down with them, show the child’s portfolios to see the child’s progress. You know there is that thing where you ask the parent to collaborate with you, to work together, but the parents do not do that,” said another.
Researchers said the gaps, such as the lack of educational toys to help learn basics such as colours, sizes and numbers, were some of the hindrances to education.
“Lacking educational toys at home does not mean the children would not learn these concepts, but studies suggest such a lack negatively affects their probabilities of success. Studies showed children who access learning materials at home achieve higher scores in mathematical problem-solving and reading.”
The lack of educational toys at home for children in this sample could negatively affect their later cognitive development.
Researchers said preparing preschool teachers to design and teach lessons that place learning at the centre “will serve them and their learners well, no matter the circumstances of the schools where they teach or how the context may change”.
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