Abstract
Early Childhood Development Centres (ECDCs), also called crèches; daycare centres; or kinder gardens, are care centres where children get training, support, and care appropriate for their age and stage of development. These centres cater for children between the ages of 0 to 6 years. It is a requirement that prior to the opening of the ECDC, the owner must have a license or accreditation, and the authority should inspect the facility to assess compliance with all necessary legal and safety requirements. At least they should meet the norms and standards required for health and safety as guided by the municipal bylaws in terms of fire risk management, town planning, environmental health, and social development. This study sought to assess the compliance of ECDCs to Health and Safety regulations in Rand West City, Gauteng. Mixed methods, qualitative and quantitative, were used. Data were obtained from two groups of participants, 12 ECDCs owners and nine government professionals responsible for ECDCs compliance assessment, using a demographic questionnaire to gather statistics regarding the characteristics of the study population, interview guide and checklist. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software was used to analyse participants' demographic data, and a table was used to describe the socio-demographic characteristics of participants. NVivo 12 was used to analyse the data collected during interviews, and themes that emerged during analysis were highlighted.
The results showed that of all 21 participants, ECDCs owners constituted 57.1% and government professionals 42.9%. All ECDCs owners who participated were females, and among government professionals, 66.7% were females, and 33.3% were males. All participants in the two groups were between the ages of 20 and 60, but the majority were between the ages of 31 and 40. In terms of the level of education, all participants were literate. Most ECDCs owners have certificates (66.6%), whereas of government professionals, 55.5% have degrees. The results also show that a greater number of participants from both groups have work experience of above five years. Most professionals work in all types of settlements and few in specific types. With ECDCs owners participating, the majority of their centres are situated in locations (semi-urban areas). In-depth interviews were conducted with all 21 participants, recorded, transcribed then analyzed using NVivo 12 to generate themes. The results indicated that of the ECDCs owners who participated, 75% have relevant licensing, and they
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are registered, though some still have to renew their licences, and 25% are non-compliant. All participants from both groups knew about the health and safety regulations requirements for ECDCs compliance. However, 41.7% of ECDC owners indicated that they were trained on these regulations, and 58.3% were not. The government professionals’ participants explained the requirements to ECDCs owners, and they trained them, either formally or informally, and a checklist was used for physical observation complementing the findings of the interviews. Both groups highlighted the challenges contributing to ECDCs' non-compliance with the said regulations, which are financial, environmental, behavioural, and human resources (on the professionals’ side) factors. Providing relevant support to ECDC owners by government professionals is paramount, and it influences the owners’ commitment and willingness to comply.
Keywords: Early Childhood Development Centres, compliance, regulations, bylaws, requirements, health, safety.