500 parents, caregivers at pre-schoolers' graduation

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - A graduation ceremony was held for children from eight SmartStart pre-schools in Mossel Bay this month.

SmartStart South Africa is a national organisation which gives people the opportunity to start their own pre-schools. This includes providing leadership, training and support for them.

The organisation also raises awareness of the importance of children starting to learn at an early stage and it encourages parents to send their children to pre-schools.

Mossel Bay SmartStart co-ordinator Anne-Marie Saffi says: "We had our first annual graduation ceremony in Mossel Bay. The theme was, It's celebration time!

Saffi said: "Our main objective was to celebrate with all our SmartStart children who completed the year as well as the parents and caregivers.

"We also made use of the opportunity to engage parents by telling them about the importance of early learning and the benefits thereof. The event was a great success, with more than 500 parents attending."

SmartStart in Mossel Bay is endorsed by Societas for ECD Mossel Bay, which is a Christian organisation with the goal of promoting early childhood development.

It operates under a registered NPO, Societas for ECD Cape.

The chairman of Societas for ECD Mossel Bay, ds Robert Knobel of the NG Church, Mossel Bay South, says: "We have a small committee with members from four different church congregations from three different denominations.

"We invite other church fellowships of any denomination to take hands with us to work for the furtherance of early childhood development in Mossel Bay.

"We have been working with the SmartStart model since 2016. Our chief task is to support Anne-Marie, who is a member of our committee."

Societas for ECD Mossel Bay, in collaboration with the Louis57 Foundation, also makes a significant contribution to nutrition for children in SmartStart pre-schools in Mossel Bay.

Knobel said: "We are extremely proud of Anne-Marie." She won the SmartStart national Coach of the Year Award in 2019.