Executive Summary

A NATIONAL COMMITMENT TO UNIVERSAL QUALITY EARLY LEARNING

South Africa faces both a challenge and an opportunity. Over one million children still lack access to quality early learning, the foundation they need to thrive in school and life. Yet we have the knowledge, the partners and the commitment to change this.

This Blueprint sets out to answer a single question:

How can we build a sustainable early learning ecosystem that reaches every child, especially those historically excluded, with affordable, quality early learning programmes by 2030?

This question is rooted in the Department of Basic Education’s 2030 Strategy for Early Childhood Development Programmes and was reaffirmed at the first Bana Pele Leadership Summit in March 2025.

The Blueprint presents a practical pathway to align and mobilise everyone involved in early learning, from government, communities and early learning programme (ELP) providers, to families, NGOs and funders, to move at scale, with speed and sustainability, so no child is left behind.

THE EXPONENTIAL CHALLENGE

Chapter 2 outlines the exponential nature of the challenge. South Africa’s early learning system faces persistent constraints including fragmented services, unequal access, limited resources and inconsistent quality. These issues create a growing implementation gap, the difference between children needing access and those actually reached, which will widen with population growth.

Yet within these gaps lies clear opportunities for transformation. As detailed in chapter 3, South Africa has significant assets and capabilities that can be leveraged but only if we shift our collective mindset:

• From scaling what works → To designing networks that work at scale
  What works may not scale and what scales may not work in every context. Pilots often succeed in specific settings but stumble when conditions shift. We must design for scale from the outset, by building networks that can adapt and deliver across diverse contexts.
• From viewing diversity as a challenge → To embracing diversity as the solution
  No single solution can solve a complex, context-dependent problem. Instead of striving for uniformity, we must foster a thriving and unified ecosystem where multiple effective solutions co-exist, adapt and respond to local needs, but all deliver quality early learning.
• From piloting–testing–replicating → To distributing the ability to solve
  Proven solutions do not always travel well. Real transformation comes from enabling those closest to children to lead problem-solving. This means investing in shared systems that support thousands of local actors to design, adapt and deliver.

THE BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SCALING IMPACT

Achieving universal access requires the entire system to work as a coherent whole, valuing collaboration, recognising diversity and always centring on children.

• Who we act for: Children, who need joyful, nurturing, safe and stimulating environments both at home and in ELPs to thrive by five.
• Who we act with: The Networks of Care closest to the child, which include ELP providers, families (parents and caregivers) and ELP partners, as well as the Government Networks of Support comprising national, provincial and local government actors who enable and resource frontline delivery.
• What we can leverage: Community Networks of Support including community organisations, ELP partner and civil society collectives, as well as Community Assets such as local knowledge, talent, physical spaces and data.
• What must enable the system: Robust Shared Resources for Care, which includes the shared narrative, talent development, digital platforms and innovation capacity; and Government Systems for Support, encompassing orchestration capabilities, policy frameworks, government systems and financing mechanisms.

AN AGENDA FOR ACTION

Scaling quality early learning requires a flexible, phased approach. The Blueprint outlines five overlapping stages to guide implementation:

• Prime: Strengthen the ecosystem, policies, government systems and funding foundations. This stage is already underway.
• Engage: Enable ELPs at scale via the shared narrative, knowledge, talent development and technology.
• Support: Nurture ELPs through local collectives, civil society collaboration and community talent.
• Sustain: Respond to emerging needs via nurturing spaces, nearby facilities, data systems and innovation hubs.
• Integrate: Ensure continuous improvement by listening, learning and adapting through system-wide feedback loops.

Alongside initiatives already underway, such as the Bana Pele Mass Registration Drive, the eCARES digital platform, the Thrive by Five Index, a historic R10 billion increase in the ECD Subsidy over the medium term and innovative financing via the ECCE Outcomes Fund, the Blueprint identifies 23 priority actions essential to meeting the 2030 vision (chapter 4). Key priorities include:

• Appointing a dedicated orchestration team to coordinate Blueprint actions.
• Launching the Bana Pele Accelerator Fund to fast-track access expansion.
• Co-creating a shared national narrative through inclusive engagement.
• Rolling out a unified national digital platform for ELP providers.
• Establishing a network to build a new pipeline of ELP providers.
• Building a National Data Observatory to bring together insights from diverse sources.

BUILDING A SHARED NARRATIVE OF CARE

Lasting transformation demands more than policies and systems, it depends on a shared societal belief in the power and importance of early learning. The Blueprint calls for a national narrative, co-created with families, providers, partners and communities, that celebrates children’s potential and embeds early learning into everyday life. Through creative storytelling and engagement, this narrative will ignite a collective sense of responsibility, inspire behaviour change and sustain action.

A CALL TO COLLECTIVE ACTION

Achieving universal quality early learning is a collective mission that requires coordinated action beyond isolated efforts. This Blueprint provides the foundation, but it is your commitment and collaboration that will activate a responsive, inclusive ecosystem. Every actor, whether an ELP provider, parent, partner, policymaker, funder, community leader or creative contributor, has a vital role to play. Now is the time to connect, collaborate and lead with courage and ambition. Together, purposeful, aligned action can build exponential momentum, reaching every child in every community.

The time to act is now, let us accelerate progress, together.