Early Learning Resource Unit (ELRU)

In all of its work, the building of parent and community support for ECD is a key strategy. In this sense, ELRU's focus is on developing a holistic approach that incorporates the entire context in which children grow, learn, and develop.

ELRU carries out its facilitative and information-sharing work in ECD by:

• providing training programmes for those working in ECD
• carrying out research and sharing their findings
• publishing anti-bias material
• providing website access to their events, publications, and programmes
• arranging community-building events that raise awareness about children's rights
• building on existing and developing knowledge and skills
• promoting and providing access to knowledge and skills
• affirming and harnessing the potential of diversity, and
• supporting those involved with young children.

ELRU offers courses adapted to a range of contexts in South Africa. Some are geared toward skilled and experienced staff who support practitioners, such as teacher trainers. The ELRU team also offers training for people working directly with children, including trainers, parents and parent educators, curriculum developers, health workers and community development workers, community motivators, pre-school educators of different backgrounds, and child minders. In-service training is provided in pre-school centres, crèches, playgroups, and home-based facilities, but ELRU has also developed strategies for local and long-distance training. ELRU designs and runs accredited training programmes within the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) of South Africa for those working in the ECD field. ELRU offers diversity training designed to assist other organisations in setting up training programmes by providing information and consultation and by responding to specific requests for workshops and training.

ELRU's research and publishing activities incorporate:

• guides for trainers and teachers
• anti-bias and second language issues
• basic health and nutrition programmes
• surveys and policy options
• materials for children, such as multilingual books and games sensitive to the context of southern Africa

Education, Children, Rights, Early Childhood Development.

ELRU works with people in communities throughout southern Africa to promote the realisation of human potential. The organisation believes that early childhood is a critical period in education and that children should be given the best opportunities possible.

ELRU has been working in early childhood development since 1978. ELRU organisers claim: "We have pioneered many strategies for reaching marginalised children and those working with them, and have through changing times retained our position at the cutting edge of training and development in our sector. We have also retained our ability to design creative, cross-cutting initiatives for thickening the fragile and patchy fabric of provision to our country's young and vulnerable children. Our successful work in anti-bias, in training community-based family support workers and our sustainability training for children's projects bear witness to the latter."

According to the organisers, "ELRU has had an incalculable influence on pre-school education and care in South Africa. Virtually all para-professional training is either based upon ELRU materials and methods or is heavily influenced by them."