Welcome to our first newsletter update of 2025! Read on to discover how Training and Resources in Early Education (TREE) is continuing its mission of enabling ECD and unlocking the future.
🎓 289 New Reasons to Celebrate
February marked a proud moment for TREE as we celebrated the graduation of 289 newly qualified ECD practitioners.
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Each graduate is now equipped to shape young minds and strengthen South Africa’s early learning landscape.
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These practitioners contribute directly to the 2030 National Development Plan (NDP) by ensuring more children receive quality foundational learning.
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We also applaud three TREE staff members who advanced their careers through this journey.
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A heartfelt thank you to our funders—ACSA, DBSA, Sappi, AEE, Woza Moya, FirstRand, and Domino Foundation—as well as our fee-paying students for making this milestone possible.
🗺️ Shaping the Next Chapter: TREE’s Vision for 2026-2030
Key staff recently came together to map out TREE’s strategic direction for the next five years.
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With four decades of experience behind us, our goal is future-proofing TREE for the next generation.
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Discussions focused on repackaging our services and products to ensure they remain relevant, accessible, and transformative.
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From innovative training models to expanding our reach in underserved communities, this strategy is built on sustainability and adaptability.
🤝 Papa Joep Visits TREE’s Head Office
For the very first time, PAPA Joep from Kindersfonds Mamas visited TREE’s head office to engage with our management team.
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Kindersfonds Mamas is a key supporter of TREE’s non-centre-based programmes, ensuring vulnerable children access early learning, nutrition, and safe play spaces.
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The meeting allowed us to reflect on progress, challenges, and opportunities to expand access and strengthen our impact.
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Nelson Mandela played a key role in the founding of Kindersfonds Mamas, and that legacy of supporting vulnerable children continues today.
🔓 Sivulithuba: Unlocking Doors for the ECD Workforce
Launched in 2024, the Sivulithuba Programme is a capacity-building initiative designed to help NQF Level 4 practitioners transition into tertiary education.
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This six-month intensive programme equips practitioners with the academic readiness and digital literacy needed for higher education.
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Fast forward to 2025: The first cohort of 50 students successfully completed the pilot phase in partnership with Midlands Community College.
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They are now officially enrolled in UNISA’s Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE).
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This game-changing initiative is supported by the Standard Bank Tutuwa Community Foundation and The Oppenheimer Memorial Trust.
👨👧 Rethinking Fatherhood in South Africa
On February 4, 2025, our Director of Programmes, Teressa Ngobese, attended the launch of the State of South Africa’s Fathers 2024 report.
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The report highlighted that only 35.6% of children in South Africa live with their biological fathers, while 40.3% are raised by social fathers like uncles or grandfathers.
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Research shows that a father’s involvement in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life leads to better health, stronger cognitive development, and improved social skills.
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At TREE, we actively advocate for more male engagement in ECD spaces.
Case Study Feature: Our Director, MAMA Ruby, contributed a case study to the SOFSA report detailing TREE’s transformative initiative in Hammarsdale, KwaZulu-Natal. Globally, fewer than 3% of men are involved in teaching in ECD. To challenge this, TREE selected and trained 40 men from low-income communities to achieve their ECD NQF level 4 qualification and become ECD teachers.
🌟 Celebrating Growth & Leadership
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Staff Development: Our team recently took part in two vital refresher workshops: a Nutrition Workshop (focusing on balanced diets and brain development) and a National Curriculum Framework (NCF) Workshop (reinforcing play-based education and holistic child development).
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NGO Whisperer Global Fellowship: A huge congratulations to our Director, Mama Ruby Motaung, for successfully completing the prestigious six-month NGO Whisperer Global Fellowship Programme (Class of 2024).
