Three years after the shift: Gains and gaps in South Africa’s Early Childhood Development (ECD) system

By Nyaradzo Mutanha, MERL specialist at Breadline Africa

Three years after ECD formally shifted from the Department of Social Development to the Department of Basic Education on 1 April 2022, South Africa presents a mixed picture of meaningful progress alongside persistent structural challenges. The migration, first announced in 2019, aimed to reposition early learning as the foundation of the education system, strengthen governance, expand equitable access and improve developmental outcomes before children enter formal schooling.

There have been measurable gains. National mapping indicates more than 42,000 early learning programmes now serve approximately 1.6 million children, reflecting the scale and growing visibility of the sector. Participation in early learning has expanded compared with previous decades, signaling stronger policy recognition and system coordination. These shifts matter because early childhood is widely recognised as the period with the greatest return on investment for learning, health and long-term productivity.

Yet the same data reveals deep and unresolved weaknesses. According to the Thrive by Five Index, only 42 percent of children aged four to five are developmentally on track in key domains required for school readiness. This means that more than half of young children begin formal schooling already behind. Access, while improving, therefore does not automatically translate into developmental success.

Inequality remains a defining feature of the system. Only 40 percent of early learning programmes are fully or conditionally registered, limiting access to subsidies, infrastructure support and quality assurance. Children in poorer communities are consequently the least likely to experience high-quality early learning, reinforcing disadvantages before Grade 1.

Learning outcomes later in schooling underscore the depth of the crisis. The PIRLS study shows that 81% of South African children cannot read for meaning in any language, by age ten, a statistic closely linked to weak early language exposure and inadequate foundational learning in the early years. These patterns suggest that government? reform alone cannot shift developmental trajectories without simultaneous investment in quality, workforce support, nutrition, and safe infrastructure.

The central lesson is clear: South Africa has advanced in recognition, participation and system visibility, but far less in developmental outcomes and equity. The country is moving beyond neglect yet but has not reached transformation.

The next phase of reform must therefore focus not only on getting children into programmes, but on ensuring they leave ECD literate, confident, and developmentally on track to succeed. Without this shift from access to real success, the promise of migration will remain only partially fulfilled.

For more information on our work, please visit our website https://breadlineafrica.org/