Empowerment through Preschool Educare, of Children, of Teachers and of Parents.

There is a pressing need to empower the individuals of dispossessed communities in South Africa to take charge of their own destinies, especially in the area of early childhood education and care (educare). Current educare projects are often completely or partially controlled by organizations or people outside of the community. A prime task of organizations in the educare field must be the transfer of information and knowledge to communities so that they can take charge of preschool educare provision. Specifically, the Grassroots Educare Trust responds to community requests for assistance in the establishment and management of community-controlled preschool educare projects. Preschool educare provides an important site for the empowerment of: (1) young children, through a progressive curriculum in which they take the initiative for their own learning; (2) educare teachers, providing them with the tools they need to build careers on the job; and (3) parent committees, providing them with information and knowledge so they can establish and administer their own projects. (MDM)