DSD urges ECDs to apply for Relief Fund

The Western Cape Department of Social Development (DSD) is urging Early Childhood Development Centres in economic distress to apply for Government’s  Early Childhood Development Employment Stimulus Relief Fund.

The National Department of Social Development has received R496 million from National Treasury as part of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s COVID-19 relief measures, to assist ECD programmes and services that have been impacted by the COVID pandemic.

Of the R496 million received by National Treasury, R53 million has been earmarked to support ECD programmes and services in the Western Cape.

The Early Childhood Development Employment Stimulus Relief Fund is part of sustaining employment opportunities in the sector in light of the high unemployment rate and job losses caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

ECD operators/owners/managers must apply on behalf of their ECD service, and if successful, would pay the ECD employees. Individual ECD workers cannot apply  to the fund themselves.

Successful applicants can only use the funds to subsidise the cost of employment for workers.

The financial support will amount to a maximum value of R4 470 per staff member. The support varies according to the type of ECD service.

1. A maximum of 4 staff members per ECD centre will be supported.
2. A maximum of one staff member will be supported at non centre-based ECD programmes.

The types of ECD programmes include the following:

 ECD centres

 Playgroups

 Mobile ECD programmes

 Childminders

 Toy libraries

The Western Cape Department of Social Development was the only provincial department that continued to provide a full subsidy to funded ECD facilities programmes throughout the lockdown.

The Department also continued delivering crucial services under the various Disaster Management Act regulations that include, amongst others:

• Registration and re-registration of ECD facilities and programmes;  
• The allowance of ECDs to provide nutrition at funded ECD sites since the beginning of the initial ‘hard-lockdown’ (from the first day of lockdown in March 2020).
• Provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to 4 282 ECD facilities and programmes to date.

The provincial DSD continues to work closely with registered ECD programmes in terms of ensuring that the necessary measures are in place to help protect both ECD practitioners and young children at these respective facilities. The Department has not only established monitoring plans, to ensure that ECDs are adhering to COVID-19 health and safety protocols but continues to provide additional assistance such as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

For more information on the Early Childhood Development Employment Stimulus Relief Fund:

In light of the National Department of Social Development’s Early Childhood Development Employment Stimulus Relief Fund, the provincial Department of Social Development encourages all ECD services who have participated in the DSD-led Vangasali Campaign to apply for this programme.

Before making an application, applicants must ensure that they have the following in place:

• Banking account: All ECD services making an application will need to have a bank account in the name of the ECD service.

• Loaded on the Central Supplier Database (CSD): ECD services that do not currently receive funding from Provincial DSD will need to be registered on the CSD database, which can be done via this link: https://secure.csd.gov.za/Account/Register.

• The registration number generated from the CSD database will be required for the stimulus application.

How to apply:

Applicants must use the govchat.app portal to apply. For assistance with the application, call 0800 089 666. For more information about the qualifying criteria, visit www.dsd.gov.za

Applications opened on 05 February 2021 and will close at 23h59 on the 19 February 2021.

The National Department of Social Development makes a solidarity call to the ECD sector to support this ECD-ESRF by assisting their constituents to complete the on-line application where such assistance is required.