Rural Development Partners (RDP) executive director Daniel Nyirenda has stressed the importance of training quality early childhood development (ECD) caregivers to drive the nation’s development agenda.
He said this on Tuesday during the opening of Step by Step Christian International Daycare and Nursery in Lupaso, Mzuzu.
. | Allan Nyasulu
Nyirenda said that the facility, designated as the organisation’s model ECD training centre in Mzimba North, features a design that prioritises safety, creates a stimulating environment and supports holistic child development.
He said: “Our focus is capacity building for caregivers through a comprehensive six-week training programme which goes beyond the government’s two-week curriculum by adding practical components.
“Previously, caregivers struggled to apply skills due to a lack of practical examples but this facility, staffed by our trained caregivers, allows others to observe and implement best practices in their schools.”
Nyirenda said as part of its community support, RDP is also sponsoring half of the learners at the new nursery school.
Step by Step Christian International Daycare and Nursery director Gerrie Kasbergen, a former teacher from the Netherlands who moved to Malawi with her husband a decade ago, said poor conditions of local daycare and nursery schools inspired her to establish the centre
