The Educare
The Children of Light Educare (COLT) opened its doors on the 17th October 2017 and has successfully established an Early Childhood Development Programme that offers free, quality education to children living in impoverished communities in Athlone and Lansdowne, Cape Town.
Vision
To provide education that focuses on the physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual development of children by establishing independent early childhood development centres based on the principles of Integral Yoga.
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The educare supports the notion that to ‘educate’ means to ‘bring out’. The philosophy of the educare is to create a nurturing and loving space for children to grow, learn and explore through play thus enabling them to be happy. Once they feel truly happy, their actions in daily life will be refined and flow from that space of happiness. Hence the school’s Motto is ‘Be Good Do Good’.
In 2017 with the resources available COLT commenced with six children from two communities operating 3 days per week from 8am to 11:30am. With further funding the service was extended to 4 days per week.
A qualified Educare teacher was appointed in April 2019. The service was extended to 5 days per week from 8am to 12:30pm, accommodating twelve children from three communities. In 2021 a second class was created for the 3 – 4 year olds and the Educare intake increased to a total of nineteen children from the three communities.
In 2022 COLT reached capacity and currently twenty two children attend the Educare. It has become necessary to maintain a waiting list for the three communities – Hadji Ebrahim Crescent, Pook se Bos, and Flamingo Heights.
Extending contact time with the children would reduce the time that they spend roaming the streets. The next big step in the Educare’s growth is to lengthen the Colt daily program until 4pm on weekdays. Funding to cover the teachers’ remuneration for additional hours is the main limiting factor! Please help COLT give these children a better chance in life.
COLT is a registered non-profit organisation that relies on donations for all of its funding. A team of committed volunteers, together with four paid members of staff run the educare.
Background
The lifestyle of children today is extremely demanding and unbalanced as a result of a demanding academic curriculum, compulsory participation in extra-mural activities, extra-tuition, compulsory sporting activities, social life, poverty, unstable households and neglect.
This has led to children being over stressed, overworked, becoming involved in substance abuse, developing destructive peer relationships and drifting further away from their peaceful divine innate nature.
Statistics and the media clearly show the destructiveness this lifestyle has had on children today. There is an increase in drug and alcohol abuse, bullying at school, theft, teenage suicide, emotional instability, increase in fear as a result of demanding academic and sporting activities.
The strategic focus of the government is prevention and rehabilitation through educating learners at school and establishing rehabilitation centres for behaviour modification. This however does not address the individual as a whole being, physical, emotional, spiritual and mental, as part of a family and community, and results in short term behaviour changes with lapses. Children are expected to excel and outperform one another in sport which results in competitive behaviour.
The approach of the Children of Light Educare is to develop the inner qualities, draw out latent potentialities and competencies of the child, thereby assisting them in self-realising their interest and true potential. This may also enhance self-development.
In today’s age of technology and social media, children have minimal exposure to being in nature and experiencing the peace, tranquility and freedom that nature and the environment has to offer.
Today’s society inspires violence, which is evident with toys, popular films, computer games and heroes which leads to a rise in crime and decline in values.
With financial and social demands placed on parents, family time is minimal. Children often do not grow up with positive role models and as a result cultivate self destructive behaviour. The basic elements of moral and good values, such as sharing, giving, love, respect and unity are lost.