The City’s Social Development and Early Childhood Development Department (SD&ECD) today launched the Early Childhood Development (ECD) safety corner at Dunoon library. The corner – a dedicated space in the library – was the result of a collaboration between numerous City departments and the Dunoon ECD Forum.
The safety corner project was made possible by the SD&ECD Department working closely with Library and Information Service(LIS), Fire and Rescue Service and the Disaster Risk Management Centre .
In 2019, the Senior Librarian, Lungelwa Ciliba, identified a space in the library that would be ideal for ECD purposes.
This gave birth to the idea of an ECD safety corner.
The Social Development and Early Childhood Development Department procured the educational resources for the safe space.
The safety-themed educational resources are designed for age groups 1 to 6 years old. The space provides children with the opportunity to do fantasy play (dress up as firemen, policemen etc).
While children play and learn, parents and caregivers are able read a variety of books available.
ECDs within the Dunoon area too are able to benefit from educational materials and resources available in the safety corner, such as fire blankets, fire signs, and occupational health related literature.
Additional resources such as posters, bean bags and craft paint were handed over to the library during today’s launch.
‘This Safety corner is an innovative project that links the City of Cape Town with the ECD sector and the community to raise awareness in creating a caring and safe city. The facility is also an educational investment that will empower children with knowledge though fun play activities. The space created in the library will also strengthen the partnership and commitment to work together with the community to care for and provide educational spaces for children,’ said Councillor Patricia van der Ross, Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health.