Call 2 Inspire - A Brighter Space for Blessed Little Hands ECD Centre in Parow

Our Call 2 Care team in front of the freshly painted mural at Blessed Little Hands

Early childhood can shape a lifetime.

Recently, our team was reminded of this truth while spending a day volunteering at Blessed Little Hands ECD Centre in Parow.

Blessed Little Hands is a small early childhood development centre; essentially a community preschool, tucked in the Parow area of Cape Town.

It’s known as a safe, caring place for local little ones to learn, play, and be looked after while their parents work.

Like so many ECD centres in South Africa, however, it operates with limited resources and endless heart.

Coming together at Blessed Little Hands to lend a hand - It does take a Village!

Our volunteer group, which were the financial team from The Foschini Group (TFG), arrived on a chilly and overcast Monday morning ready to roll up their sleeves with us.

With support and resources from TFG, Grow ECD, and Dial A Bed, we set out to give the centre a modest makeover. This wasn’t a flashy corporate event; just a bunch of us with paint rollers, toolkits, and a shared purpose.

We repainted aging classroom walls in cheerful colours, assembled new shelving to help organise books and toys, spruced up the play areas, and tackled all those little repairs that had piled up.

One of our incredibly generous partners, Dial-a-Bed, donated brand new children’s mattresses, allowing the centre to replace its threadbare nap mats with something clean and comfortable for the kids.

Our volunteers were absolutely on it and in flow, and before lunch; Blessed Little Hands was visibly transformed into a brighter, safer, more dignified space for the children – fresh paint on the walls, tidy learning corners, and warm new bedding neatly laid out for nap time.

It was the kind of basic upgrades many preschools in under-served communities desperately need.

Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres like Blessed Little Hands play a crucial role, but they face steep challenges. Many ECD facilities across South Africa lack essential learning materials, suffer from minimal funding, and often have too few trained teachers; even basics like child-safe premises and proper toilets can be in short supply.

In fact, roughly two-thirds of ECD centres operate with no government subsidy, surviving instead on meagre fees or donations.

The results are stark; only about one third of South Africa’s children under 5 attend any formal early childhood programme, and access is lowest in poorer communities.

Blessed Little Hands is one of those centres striving to fill this gap.

When we arrived, it was clear that despite the loving environment, the centre bore the marks of these broader challenges; peeling paint, cramped storage and worn out supplies.

One of the classrooms before our glow up efforts

Our volunteer project was a small attempt to bridge that gap, even if just for one day and one place.

Why Early Childhood Development (ECD) matters

Spending time at an ECD centre puts into perspective why this work matters so deeply.

Research has shown that the first few years of life are a period of rapid brain development and learning. Children who have access to quality early education during this window gain crucial language, cognitive, and social skills, whereas those who miss out often start formal schooling at a disadvantage.

By the time a child enters Grade 1, so much of their foundation has been set. Without a stimulating, supportive early environment, a child can lag far behind peers in readiness for school and overall development.

These early gaps are difficult to close later on, entrenching inequality. That’s why experts call early childhood programs 'critical inputs' for levelling the playing field; giving every child, no matter their background, a fair start in life.

Every improvement we made; even something as simple as a clean mattress for nap time; is an investment in these children’s growth and dignity. It creates a space where they can feel safe, stimulated, and valued.

And for overworked and under resourced parents, knowing their children are in a nurturing place is priceless peace of mind.

Our alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals

Beyond the immediate smiles and fresh paint, our initiatives like this, connect to broader global aspirations.

At Call 2 Care; we align all our work with the global sustainable development goals.

Our project at Blessed Little Hands reflects three of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a very tangible way:

• SDG 4 : Quality education: this goal calls for inclusive, equitable quality education for all; starting from early childhood. One of its targets is that by 2030 'all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education.' By improving the learning environment at Blessed Little Hands; from classroom setup to learning materials – we are directly supporting this goal.

  
  

• SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities: focuses on making communities safe, resilient, and inclusive for everyone. Upgrading a humble preschool may not register on city planners’ maps, but it matters on the ground. We helped create a safer, more welcoming space for children in our community, which is a step toward an inclusive and child-friendly community.

  
  

• SDG 16 : Peace, justice and strong institutions: this goal is about fostering peaceful, inclusive societies and building effective, accountable institutions at all levels. Often we think of 'institutions' as courts or governments, but a little preschool can be a vital local institution too. Blessed Little Hands provides structure, safety, and early education in a community setting; essentially laying social foundations.

  
  

Each of these SDGs might sound abstract at a global level, but on that Monday; they felt very concrete, real and achievable for us. We were improving a learning space (quality education), uplifting a community resource (sustainable communities), and bolstering a grassroots institution that helps families (peace, justice and strong institutions).

A Quiet Call to Action

As we packed up our paint splattered overalls and said our goodbyes to the teachers and volunteers, we found ourselves reflecting and in awe of the power of many small acts of goodwill.

The ECD centre looked visibly renewed, but the deeper impact will be in the days and months ahead ; when children giggle on the revamped play mat, proudly point to the murals on their classroom wall, or simply sleep more soundly on a comfortable mattress.

Those are the moments that plant seeds of hope.

Heading into the holiday season, we're mindful that supporting early childhood development centres is one of the most meaningful ways we can invest in our shared future.

This doesn’t always require grand gestures. Sometimes it’s as simple as donating a box of crayons or a used bookshelf, volunteering a few hours to read stories, or just spreading the word about a centre’s needs.

In the spirit of the season, we encourage anyone who is able to, to reach out to us and lend us a hand and your time to pack Christmas gifts, donate a stationery or gift pack, or offer a kind word of support.

These little acts of care, accumulated, help our young children to learn and thrive.

And when we brighten a child’s world, even just a little, we brighten everyone’s future.

Let’s continue to answer the Call 2 Care and inspire and be the ray of sunshine that our children need 💛

The TFG mural team posing with their masterpiece