An estimated 29% of South Africa’s 4-year-olds – around 350,000 children – are not enrolled in an ELP. Without reliable data, these children’s realities remain hidden. To shed light on this missing group, the Thrive by Five Index 2024 included a small sub-study of 272 non-enrolled children living in low-income areas in three provinces. While the sample is not nationally representative, it offers a rare glimpse into the lives of children outside the early learning system. The picture is sobering: non-enrolled children are more likely to grow up in poverty, face malnutrition, and miss critical developmental milestones than their peers who are enrolled in ELPs.
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