- Many teen mothers struggle to complete high school after falling pregnant.
- Sharifa Goliath, the principal at Jeffreys Bay-based Noah’s Ark Pre-School has created a baby group where teen mothers can drop off their babies.
- While their babies are taken care of during the day, teen mothers have time to go to school, do their homework and study.
To ensure that teenage mothers continue working towards completing their high school education, this year the principal of Jeffreys Bay-based Noah’s Ark Pre-School, Sharifa Goliath, expanded the school to create a baby group for teenage mothers and the community at large to make use of.
Goliath said from a young age she has always loved taking care of babies and older children.
She said that when she was younger she watched a headache powder advertisement, and she was mesmerised by how elegantly the teacher in the advertisement was able to take care of her learners at school.
Right then and there, Goliath knew she wanted to be a teacher.
“Taking care of children, especially babies, has always been my passion. As a young girl I was always eager to take care of my younger family members,” said Goliath.
Unfortunately, she had to drop out of school at a young age which halted her dream of becoming a teacher.
As an adult, Goliath decided she was ready to complete her National Senior Certificate and at the same time she completed her Early Childhood Development training (ECD).
Despite obtaining her NSC and ECD qualification, she struggled to find work once she moved to Jeffreys Bay from her home town, Cape Town.
Fortunately, Goliath found long-term employment to look after a baby while his mother went to work; however, when the young boy went to grade R she knew she was ready for a change.
She then began working part-time as a teacher at Victory 4 All in 2008 and then later during the same year she joined Noah’s Ark, also as a part-time teacher.
For at least a year she worked at Noah’s Ark in the morning and at Victory 4 All in the afternoon.
“By working at Victory 4 All and Noah’s Ark I was able to work with all age groups, and I was able to gain a great deal of experience during this time,” said Goliath.
Finally, in 2009 she was given a permanent post at Noah’s Ark and after four years at the pre-school she was appointed principal.
Goliath said the school placed a high emphasis on their curriculum while offering the children a holistic development, which includes movement and activities for cognitive development.
The school currently has 145 children, 10 practitioners, a cook, a cleaner and a part-time gardener.
“We get the best out of the children if their parents and their practitioners work together. We also believe that the parents trust us to take care of the children, and if we have their trust, we can have a good working relationship.”
Since the pre-school only accepts children from 18 months to five-years old, Goliath said that in 2022 one of her strategic goals ahead of the new year was to pilot a baby group.
In January this year the pre-school welcomed their first group of eight babies, aged between four months and 16 months, and two ECD qualified practitioners.
Goliath said that even though the baby group was established for all in the community, she also allowed teenage mothers to drop off their babies at 07:30 before heading to school, and then picking them up again at 16:30, once they have had the opportunity to complete their homework and have studied.
She said that many teenagers often struggle to complete school after falling pregnant, and since they are not financially independent they depend on their parents to help take care of their babies.
“Since I completed my NSC and ECD training at a later stage, I always encourage young people to never give up on their education despite the many challenges they might face,” said Goliath.
Thankfully, since they established the baby group, teenage mothers can focus on their schoolwork.
“By opening up a baby group, two young mothers and two young fathers are able to focus on their high school education,” said Goliath.
“If we can help young girls by taking care of their babies, we are doing something good for the community.”
Goliath further said that by opening the baby group they can implement a routine and structure from an early age, which will set a good foundation for the children once they move to the pre-school.
Since this year was a pilot phase, she said that they have many plans for next year, which will include a nutrition programme where they will provide the babies with a cooked meal once they are able to eat solids, similar to how they provide the children at the pre-school with food each day.
Fortunately, she said that since they established the baby group they have received a great deal of sponsored items, such as toys, clothes, disposable nappies, and formula, which have helped the parents and school greatly.
“We are always appreciative of any donations, and encourage people to visit the pre-school to see where they can help,” said Goliath.
Some of the items they need include:
. Educational toys
. High chairs
. Walking rings
. New playground for their one- to two-year-old group
. Outdoor play sand
. Water toys
. Afrikaans reading books
Goliath said that they would also love to upgrade their outdoor area with an eight track, sensory, and mud area.
“The idea is to create a print-rich environment, on the inside and outside, to help promote emergent reading from a young age. We believe reading and vocabulary are very important for the children’s academic development,” said Goliath.
“The donation of Afrikaans reading books will also help our learners read and speak the Afrikaans language which is currently a challenge at the pre-school.”
