Determinants of non-profit registration in early childhood development centres in South Africa

South African Journal of Childhood Education

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Determinants of non-profit registration in early childhood development centres in South Africa
 
Creator Sello, Matshidiso V.
 
Subject Early Childhood Education; Early Childhood Development; Social Development early childhood development; non-profit organisations; NPO registration; Department of Social Development; Department of Basic Education; South Africa
Description Background: In South Africa, the Department of Basic Education removed the non-profit organisation (NPO) registration mandate for early childhood development (ECD) programmes. The aim was to alleviate administrative burdens. If the messaging is not received correctly, it could lead to the inaccurate belief that all programmes are subsidy-eligible without any formal registration, potentially risking the quality and sustainability of ECD services.Aim: This study investigated the determinants influencing the decision of ECD centres to register as NPOs prior to the NPO registration mandate.Setting: A nationwide ECD census was conducted in all nine South African provinces.Methods: Data from 39 176 centres were analysed quantitatively to investigate the association between ECD centre registration as an NPO and various independent variables.Results: The findings show that 68.34% of ECD centres were registered as NPOs. The odds ratio (OR) of receiving a subsidy (OR 10.17; 7.82–13.22), having a bank account (OR 4.20; CI 3.01–5.72) and the ECD programme being part of a wider network (OR 1.81; CI 1.46–2.26) were strong predictors of ECD NPO registration.Conclusion: Subsidies matter in encouraging ECD centres to formalise their operations. ECDs that are part of wider networks have an opportunity to access resources, information and support that can enhance operational effectiveness.Contribution: The study provides empirical evidence to guide policy decisions and resource allocation, which can potentially lead to improved service quality and access to resources for children and families to support the growth and sustainability of the ECD sector in South Africa.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2025-11-14
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — Quantitative approach
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/sajce.v15i1.1730
 
Source South African Journal of Childhood Education; Vol 15, No 1 (2025); 10 pages 2223-7682 2223-7674
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://sajce.co.za/index.php/sajce/article/view/1730/3573 https://sajce.co.za/index.php/sajce/article/view/1730/3574 https://sajce.co.za/index.php/sajce/article/view/1730/3575 https://sajce.co.za/index.php/sajce/article/view/1730/3576
 
Coverage South Africa — ECD centres in South Africa
Rights Copyright (c) 2025 Matshidiso V. Sello https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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