Early Intervention Projects

• Day Care programmes
• Toy library programmes
• Home based support
• Youth and siblings programme
• Volunteer programme
• Income generating programme

Training programmes

• START Early Intervention programme
• ECD Inclusion model
• Classroom / disability management

Early Intervention Day Projects

Our Early Intervention Projects are situated in Craighall, Eldorado Park, Soweto and Elsburg ( Germiston) and cater for children aged 18 months to 7 years with disabilities and delays, intellectual, physical and developmental.

At two of the projects (Craighall and Eldorado Park) we also cater for able bodied preschool children as part of the Inclusion Programme. The sizes of the classes are kept down to a minimum with an average of 10 children per class.

Day care programmes run from 8:00 am in the morning until 1:00 pm with an Aftercare programme available at the Craighall and Elsburg centre. The Gauteng Department Education school terms are followed. Two nutritious meals are supplied by the projects for the children daily. School Fees are determined by affordability of parents/ families and a bursary facility is available should the family meet the required criteria.

All classes are managed by a practitioner with a minimum qualification of level 4 Early Childhood Development Qualification. Practitioners are assisted by trained classroom assistants and volunteers assist in all programmes.

Therapeutic Services

Special Therapeutic assessments and regular input into the child's daily programme is provided by a Physio Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Speech Therapist and Social Worker. Services of a Neuro Paediatrician are also available.

Therapeutic facilities seating and positioning aids maximize the impact of the programmes. Adapted equipment aids the development of independence in each child and is an integral part of the programme.

Training

Sunshine Association offers a range of courses aimed at supporting professionals, care-givers, communities and families in their stimulation and development of children with disabilities.

START - This is a unique home programme, indigenous to the Sunshine Association. It is based on normal development and is designed to be used with children who are operating developmentally below the age of three years (i.e. they may be chronologically older than three years). There is an extension of the programme up to seven years of age is now available.

ECD/Inclusion Programme - The main aim of this programme is to create awareness and skill regarding issues around including children with disabilities in regular programmes and community life.

Disability Management for Day Care Centres - This training programme is a practical course for those who need to manage day care centres which accommodating children with disabilities. Trainees are required to have completed the START course in order to qualify for this course.

Classroom Management - This is designed for care givers or practitioners who manage classrooms daily as it includes daily programme construction, importance of routine.

Community Development

The Sunshine Association is committed to growing the capacity of emerging projects for children with disabilities / delays. Over the years we have designed a unique model that is implemented together with community based projects. A skilled and competent team partners with such projects to grow their capacity, train them in new skills and assist them in becoming self sufficient with the uniqueness of every project and the being recognized at every level.

Partnership with projects is entered into purely at the request of the project stakeholders and is based on a complete needs assessment, audit, project profile and plan and a signed working agreement.

Project training and implementation is over a two to three year period and requires commitment and dedication from all founder members of projects. Programme implementation is dependent on sourcing of funding.

Areas of coaching /Training include:

• START Early Intervention
• ECD Inclusion Model
• Classroom /Disability Management
• Leadership Skills
• Financial Management Training
• Governance
• Recruiting and training of volunteers
• Organisational structure ,Administration and Human Resource Management

An intensive mentoring, coaching and monitoring process ensures consolidation of the new skills and programme implementation.