Johannesburg has a problem with unregistered Early Childhood Development centres, the daycare centres and nursery schools children attend before Grade R, the first year of formal schooling. Attendance isn't compulsory, but what happens in those early years shapes how ready a child is for school.

When a centre registers with the Department of Basic Education, it unlocks government funding, money that can pay for better teachers, safer buildings, and richer learning programmes, particularly in poorer areas. Registration also means the centre has been inspected: safety checked, learning programmes reviewed, and paperwork verified. An unregistered centre has none of that oversight and none of that additional funding.

In 2025, only a third of Johannesburg’s 2,110 daycare centres and nursery schools were registered, according to data from the Gauteng Department of Education. Less than half of the roughly 100,000 children enrolled in centres were in registered ones. The Johannesburg South education district, which includes Lenasia and Ennerdale, had the highest number of unregistered centres at 394, followed by Johannesburg East, which includes Midrand and Alexandra, at 338.

The Department of Basic Education's Bana Pele registration drive, which uses a simplified online process and WhatsApp applications, is trying to increase the number of registered centres.

Produced in partnership with Our City News.