INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILD CARE IN URBAN SOUTH AFRICA

I asked Sarah about the large number of schools. I could understand the varying
levels of need, especially given the diversity of psychological challenges seen at the
center, but I was wondering how these schools were selected. She told me that state
psychologists had begun doing the evaluations and placement of the center's children.
This resulted in the center relying on many different schools throughout the city.
Notably absent from the bus ride were the center’s smallest children, the ones who
had just recently graduated from the creche. I would run into them back at the center after
the long bus ride, dressed completely in their school uniforms. They went to school on
site at Hillbrow Independent School. The recently opened school rented classroom space
from the center, and was also attended by many of its children. I was greeted by a group
of them being taken for a toilet break when I made my return to the center.
This time period when the children were at school marked the quietest time of the
day at the center. It was during this break that I was able to engage most of its staff
members in longer conversations. Other times, I would offer to take on various tasks to
provide a bit of help. This was also the most ideal time to get personal errands done,
including groceries. The children began to reappear around 3:00 pm where they would
get a short break before having to begin study time.
Academics
Warrick Gibbons was newly appointed to oversee study time, and he recruited me
to help oversee studies in one of the rooms. Study time was held in a long hallway
equipped with several classroom spaces, across from a library of books and a laptop area.
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