Almost 3 000 early learning practitioners recently gathered at the Orlando East Community Hall for SmartStarters Unite, the annual celebration recognising the incredible commitment of early learning practitioners across the country.

SmartStarters, as early learning practitioners are known within the SmartStart network, deliver critical early learning services from their homes or community venues such as churches and halls in low-income areas where children would otherwise not have access.

In his opening remarks, the chief innovation and learning officer at SmartStart, Jon Hogson, said the day was truly about SmartStarters and the children they serve.

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“This is about all the children who want to learn. They are our children, and I commend all the practitioners who are here today because these are our unsung heroes,” Hogson said.

The event was held in partnership with LIMA Rural Development and Siyakholwa Development Foundation, bringing together SmartStarters from Ekurhuleni, the southern and western regions of Johannesburg, Vaal and Pretoria.

Since its founding in Gauteng in 2015 with just 29 children, SmartStart has grown significantly. Today, 15 000 SmartStarters across the country reach 162 000 children weekly, a milestone worth celebrating.

SmartStart’s programme operations head, Azola Fali, described SmartStarters as a movement of everyday heroes and a national force for change. “You have opened your homes and your hearts in your communities.

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In doing so, you have enabled a brighter future for South Africa. You are not just early learning practitioners; you are entrepreneurs, community leaders and change-makers.

“You are proof that meaningful systems change starts with ordinary people doing ordinary things with extraordinary commitment.”

Fali also thanked SmartStarters and parents for their trust and called for greater cross-sector collaboration to make early learning a national priority.

The programme also featured SmartStarters from around the province sharing stories of their journeys as practitioners.

Pearl Rigney, who runs Little Geniuses Daycare and cares for vulnerable children by providing support such as food without charging fees, shared her message of purpose. “Don’t do it for the money. Do it for the love of the children and their wellbeing,” Rigney said.

The event was part of a series of provincial celebrations taking place across the country since late October, which will culminate in a national broadcast later in November, uniting SmartStarters and partners nationwide to spotlight the transformative power of community-driven early learning.