What began as a quiet day care for the shelter residents’ little ones has grown into a vibrant learning space, which is now ready to open its doors to every family in the Somerset West community.
Somerset West, South Africa (19 February 2026) – The Somerset West Night Shelter is opening its Day Care doors to the greater community.
Established in 2020, the Day Care originally provided a safe, fun, and stimulating environment for the children of shelter residents. This allowed parents to focus on their personal development and take the necessary steps toward self-sufficiency with total peace of mind.
Now, this care and support is being extended to more parents and children in the area.
“By opening up our Daycare to the general community, we are firstly seeking to expand the scope of how many children can benefit from our well-run, affordable centre for early childhood development,” shares Katherine Wege, Somerset West Night Shelter’s Children’s Coordinator.
This new move also strives to make the Day Care more self-sustainable and ensure it can keep on offering this service to the shelter’s clients. These are parents who arrive destitute and unable to afford childcare, as well as ex-clients who often continue to keep their children in the Day Care even when they have moved out of the shelter.
“Our Daycare has developed from the early days of one teacher and a classroom with both limited resources and basic environment, to two beautifully upgraded classrooms, complete with new kitchens, storage, beautiful classroom furniture, imaginative play spaces and a fantastic outside sensory garden,” Katherine shares.
All of the centre’s upgrades have been made possible through the incredibly supportive Helderberg community.
“We have had local companies come on board to bless us with furniture, heavily discounted garden and building upgrades and so many individual items. Local school teachers have painted murals and many volunteers have also helped create the garden.
“A hugely successful fundraising tea in November 2025 provided much of the funding for our upgrades, and an additional donation from a local school’s carol service helped us to achieve more than we had expected.”
The Day Care is now registered with the Western Cape Education Department. It has also partnered with the Masikhule educational charity, which has provided training, mentorship and ECD resources, giving teachers the structure in which to provide wonderful, fun and balanced early education.
Katherine shares that she hopes the Day Care will bless more families with a safe, caring and affordable essential service.
“A daycare where their children will flourish and develop strong foundations as they begin their educational journey. We strive to see our children develop holistically, with a curriculum that encourages physical, emotional, social and academic development, all based in play and with nurturing teachers providing care and attention every day.”
The centre operates from 7:30 am until 3:45 pm daily. With the exception of public holidays and a short closure period over Christmas, it is open all year round to cater for working parents. School fees are R1,200 per month, which includes breakfast and lunch.
All prospective parents are encouraged to get in touch with Katherine Wege to arrange a tour and experience the beautiful facility for themselves.
For more information, email katherine@swnightshelter.org.za or visit this Facebook post for further contact details.
Sources: Katherine Wege
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