For children growing up in crisis, a Somerset West daycare offers comfort and learning. Now it needs support to become even more nurturing
Somerset West, South Africa (06 August 2025) – In the heart of Somerset West, a small daycare within the Somerset West Family Shelter is quietly making a big difference. As part of the larger Somerset West Night Shelter, this space provides daily care, stability, and comfort to babies and toddlers, from birth to three years old. These children are facing some of life’s most difficult challenges.
Here, trained carers offer love, structure, and a sense of safety to the littlest members of families in crisis. It is a space where early learning is gently introduced, tiny milestones are celebrated, and where little ones begin their journeys with the care they deserve.
Raising children takes not just heart, but resources. And now, the team is asking for help to make the space even better.
Through a new GivenGain fundraising campaign, the shelter hopes to make several improvements. One key project is opening up the wall between the baby and toddler classrooms. This small change will allow staff to move more freely between the spaces and provide more cohesive care.
Another goal is to bring the newly developed sensory garden to life by laying grass in the oval area. A soft, green surface will offer little feet a safe, natural space to explore and enjoy outdoor playtime.
Inside the classrooms, plans are underway to install small, practical spaces where staff can prepare snacks, wash hands, and run art activities safely and hygienically. With the Western Cape sun, fitting blinds on the classroom windows is also essential to keep learning and nap times comfortable throughout the day.
The team also hopes to expand their early learning resources by filling shelves with storybooks and maths materials. With dreams of starting a Reading Club and Maths Club, these tools will help spark imagination and learning from an early age.
Each contribution, no matter the size, brings the shelter closer to creating a nurturing, stimulating space for children who need it most.
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