Our Early Literacy Programmes

Wordworks offers five main programmes, which are used by our network of partners which include preschools, schools, libraries, community organisations, training and resource NGOs, tertiary institutions, education districts and other government departments.

Every Word Counts (0–5 years): Trainers are equipped to train and resource:
– Home visitors and community workers to strengthen the early language and literacy component of their work with families 
and caregivers.
– ECD practitioners to build language-rich, interactive learning environments and to reach out to parents and caregivers to
support language and literacy learning at home.

Little Stars programme (4–5 years): Trainers are equipped to train and resource pre-Grade R teachers and to strengthen their
teaching of language and early literacy through a series of carefully-scaffolded, story-based teaching cycles.

Stellar Home Language programme (5–6 years): Trainers are equipped to train and resource Grade R teachers to strengthen their
teaching of language and early literacy through a series of carefully-scaffolded, story-based teaching cycles, and to reach out to
parents and caregivers to support language learning at home.

Home–School Partnerships programme (5–8 years): Foundation Phase and Learning Support Teachers are equipped to facilitate eight weekly workshops of 2½ hours each, to empower and inspire parents and caregivers to support informal learning at home.

TIME programme (5–8 years): This programme is for parents, caregivers and tutors of children in Grade R and Grade 1. It consists of carefully developed, CAPS aligned activities that can be used at home and in after-school programmes to build language and maths foundations. Read More

 

Featured

Wordworks Celebrates Mandela Day at Manyano Educare in Khayelitsha 

The Wordworks team spent the 2025Mandela day at Manyano Educare Centre in Khayelitsha, engaging with young children through storytelling, painting, and creative play. The children were excited by the stories shared by our story-teller, Lydia Mkiva, and their eyes lit up with joy as they participated in art activities and received goodie bags filled with toys, books, and educational resources. Read More

By investing in early literacy, we are not just teaching children to read, we are empowering them to think, express themselves, and engage with the world around them. We are also helping to close learning gaps that, if left unaddressed, can persist throughout a child’s schooling.

Mandela Day reminds us of our collective responsibility to care for and uplift our communities. We were honoured to spend the day with the wonderful staff and children of Manyano Educare.

There are no current vacancies at Wordworks