WELCOME TO TOUCH LIFE CENTRE
About Us
The Touch Life Centre (TLC) is an Early Childhood Development Centre (ECD) situated in Troyeville, one of the poorer suburbs on the edge of Johannesburg’s inner-city area.
TLC was established in April 2006, by Cheryl Allen who had previously founded Door of Hope in Hillbrow, which rescues and finds homes for abandoned babies. Tony Parker retired early after 32 years with Murray & Roberts and joined Cheryl in setting up this ECD, which currently caters for sixty underprivileged children between the ages of two and a half and six. TLC is a registered Non-Profit Organisation and Public Benefit Organisation and tax receipts are issued for any donations received. We are registered with the Department of Education to teach the children up to Grade R and we have the Department of Social Development’s certification.
The Centre has a Principal, Nomalanga, who oversees the school and also teaches the five to six year olds, the Giraffe class going on into Grade R. Aurelia is in charge of the Elephant class (three to four years), while Phumzile looks after the Puppies, our two to three year olds. We also have a cook who prepares breakfast, a cooked lunch and morning and afternoon snacks. The main meal is different each day, with menus repeated weekly. We also employ a teacher’s assistant, who assists with cleaning when the staff are unavailable for any reason. All staff are paid and we encourage and fund both UNISA and in-service training whenever possible. Our staff are drawn from the local community emphasising our commitment to upliftment and empowerment.
By charging a nominal fee of R220 a month per child, we not only offer these children the opportunity of an ECD education which their families could not otherwise afford, but we enable many of the mothers to go out and find work, knowing that their children are being cared for between 7.30 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. In addition, the Centre is open right through the year, with the exception of the December/January break, which is a big help to parents who need to be at work even during normal school holidays. Many of our mothers are single parents, supporting their children as best they can with their earnings from piece jobs, or the child grant.
Nomalanga and some of the new children for Grade R.
Nomalanga and the graduating children
The Centre’s day begins with breakfast followed by “Ring time” when all the children gather together, after which they break into their classes and enjoy a structured programme, with indoor and outdoor activities, for the rest of the day. The parents are welcome to call in at any time and we find that they appreciate help with such things as typing up CVs, applying for ID books or child grants, and registering their older children for primary school. Such assistance is especially valuable to some who are illiterate or battle with basic English, which is not their first language.
Every year in December we have our graduation ceremony for those children who have completed the Grade R class. This is a highlight of the year where each class has an opportunity to show what they have learned in a fun way for the parents to enjoy on a special Saturday. The afternoon closes with the Grade R children, dressed in gowns and mortar boards, receiving their diplomas, photographs, backpacks and stationery, for going to one of the Primary Schools in the Troyeville area.
Although our monthly fees are so low, we still find that there are many families who cannot afford even the R200 we ask for, in those cases, after careful investigation of the family circumstances, the fees are waived. Despite the constantly rising price of food and other expenses such as electricity and food, we have not increased our fees substantially since we opened in 2006. Although all the staff are paid, there are no administrative expenses as neither Tony Parker (Managing Director), nor the other Office Bearers, with the exception of Nomalanga, receive any remuneration.
Click Here for the Touch Life Centre History and 10th Birthday Presentation.