Almost no data exists on how young children in South Africa experience or understand climate change. A new study, led by Midlands Community College (MCC) in partnership with Sesame Workshop International South Africa (SWISA) and funded by the Grindrod Family Centenary Trust (GFCT), sets out to close that gap.

The study has been approved by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education (KZN DoE), says the partnership.

Understanding climate change awareness, perceptions, practices and early learning engagement among children, caregivers and Early Childhood Development practitioners will examine how children aged between zero and five, their caregivers and Early Childhood Development (ECD) practitioners across KwaZulu-Natal understand, experience and respond to climate change.

Why This Study Now?

The partnership says South Africa lacks evidence of how climate change is already shaping the daily lives of its youngest citizens: the flooding, drought and extreme heat that disrupt ECD attendance, strain caregivers and go largely unrecorded in national data.

This study is designed with the aim to produce that baseline evidence, and to make sure children's own experiences inform how the country responds, rather than being an afterthought to it, adds the partnership.

According to the partnership, the research will ask:

  • how children, caregivers and ECD practitioners across KwaZulu-Natal understand and engage with climate change and environmental sustainability
  • which climate-related concerns are most prevalent among families
  • how environmental concepts are currently introduced to young children, at home and in ECD settings
  • what barriers limit climate-responsive education in ECD settings
  • what resources parents and practitioners most need to help children manage climate-related risks

Research began in June 2026 and will continue through February 2027 across ECD centres in KwaZulu-Natal, says the partnership.

"Climate change is already shaping how children in KwaZulu-Natal grow up- through flooding, drought, and disrupted school days — yet almost no data exists on how they, or the adults raising and teaching them, understand or cope with it," says Candy Goodlad, Midlands Community College.

"This study exists to close that gap, and to make sure young children are treated as evidence, not an afterthought, in how South Africa responds to climate change," adds Goodlad.

"Sesame Workshop has long believed that children can be powerful agents of change when they are met with age-appropriate, joyful learning. This partnership allows us to build a genuinely local evidence base for climate-responsive early learning in KwaZulu-Natal," says Fathima Rawat, Sesame Workshop International South Africa.

Why it Matters

Findings will aim to provide baseline evidence to help the wider ECD sector, including resource and training organisations (RTOs), strengthen climate-responsive ECD programming, including contextually relevant climate education resources, curriculum integration approaches, parent engagement strategies and community-based interventions, says the partnership.

The research also aims to deepen understanding of how climate-related events such as flooding, drought, extreme heat and severe weather affect children's physical health, emotional wellbeing and access to safe learning environments.

Ethical Safeguards

The research is guided by a joint Ethical Research and Child Safeguarding Protocol developed by Midlands Community College and Sesame Workshop International South Africa. Participation is voluntary and based on informed consent; written consent is obtained from caregivers and practitioners ahead of focus group discussions, and from parents on behalf of children, says the partnership.

All participant data is handled in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), and in line with MCC's existing image consent protocols, no identifying images of children will be used in any research or communications materials without explicit, opt-in caregiver consent, concludes the partnership.

For more information, visit www.sesameworkshop.org. You can also follow Sesame Workshop International SA on Facebook, X, Instagram, or on TikTok.

*Image courtesy of contributor