Annual Reports
2026 Annual Report
Cotlands is a registered non-profit organisation (NPO) that has been serving children since 1936. As Cotlands celebrates its 90th anniversary, we continue to evolve our work to ensure more children have access to quality early learning experiences and improve their school readiness.
During the 2025/26 financial year, Cotlands began an important shift towards our new Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Hub model, a community-based approach that serves children first. Aligned to the Department of Basic Education’s Bana Pele Blueprint for universal access to quality early learning, our ECCE hubs bring quality play-based early learning closer to children and families by connecting ECD centres for 3-5-year-olds, Toy Libraries, Parenting Programmes for Birth-to-three age groups, ECD Practitioner training and community partnerships.
Our vision is Excellence in early learning for all, and our mission is to empower and mentor adults to deliver impactful play-based early learning programmes that transform communities. By investing in practitioners, parents and caregivers, we create nurturing environments where children can learn, play and thrive.
Our digital integrated Report covers all the operations of Cotlands for the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. It provides stakeholders with a balanced, transparent and accurate account of a year marked by change, resilience and innovation as we repositioned our organisation to increase access to quality early learning opportunities for South Africa’s youngest, vulnerable children.