Stories
Choose a post below to learn more about our cause!
Festive Valentine’s Photos of Preschool Coaches
The ASAP board received photos from PEN’s preschool coaches to celebrate our fifth birthday on Valentine’s Day.
Dolls Bring Delight!!!
Boys and girls develop fine motor skills, imagination, and empathy while playing with ASAP-supplied dolls clothed in beautiful outfits made by volunteers from churches and retirement communities.
296 Women Can Now Teach Math to 4,819 Preschoolers!!!
Owners and staff of preschools registered at ASAP’s first six Educational Toy Libraries were recently trained to “make math fun” for 4-6 year-olds.
A Study Has Begun
Faculty and students from the University of Pretoria’s Department of Early Childhood Education are assessing the impact of the PEN/ASAP model. PEN’s staff of 23 coaches mentor daycare owners as they turn their settings into preschools.
Transforming Lives through Play
This Valentine’s Day marks the fifth birthday of Adopt a South African Preschool (ASAP), a Yardley-based nonprofit which makes early childhood education accessible in disadvantaged South African communities.
ASAP’s Money Management Team
Linda McGowan (right) and Evette Pettaway (left) are engaged in high finance at Executive Director Nancy Schongalla’s dining room table.
The SOAPLAY Bars Arrived!
The preschool coaches and school owners were delighted by the first bunch of SOAPLAY bars which arrived February 22, 2024.
And We’re Off…in Our New Car!
And we’re off…to interview for a first coach in Senekal, Free State…in our new PEN/ASAP car!
Donation of 20 Laptops from GEP
PEN’s preschool coaches are thrilled about 20 laptops donated by GEP, a global supply chain solution company based in New Jersey.
From Trailer to Resource Hub to Children Playing!
Here’s how ASAP transforms a donated double wide trailer into a resource center with beautiful murals on the outside, a stocked educational toy library and tables and chairs for weekly training sessions with preschool owners.
Books about the South African Context
Here are a few books which provide context for ASAP's mission.
“White skin, white skin!”
During my visit to ASAP-supported preschools in May, this little fellow was pointing to me with a curious smile.
Rotary Club in South Africa Donates Souns Early Reading Program
The South African team has assembled the first 25 Play and Learn Resource Kits to share with preschool caregivers in the Pretoria area.
November 2022 Overview
Adopt a South African Preschool funds toy libraries at training centers, so that disadvantaged children have the foundation to succeed in school and in life.
Preschools are thrilled with boy and girl dolls
The South African team has assembled the first 25 Play and Learn Resource Kits to share with preschool caregivers in the Pretoria area.
Office Max Rockstars
The South African team has assembled the first 25 Play and Learn Resource Kits to share with preschool caregivers in the Pretoria area.
It all started with Belinah...
In 2008, Belinah was employed at a day care center in the inner city of Pretoria.
Mandela Day
Honoring the legacy of former South African president Nelson Mandela, his July 18th birthday is an annual occasion to focus on the ability and responsibility we all have to change the world for the better!
Nellmapius Preschool Hub
There are about 50 creches or in-home daycares in a 6-mile radius of the Phenyo Preschool in Nellmapius where 20-30 children may sit in front of a T.V. all day in one or two-room apartments while their mothers work, look for work or beg.
ASAP’s First Birthday
The South African team has assembled the first 25 Play and Learn Resource Kits to share with preschool caregivers in the Pretoria area.