Nova’s Green Chics programme has relaunched with a refined model, fresh identity, and expanded reach—signalling a new chapter in its mission to strengthen early childhood development (ECD) through environmental learning and meaningful caregiver engagement.
The current Green Chics model is the result of years of iterative design and learning. Earlier versions of the CHICS programme explored multiple approaches, including a church-facilitated model and a direct-to-principal implementation model. While both showed promise – particularly in boosting caregiver involvement and expanding ECD reach – the combination of high facilitation needs and variable alignment with community partners made long-term scale difficult.
Green Chics emerged as the most flexible, affordable, and scalable version of the programme. It builds on the strengths of the original CHICS design—especially the success of the principal-led model in fostering sustained caregiver participation—and introduces a focused environmental lens that has proved both resonant and actionable in low-resource communities. Research shows that nearly 90% of the global health burden related to climate change is borne by children under five (Sheffield & Landrigan, 2011), making it urgent for ECD sites to serve not only as spaces for care and learning, but also as hubs for resilience and local action.
At its core, Green Chics is a caregiver engagement programme. It helps ECD centres strengthen relationships with families and position themselves as hubs for community resilience. Structured around five themes – Soil, Food, Water, Waste, and Energy – the programme encourages caregivers and children to explore their environment together through playful, hands-on activities like “Sense Safaris,” storytelling, “Show and Tell,” and collaborative projects. Each theme ends with a caregiver-child session, turning everyday routines into opportunities for learning and connection.
Training for the first of four new practitioner cohorts began in early 2025, following a full model refresh and the development of a new implementation guide, and the Green Action Toolkit. Over the next two years, Green Chics will reach up to 150 ECD principals and practitioners, supported through structured site visits, peer learning, and an alumni network. Scaling will take place across key communities in the City of Tshwane, including Mamelodi, Nellmapius, Soshanguve, Ga-Rankuwa, Kirkney, Rayton, and Zithobeni.
With the climate crisis affecting South Africa’s most vulnerable communities, Green Chics offers a hopeful, hands-on model that positions ECD centres as catalysts for change—equipping children and caregivers alike to shape healthier, greener futures.