A steering committee was established when Little Paradise was first built, which included a governing body, teachers, and cooks that best represented the ideas and interests of the community. The goal of this committee was to ensure the crèche was operating properly and in the best interest of the children.

Throughout our time working with these dedicated individuals, we saw a huge growth in their commitment and attitudes towards the crèche. Working with them for these two months was a fantastic experience for our team. Not only did we get an opportunity to help offer the governing body new tools, skills, and strategies, but they taught us that with hard work and dedication to a common goal, any group of people can come together and accomplish that goal. We thoroughly enjoyed working with them and cannot wait to see what they will bring to the Little Paradise Educare Centre in the years to come.

 Lenrika De Koker

Lenrika lives in Flamingo Heights and takes on the role of Chairperson on the governing body. She and her husband manage the local shop in the community. She commands a great deal of respect and authority because of this, which makes her a great leader on this committee. She has three sons, one of which attends Little Paradise.

Mark Solomons

Mark, also known as Marky, serves as the Vice-Chairperson. He has two sons. His youngest, Migel, goes to the crèche on a regular basis. Mark played a big role in building the crèche to serve as a safe place for his children to grow. Many of the days we were in the community, Marky was out working with the Shack Dwellers International (SDI) Alliance in Khayelitsha. He is taking the skills he acquired in the upgrading of Flamingo to other communities throughout Cape Town. 

Elizabeth Rantoetse

Elizabeth lives in Flamingo Heights and takes on the role of Secretary for the governing body. She has two sons, Riaan and Wesley. When the crèche first started she would help prepare meals and work with Cathy to reach out and help educate many of the parents who did not have a child enrolled. Once the Expanded Public Works Programme is implemented, she wants to continue work as an ECD outreach worker and help more families. 

Merelda Juries

Merelda lives in Flamingo Heights and takes on the role as Treasurer for the crèche. She shows a lot of power in the community and expresses deep care for the children. She is the sweetest person, but when she wants something done, it will get done. This is something that can greatly assist the crèche.

 Cathy Petersen

Cathy is the Principal of the Little Paradise and she also lives in Flamingo Heights. She thinks of the crèche as “her baby.” Her vast love and affection for the children has driven the crèche to be where it is today. She was really the driving force behind all the operations of the crèche up to this point. She works on day-to-day operations as well as trying to reach out to many organisations for assistance. She is quite knowledgable and will really bring Little Paradise to its full potential.

Brenda James

Brenda is the only teacher at the crèche. Her favourite part of working there is playing with the children because she loves them. She worked so hard throughout our time managing the children while Cathy was out working with us. Her hard work and dedication to the development of children is truly an inspiration to all.