How to register your crèche with the DBE

Registration is the legal requirement that unlocks everything else — including the R24 per child per day subsidy. It is free, it runs through your provincial education department, and about half of South Africa's centres still have not done it. Here is the whole process.

Updated July 2026 · Applies to all South African provinces

Who must register

The Children's Act requires ECD programmes to be registered. If you look after seven or more children, you are a partial care facility and registration is not optional. Since the ECD function shifted from Social Development to Basic Education, the process runs through your provincial Department of Education — the system stayed the same, only the department changed.

The Bana Pele process: Bronze, Silver, Gold

The DBE's Bana Pele registration drive breaks registration into three stages so you can start operating legitimately while you work toward full compliance:

1. Apply — Bronze. Submit your application through the online form or the DBE's WhatsApp channel. You receive a Bronze certificate as proof you are in the system.
2. Comply — site visits. Submit your remaining documents. Officials visit your site to check compliance with the norms and standards.
3. Complete — Silver or Gold. You receive your registration certificate. Fully or conditionally registered centres can apply for the subsidy.

The documents you will need

Start gathering these before you apply — the municipal clearances are the slow part:

• Zoning confirmation — proof from your municipality that the property may be used as a place of instruction / ECD facility
• Health clearance certificate — issued by Environmental Health after inspecting your premises
• Fire clearance certificate — on the Fire Department's letterhead, dated and signed, after they inspect exits, equipment and evacuation plans
• Approved building plan — stamped by the municipality, or proof it has been submitted for approval
• Child Protection Register clearances — for you and every staff member, confirming nobody appears on the national Child Protection Register
• Learner records and an attendance register — a copy of the past month's attendance goes in with your application
• Your centre's basic details — daily programme, fee structure, staff list and qualifications

Where to apply

• Online or WhatsApp — the Bana Pele drive accepts applications through an online form and a WhatsApp bot (search "Bana Pele ECD registration" for the current links on education.gov.za)
• In person — your provincial Department of Education district office. If you are unsure where to start, ask for the official responsible for ECD registration in your district

After you register

1. Apply for the subsidy. Fully or conditionally registered centres can submit a funding application — R24 per eligible child per day. Read the full subsidy guide.
2. Keep your register perfect. Your attendance register is what your subsidy claims are verified against. Read the register guide.
3. Track your compliance dates. Clearances and certificates expire. Missing a renewal can suspend your registration — and your funding.