Center-based early childhood care and education program quality: A South African study

•We report on the first representative sample survey of ECCE program quality and determinants to be conducted in South Africa.•Using the The Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale—Revised (ECERS-R) and Infant–Toddler Environmental Rating Scale—Revised (ITERS-R) we found that facilities for both younger and older children fall just above the ‘minimum’ quality level on both measures.•ECCE centers based in deprived communities are of poorer quality than those located in less deprived areas.•Fees charged and center management capacity were the main predictors of quality.•This research provides an example of an engagement between researchers and policy makers in government in a middle-income developing country. Unless financial and management support is provided to poor quality centers in low-income communities, the potential gains of ECCE will not be realized.