Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is a powerful tool that serves as a medium to enhance long-term success in school. Every child can benefit from starting school early. To fulfill the potentials of preschool, it is essential to focus on transformative and high-quality play-based early learning in ECCE programme. This is because play is a strong mediator of learning numerous skills throughout a person's life. Play-based learning can develop a child all-round (whole child development – cognitive, motor, social, and language development). Despite the importance of play in developing cognitive, motor, language and social skills in children, it is disheartening to note that early childhood practitioners may be encountering different challenges trying to deliver transformative and high-quality play-based early learning in mobile ECCE units in rural communities. The study was anchored on Lev Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory which viewed play as a social and cultural activity that allows children to perform tasks beyond their current capabilities with guidance. The research occurred in mobile ECCE units in rural communities in the Free State Province of South Africa. The study adopted a mixed-method research approach with an explanatory sequential research design, which allowed for the collection and analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data. Data was collected from 172 practitioners using a questionnaire designed by the researchers for the quantitative phase, and 10 practitioners participated in the semi-structured in-depth, face-to-face interviews. The study employed a thematic analysis strategy to interpret and analyse data for the qualitative phase, while descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions for the quantitative phase. The findings show that practitioners in the mobile ECCE units face challenges, including inadequate play facilities, shortage of funds to purchase play materials like toys for kids and shortage of qualified early childhood practitioners, among others. To deliver transformative and high-quality play-based learning at mobile ECCE units, practitioners need adequate funds, professional skill and development, and knowledge to cater to their ECCE units' learners.

Keywords: Constraints, high-quality transformative learning, mobile ECCE units, play-based learning, practitioners, rural communities.