Grow ECD is working with the Department of Basic Education and other NGOs to improve learning outcomes for children
Grow ECD is working with the DBE and other NGOs to improve learning outcomes for children
Finding Thabo
Image supplied by the publicist
Collaboration is key to unlocking better early learning opportunities for children. Over the last few years, Grow ECD has entrenched some impactful partnerships aimed at improving ECDs around the country.
Helene Brand, Grow ECD National Marketing Manager, says,
“We are excited about the meaningful work we are doing with these partners, which aligns with our commitment to improving ECD learning outcomes for every child in South Africa,”
she says.
- DBE and the ECD registration drive
Grow ECD has joined forces with the Department of Basic Education (DBE) in the Bana Pele Mass Registration Drive to help unregistered ECD centres to become registered. This is important because becoming registered is a challenging and daunting process for many ECD owners. However, once a centre is registered with the DBE, it can access crucial government subsidies and lock into the national effort to ensure quality ECD education in safe and well-supported environments.
“We have seen how overwhelming the registration process is with all the paperwork and the long list of requirements, but having the right support makes all the difference. When an ECD centre is registered, it opens funding opportunities, ensures safer learning spaces and connects ECD centres to more support structures. Hence, we committed to working with the DBE to simplify this process,”
she says.
Over the past few months, Grow ECD has hosted free registration clinics in Gauteng and Cape Town.
“We also advertise the Bana Pele guidelines, resources, processes and support numbers widely across our networks and channels,”
says Brand.
“We support ECD centres across all our regional hubs with information-sharing, training, registration clinics and practical guidance to make registration and compliance easier and accessible,”
she says.
- Good education and a good meal in KZN with the Domino Foundation
In KwaZulu Natal, Grow ECD has partnered with the Domino Foundation’s ECD programme by providing the right tools, training and support for ECDs to thrive. The Domino Foundation’s ECD Programme helps ECD owners with the skills they need to run successful and sustainable centres, as well as providing a high-protein meal every day through their Nutrition Programme.
"Our collaboration began in 2023 with a shared passion for quality education and has grown into a strong and lasting partnership,"
explains Brand.
“Together, we want to equip ECD owners with the skills they need to run successful, sustainable businesses. We are improving the quality of education through the Grow Giraffe app and our training, and tracking their daily attendance using Grow Apps, which also supports Domino’s Nutrition Programme. We are turning ECD centre owners into social entrepreneurs, ready to lead lasting change,”
she says.
Grow and Domino are hosting quarterly workshops, training sessions and app support tailored to the needs of Domino’s participants.
“So far, the partnership has positively impacted 51 centre owners, 11 teachers and more than 2700 learners,”
says Brand.
- Smart learning resource with The Reach Trust’s ‘Finding Thabo’ books
Grow has also partnered with The Reach Trust to put their fun, practical teaching tool, the fantastic ‘Finding Thabo’ books, into the hands of as many teachers and children as possible.
“Finding Thabo” is a simple, smart, and effective booklet that comes with a poster. It helps teachers spark curiosity and builds important skills like literacy, numeracy and problem-solving. It’s designed with South African children in mind, making it relatable, engaging, and, most importantly, fun!,"
says Brand.
“When we were introduced to the ‘Finding Thabo’ books, it was love at first sight. This creative, hands-on approach to learning aligned perfectly with our philosophy at Grow ECD. We knew right away this was something we wanted to share with the teachers and children we work with,”
she says.
Over the last two years, Grow ECD has created a special ‘Finding Thabo’ Teacher Training Module.
“We also did training sessions with teachers and gave them their very own ‘Finding Thabo’ resources, ready to use in their classrooms. We hosted a literary festival with ‘Finding Thabo’ in the starring role, where teachers could win resources as prizes,”
she says.
“These small steps are making big waves, helping teachers bring exciting new ideas into their classrooms.”
Importance of good partnerships
"Working with partners is important because of the more than 42 000 Early Learning Programmes (ELP) in South Africa, only 41% are registered, and only 33% receiving subsidies,"
explains Brand.
“Grow ECD targets the 16,200 existing centres (reaching 650,000 children) that are under-resourced and marginalised but have the potential to become financially viable small businesses. We have 238 ECD Centres on the Grow ECD programme. Almost 6000 children and more than 3500 ECD centres are making use of our free Grow and data-free ECD App, which offers a daily play-based curriculum, teacher training, lesson plans and more. Our Accelerator programme, which also helps ECD centres on their journey to registration, has been completed by more than 1100 centre owners, who can now charge an average or R680 per month per child in their school,”
she says.
For more information visit GrowECD.org.za
Bana Pele Mass Registration Drive
Image supplied by the publicist
About Grow ECD
Grow ECD is a non-profit social enterprise within the Taking Care of Business (TCB) group, dedicated to transforming Early Childhood Development (ECD) in South Africa. We equip and connect ECD centre owners with the skills, support, and resources they need to provide 5-star early learning and build financially sustainable centres.
Our holistic model makes it possible for ECD businesses to become more sustainable while ensuring high-quality early education is accessible to every child.
Our services include:
- Free ECD management app – A powerful one-stop-shop to manage admin, finances, assessments, parent engagement, and teacher development and connect preschools with hundreds of downloadable business and education resources.
- Data-free online training – Professional and personal development courses for ECD owners, managers and teachers.
- Play-based, online curriculum – A daily, NCF-aligned, DBE-approved curriculum and teacher’s guide designed to help teachers of all levels provide quality education for 0-5-year-olds.
- ECD Business Accelerator – An intense six-part training programme that equips centre owners with a social-entrepreneur mindset and provides the essential skills to take their ECD centre to the next level.
- Small Business Programme – A comprehensive, step-by-step three-year programme to building a successful ECD Centre which includes practical training, mentorship, and resources to help ECD centres improve business sustainability and education quality.
