Durban North organisation grows children’s futures
Sponsored by the Kolisi Foundation, they joined other ECD owners and were tutored in six essential business skills and leadership training modules.
GROW ECD is in the business of providing 5-star early learning for pre-schoolers by equipping Early Childhood
Development (ECD) businesses with skills, support and resources.
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One of these is its multi-purpose app enabling owners to improve their centres as small businesses. Six crèche owners from The Domino Foundation’s ECD programme were chosen, based on their successful application of the GROW App, to attend a Business Accelerator course.
Anele Chita, Grow ECD’s Durban Community Development Co-ordinator, explained that the six-week course teaches skills to improve the preschools’ quality of education and shows owners that running their centres as businesses ultimately benefits them, the teachers and the children.
“The modules cover what is expected from a quality ECD centre, personal leadership and financial skills, business sustainability, the ECD registration process and how to work smarter through technology,” she said.
South Africa’s 2021 ECD Census showed that almost 1.6 million children are in 42 420 ECD centres, 40% of which are unregistered, and where 22% of the staff have no teaching qualifications and only 26% have attended a skills training programme.
Chita pointed to the 2022 ‘Thrive by Five’ report which revealed 57% of children attending Early Learning Programmes fail to thrive by the age of five.
“Our mission is to see these stats change by empowering the next generation’s educators through accessible, affordable and practical professional training. Our GROW App and the Accelerator Programme are a win-win for everyone – the quality of education offered by ECD centres and the earning potential of teachers and owners are improved,” Chita added.
Owner of one of the ECD centres partnering with The Domino Foundation, Samukelisiwe Gigaba was enthusiastic about what she had learnt on the course.
The training was very helpful in teaching me about how to run my preschool as a sustainable business. I am already implementing much of what I learnt. It has had a great impact on how I handle my finances. I am so excited and grateful to have been chosen,” she said.
Chita said that the owners of almost 800 ECD centres, catering for 21 500 learners under the age of 5, have completed the ECD Business Accelerator.
He invited people interested in the app and the course to contact him Anele@growecd.org.za.
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