ECD Finance - You can afford to invest in your educare business
Affordable finance for SA preschools
We know that many ECD centres find it difficult to invest in their preschools. Traditional banks don’t want to lend to preschools without collateral, extensive paperwork and months of financial records. Moneylenders are too expensive and don’t care about your business. But without money, how will you invest and grow your educare centre?
With Grow ECD’s Finance you can get specially negotiated, affordable microloans to invest in your preschool’s education, infrastructure and registration requirements.
- Supplied by an authorised financial service provider. Your loan is in safe hands. We work with a registered Financial Service Provider that wants to see ECD businesses flourish.
- We've negotiated affordable, fixed rates. Like us, our partners believe that ECD centres need a fair, affordable interest rate so that they can invest in their businesses.
- Only for SA preschools and ECD centres. Finance is available for investments in our Quality Education Programme and selected infrastructure only.
Is ECD Finance for you?
Who can apply for ECD Finance?
- You must have an ECD Centre located within 75km from a Grow ECD office (we are based in Cape Town, Midrand, Durban and Pietermaritzburg)
- You must have a clear credit record
- Your centre must actively use the free App for at least 2 months to
- Enrol learners and staff
- Take daily learner and staff attendance on the app
- Capture all income and expenses on the App (unless you have formal bookkeeping records)(Why? This helps us understand if you qualify for a loan, can afford the repayments, and proves that you are an active ECD centre)
- Your centre should have 25+ active learners (recommended)
“I wish I had found Grow ECD earlier. Initially running my centre was a challenge. I didn’t know what I was doing. We had no curriculum and no educational resources. We would buy things as we saw them and try to improvise. I was lost - running around like head-less chicken! The Education Programme is definitely value for money. I would recommend it to anyone. The image it gives to your ECD centre, the professionalism it portrays to parents and how it assists you as principal!”
How does it work?
1: Prove that you run an ECD centre (Preschool/Educare/Creche)
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We need to know that you run a centre and can afford the loan. Use our free ECD App for at least 2 months to do your learner and staff attendance and to capture your business income and expenses.
2: Apply for a loan
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After we visit your centre we will help you submit your application form to the financial service provider. This includes a credit check, all the data you've captured on the app, and a breakeven analysis we've prepared with you.
3: Get finance to grow your ECD business
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You receive funding and repay it over 36 months. You can also settle your loan in advance without any penalty fees. The fees are transparent and easy to understand so that you know exactly how much you will be paying.
“This is such a worthwhile investment. I’m not being boastful, but if you had seen our ECD before and you see it now: it is wow! It’s important to invest in your centre and in a curriculum, good equipment and teacher training because you are investing in the children and in your business. It’s R40 000 and that sounds like too much but Grow ECD checks your finances to see if you can afford it, and they help you see how to afford it. If they see you can’t afford it, they give you guidance on how to run your business better and you can apply again.
What can you use the funding for?
Grow ECD's Quality Education Programme
Infrastructure to meet registration and safety standards (Coming soon)
What does it cost*? How can I afford it?
EXAMPLE: 100% loan
Estimated monthly repayment over 3 years at 5% interest-
The Quality Education Programme
R40 000 -
Once off credit initiation and admin fee
R2 600 -
TOTAL COST R42 600*
EXAMPLE: R20 000 cash payment. Rest on loan.
Estimated monthly repayment over 3 years at 5% interest-
The Quality Education Programme R20 000 cash+R20 000 loan
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Once off credit initiation and admin fee R1 975
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TOTAL COST R41 975*
“I want my ECD to offer five-star quality education. I want people to look at us and say ‘wow’. Not just by look of the centre, but by what the kids achieve, the education, the safeness, the quality, and I am achieving this with Grow ECD.”
