Education Alliance Finland (EAF), through EdTech Impact, has awarded Grow ECD’s online curriculum a remarkable 93% score in Quality Pedagogy Approach.
This Finnish certification offers academically sound endorsement, backed by rigorous independent review, to demonstrate that the Grow ECD curriculum promotes efficient, impactful learning.
A Play-Based Curriculum Backed by Pedagogy and Expertise
It’s a well-known fact: access to quality early childhood education is the foundation of a child’s future success. Extensive research proves this, and most South Africans intuitively understand it. At Grow ECD, we are on a mission to equip early learning educators, especially in underserved communities, with the tools and resources they need to nurture young minds.
Recently, Grow ECD’s curriculum has earned significant endorsements, including a 93% quality score from Education Alliance Finland (EAF) and provincial accreditation from the Department of Basic Education (DBE) in the Western Cape. These recognitions validate the quality and relevance of our play-based approach, offering teachers the assurance that they are in safe, capable hands as they implement the curriculum and lesson plans at their ECD centres nationwide.
Unlocking learners’ potential through an online curriculum and teacher’s guide
Children learn best when they are actively engaged. The Grow ECD curriculum (for 0 to 5-year-olds) was designed to align with best practice pedagogical principles and the South Africa National Curriculum Framework (NCF) to make it as locally relevant and effective as possible. Through carefully structured activities per age group, the curriculum guides teachers step by step, ensuring children explore, imagine, and build critical emergent literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional skills – all while having fun!
We can all agree that early educators play a vital role in shaping the future, but many lack access to the mentorship, resources and support they need to provide quality education. That’s why we’ve created an online, accessible, scalable curriculum that supports and empowers teachers every step of the way. Our media-rich model makes this valuable resource more engaging, simplifies planning and provides clear, actionable steps for creating a dynamic and engaging classroom environment.
Most importantly, our curriculum is designed to be inclusive and adaptable to diverse learning environments. Whether teachers work in well-resourced schools or under-resourced communities, our teacher’s guide provides reliable, play-based learning experiences that make every child feel seen, supported, and valued. We were able to bring their curriculum to life through the online model thanks to the support of Lego Foundation, which generously sponsored its development.
“Our goal was to bring the traditional curriculum book to life, making it easier for teachers from diverse backgrounds to access and implement best practices,” explains Lisa Voortman, Head of Education at Grow ECD. “The online curriculum includes voice notes, videos, songs, rhymes, extension activities, tips and step-by-step guides. It really is like having a mentor in your ear.”
Tamsin Noi, an educator at Annies Ark Preschool in Cape Town shared, “The online curriculum has made a huge difference to the way I teach. It also takes me less time to plan and prepare. Things are being said and shown to me by real teachers, so I get a better understanding of what I need to do.”
Pedagogical excellence: A Finnish stamp of approval.
Education Alliance Finland (EAF) is globally respected for its rigorous evaluation of educational technology and learning solutions. Their reviews are based on scientifically valid, transparent methods, ensuring that the products they endorse meet the highest global standards.
Recently, EAF evaluated the Grow ECD online curriculum through their EdTech Impact platform, awarding it a 93% score for Quality Pedagogy. This score places our curriculum among the top-rated early learning resources globally.
In their evaluation, EAF praised the curriculum’s interactive nature: “The solution provides numerous ways to seamlessly integrate various topics into play. The overall concept is well-designed and thoughtfully executed.” They also highlighted the clarity and effectiveness of our educational materials: “The educational materials are flawless. The language is straightforward yet profoundly insightful, enabling learners to grasp concepts with ease.”
Grow ECD’s Curriculum: Endorsements from Trusted Stakeholders
- Department of Basic Education, Western Cape (Form 17): The curriculum has been renewed and accredited by the DBE, providing a trusted endorsement of its quality. While this is currently a provincial accreditation, it demonstrates that the curriculum meets the DBE’s rigorous standards.
- Education Alliance Finland (EAF) / EdTech Impact: With a 93% score in pedagogical quality, our curriculum is recognized as one of the top-rated early learning resources globally. EAF praised our “well-designed stories and activities,” as well as the curriculum’s ability to engage children in thought-provoking lessons.
Thank you
We extend our sincere thanks to the Injini Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship Program for making the evaluation possible. Thanks to their support we were able to work with Education Alliance Finland to gain this valuable certification.
A curriculum for every classroom
With these prestigious endorsements, Grow ECD is poised to continue empowering educators across South Africa, providing them with the tools and confidence to deliver high-quality early learning experiences that unlock the full potential of every child.
Unlock the Grow ECD curriculum for your teachers
The Grow ECD data-free Online Curriculum is available as a termly subscription.
One subscription unlocks the curriculum for the entire preschool’s teachers!