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Our Purpose

To empower the people educating the next generation

Our Vision

5-Star early learning in every neighbourhood that unlocks human potential

Our Mission

We equip and connect ECD businesses with the skills, support and resources they need to provide 5-Star early learning for every child

Our Promise

Grow ECD's holistic model makes running a sustainable 5-Star ECD centre a possibility for all

Our Values

Community
Kindness
Accountability
Excellence

One teacher can grow a generation of learners!

Here's how we empower women to run excellent educare centres

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Free Mobile App

Android app for owners, teachers and parents. Get access to free tools, resources and online training to run a professional preschool, save time on admin and engage parents.

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Online Curriculum Subscription

Save hours of planning with our easy-to-use online lesson plans. It’s NCF-aligned, multimedia-rich and data-free. Inspire your teachers and ensure your preschool learners are ready for big school.

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ECD Business Accelerator Training

Sign up for this 6-part training for ECD Centre owners and get the skills, tools and resources you need to run your preschool like a business. Learn about leadership, money management, steps to getting registered and so much more.

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ECD Small Business Programme

Join this 3-year support programme to improve your business sustainability and education quality. Includes curriculum, classroom kit, training, education mentoring, business mentoring and low-cost finance.

We believe

  1. Every child deserves 5-Star quality early education if we want to break the cycle of inequality
  1. Quality education can only be sustained if ECD centre owners and teachers are paid fairly and centres are financially sustainable
  1. ECD is a thriving small business sector that needs to be invested in
  1. If we invest in women who have a heart for children and a head for business it will improve the quality and sustainability of the sector
  1. Technology is a game changer and a catalyst for change when integrated into an ecosystem for human development

BBBEE and tax benefits

We can offer companies significant points on their Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment scorecard thanks to our focus on growing small, black-women-owned business and empowering the unemployed through skills development. Our programme directly supports the advance empowerment of black people through Socio-Economic Development (SED). Individuals also benefit from tax relief when they make financial donations.

  • SED (Socio-Economic Development) points
  • Section 18A tax certificates
  • 100% black beneficiaries
  • 100% female beneficiaries
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Awards

2013
Pan African Award for Entrepreneurship in Education

2013
Ashoka Changemakers Award

2015
Western Cape Business Woman of the Year Award for Social Entrepreneurship

2016
Schwab Social Entrepreneur of the Year

2017
Western Cape Premier’s Entrepreneurship Recognition Award

2018
Ashoka Fellowship

2021
The Clothing Bank Group (which includes Grow ECD Centres) is listed as one of the Top 100 Corporate Ready Social Enterprises globally in the Acumen report. 

2022
World of difference Award

  • 2014 -2017

    We open our first centres (using a social franchise model) in Langa, Cape Town and by 2017 we launch new centres in Durban thanks to the generous support of local and international funders and partners. We begin to develop the Education-in-a-Box and Business-in-a-Box components for a quality, professional preschool.

  • 2019

    We open our first four social franchise ECD centres in Johannesburg. We also start developing the technology to equip our ECD centres to manage their preschools from the palm of their hand while helping us drive data-driven decision-making.

  • 2020

    We launch our data-free online learning programme for teachers and centre owners. We launch our comprehensive ECD management system and mobile app. During the COVID-19 crisis, we support our 43 Partner Centres, their learners and families with stipends and at-home learning resources. We realise that many more ECD centres need support, and our technology could benefit the sector as a whole.

  • 2021

    We start our journey toward scale by launching our apps for free to all ECD Centres and partners in South Africa as our gift to the sector. We move away from social franchising and make our services and products more accessible to more centres by launching our Quality Education Programme and business support tools. We launch low-cost ECD Finance to allow preschools to afford an investment in their small businesses.

  • 2022

    We launch our online curriculum, a data-free interactive lesson plan guide to support teachers nationwide. We launch our free registration support tools.  We start several new partnerships and collaborations and end the year with 1400 centres actively using our technology and 91 centres using our Quality Education Programme.  

  • 2023

    We launch our ECD Business Accelerator. We launch our Baby Curriculum for 1-2-year-olds. 

Company details:

GW Foundation NPC

NPO number 161-786NPO

PBO number 930048936

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