A new accessible and affordable programme empowers Early Childhood Development (ECD) centre owners (mainly women) with the skills they need to improve the quality of education and run a sustainable business.

According to South Africa’s 2021 ECD Census, approximately 1.6 million children are enrolled in 42 420 Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres. Over 40% of these centres are not registered, 22% of ECD staff have no teaching qualifications at all, and only 26% have ever attended a skills training programme.

Non-profit social enterprise, Grow ECD, was established in 2014 to empower ECD owners, primarily women, to run excellent educare centres by equipping and providing them with the skills, support and resources they need to provide five-star early learning to every child. One of the ways Grow ECD provides this is by offering ECD centre owners access to their ECD Business Accelerator training course that provides six business skills and leadership training modules for only R600. Grow ECD also offers all South African pre-schools free access to their technology platform and apps, an effective teaching and business administration tool which is free to use for any preschool in SA.

The six-week Accelerator course teaches critical skills that will improve the quality of the education preschools provide and show owners and principals how to run their centre like a business, which ultimately benefits the owners, teachers and the children. The modules cover:

• Personal leadership and management skills
• How to manage your personal and business finances
• How to achieve financial sustainability in your ECD centre
• How to run your preschool like a business
• How to provide quality early learning to every child
• How to get your ECD registered with the Government
• How to work smarter, using technology

ECD Accelerator graduate and preschool owner, Sbonelo Xaba, runs her preschool from a semi-informal neighbourhood in Boksburg, Gauteng. She says, “The reason I signed up for the Accelerator is because I wanted to learn how to run my preschool like a business. It prepared me to meet registration requirements, how to apply for funding and how to apply a business mindset. My favourite part of the programme was the interaction with other ECD principals. We gained and shared knowledge. The bottom line is that now my preschool is growing.”

GROW co-founder and CEO, Tracey Chambers, says, “Our mission is to empower the people educating the next generation by making professional training accessible, affordable and practical. The ECD Accelerator training is open for applications throughout the year, to develop foundational skills that enable preschool owners to become business-minded and operate their preschools like a business. The GROW App and the Accelerator Programme is a win-win for teachers and pre-school children in that it improves the quality of education being offered by ECD centres, while also increasing the earning potential of teachers and owners.”

Another ECD Accelerator graduate and pre-school owner in Randburg, Tshegofatso Mohube, opened her ECD centre in 2016 and now has eight staff members. She believes that the Accelerator programme is the biggest reason for her business’ success. “I signed up to the Accelerator Programme to grow my business and I haven’t looked back,” says Tshegofatso. “It’s taught me how to manage my finances, how to manage my staff, and how to stand out from my competitors.”

To apply for the Accelerator Programme which takes place on Fridays or Saturdays between 9am and 3pm, applicants must:

• Be operating a preschool for at least two years
• Be the owner or principal of the centre
• Have a relevant ECD qualification (NQF level 4)
• Have 25 learners or more
• Be based close to the Grow ECD regional offices (in Cape Town, JHB, Durban or Gqeberha) so that they can attend the training
• Have an Android smart phone/tablet
• Charge R350 or more in school fees per child, per month

Since its launch in 2023, more than 700 preschool owners have completed the ECD Business Accelerator. In February, the first course kicked off in Gqeberha with 12 participants. The Accelerator is a six-part course where ECD centre owners get taught the essential skills they need to manage their preschool centres like businesses, improve sustainability and improve the quality of education at their centres.

Chambers says, “The course is designed to help ECD centre owners who have a heart for children develop a head for business and understand what it takes to provide quality early learning for children. This golden thread spans the entire process to ensure that participants build personal leadership and financial skills; learn about business sustainability; and understand the ECD registration process and what is expected from a quality ECD centre.”

The ECD Business Accelerator training course requires participants to attend six full-day sessions over six weeks (usually on a Friday or Saturday). The course includes in-depth notes, practical applications and a certificate of completion. According to ECD centre owners who completed the course 35% report an improvement in their understanding and skills to run a more sustainable business and a 17% improvement in their personal agency, vision and leadership of their centre. They also report a 33% improvement in their ability to manage personal and business finances.

Chambers emphasised the potential impact of this training, “From January last year until March 2024, 796 ECD centre owners have signed up for this course. 97% of these centres are owned and operated by women and they care for and educate over 21 500 learners under the age of 5”. She continued, “This makes the Accelerator a valuable investment for those wanting to make a sustainable difference for ECD centres. We welcome ECD organisations and local businesses to join us in getting more ECD centre owners through this course”

For more information or to apply visit https://www.growecd.org.za/ecd-accelerator-programme/