Partnership with GROW ECD to Transform Early Childhood Education

A key element thereof, is Impact 1%, through which we commit 1% of our monthly turnover from each class taught by our teams to causes that address socio-economic and environmental challenges. The criteria for the causes that we support is that they must make sustainable change and must be activist led.

An area which we are particularly passionate about is early childhood development in less privileged communities. Sadly, not every child has equal access to formative learning opportunities. As such, we are thrilled to announce our partnership with GROW ECD, an organization dedicated to revolutionizing early childhood development (ECD) education.

GROW ECD, founded in 2014 by Tracey Chambers and Lisa Voortman, shares our passion for nurturing young minds and providing quality early learning experiences. Chambers, a tenured Chartered Accountant from the corporate world with a vision to affect change, first founded an award-winning non-profit organisation, Taking Care Of Business, that supports unemployed South Africans to eradicate poverty in their families. Where Voortman, a deeply passionate educator, qualified as a special-needs teacher and armed with a postgraduate psychology diploma, brought her extensive experience in successfully running her own early childhood development centre.

The duo was driven by the irrefutable fact that if children attend quality early development centres from the age of 2-5 years-old, they are much more likely to succeed in life. So they have spent the past nine years painstakingly perfecting their quality education formula and ECD small business programme to equip centres with the holistic skills and resources they need to deliver quality education.

GROW ECD's mission is to equip and connect ECD businesses with the resources they need to provide 5-star early learning for every child. Their vision is a world where high-quality early education is accessible to all, unlocking human potential, and where ECD centres operate as sustainable small businesses. Their values of community, kindness, accountability, and excellence resonate strongly with The Really Great Teacher Company's dedication to improving education globally.

The Really Great Teacher Company CEO, James Thomson, expressed his enthusiasm over the partnership. "Our partnership with GROW ECD perfectly aligns with our values and commitment to using education as a powerful tool to make a positive impact on the world.”

“By investing in early childhood development, we are not only nurturing the potential of young learners who would otherwise be left at a severe disadvantage, but also laying the foundation for a brighter future. Together, we aim to unlock the full potential of the next generation!” Thomson said. “Our commitment is to give at least one new school the power of ECD every month. Each of these schools will cater for 30 children."

The partnership will focus on funding ECD centres to access the GROW ECD Small Business Programme, providing them with essential resources to create sustainable learning environments. The financial support from The Really Great Teacher Company will contribute to enabling these centres to implement a play-based daily curriculum, access the GROW classroom kit, receive advanced online and face-to-face training, and connect with professional education and business mentors.

This collaboration represents a significant step forward in our Impact 1% commitment aimed at harnessing the transformative power of teachers to make a lasting impact on society.

This partnership is more than just financial support; it's a commitment to shaping the future by investing in the youngest minds in our society. Together, The Really Great Teacher Company and GROW ECD aim to create a ripple effect of positive change that will impact communities and children for generations to come.