Overview > The ELMA Foundation > Early Childhood Development > Scaling ECD in South Africa

Special Initiative:
Scaling Early Childhood Development in South Africa

Over the past 10 years, The ELMA Foundation has been investing in strengthening and growing the Early Childhood Development (ECD) eco-system in South Africa to enable it to provide universal access to ECD.

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To do this, ELMA’s strategy has been:

To support core ECD training and support institutions, like TREE-ECD, Khululeka, ASHA Trust, and the Early Learning Resources Unit, who form the scaffolding around ECD services and were the building blocks of ECD service provision in South Africa
To support the creation of two platforms for providing ECD services at scale
- SmartStart, an early learning social franchise aiming to create a platform that can provide quality early learning to 1 million three and four-year-olds each year
- The Grow Great Initiative, which is driving a national commitment to a stunting-free generation by 2030 by creating a platform to provide universal access to antenatal and postnatal classes that support and celebrate mothers in the critical first 1,000 days and creating network of 10,000 Community Health Workers that are ‘Champions for Children’ by 2030
To support the development of government systems required for ECD services to be delivered at scale through the creation of Ilifa Labatwana, a non-profit, ECD technical support organization focused on improving ECD financing, data, workforce, programs, and systems
To support innovative solutions and approaches to ECD challenges, which can be absorbed into and scaled through the ECD eco-system, by supporting the establishment of the Innovation Edge, an innovation catalyst and investment platform
To create impactful partnerships with peer funding institutions, such as the DG Murray Trust, the FirstRand Foundation, Yellowwoods Social Investments, the Standard Bank Tutuwa Community Foundation, Omdiyar Network, Assupol Community Trust, the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Endowment, and the Lego Foundation.

Current Investments

Featured

South Africa

Bulungula Incubator

South Africa

General support for an organization providing children with quality early childhood education, nutrition, health, and basic services in the rural Xhora Mouth Administrative Area, Eastern Cape

South Africa

Cape Educational Trust

South Africa

General support to an organization improving access to quality ECD services and programs for children ages 0-6 across three provinces

South Africa

DataDrive2030

South Africa

General support to a social enterprise that supports the collection and use of high-quality data to improve outcomes and access to early learning for children

South Africa

Earlybird Educare

South Africa

General support to the non-profit arm of an ECD social enterprise that is building a low-fee, high-quality early learning model by partnering with property developers in the social and affordable housing sector

South Africa

Ilifa Labantwana

South Africa

General support for an organization that designs, demonstrates, and advocates for the implementation of improved ECD systems that will enable the delivery of quality ECD services at scale to the poorest 40% of children, from conception to five years of age

South Africa

Impande

South Africa

General support for an organization providing a comprehensive package of quality ECD services to a network of ECD centers in southern Kwa-Zulu Natal and northern Eastern Cape

South Africa

Khululeka Community Education Development Centre Trust

South Africa

General support for an ECD training and implementation organization focused on increasing access to quality services through the training and upskilling of ECD practitioners in rural Eastern Cape for children from birth to six years old

South Africa

Ntataise Trust

South Africa

General support to an organization that is developing a quality assurance and support model with the aim of strengthening and systematizing a national ECD network of 22 self-sufficient, independent organizations operating in eight of South Africa’s nine provinces

South Africa

SmartStart Early Learning

South Africa

General support to a cost-effective and scalable early learning social franchise that provides quality education programs to three- and four-year-olds through a network of licensed ECD practitioners

South Africa

The DG Murray Trust

South Africa

Project support to incubate and implement a seven-year initiative endorsed by the South African Office of the Presidency to drive improved outcomes for children across a comprehensive package of early childhood services as part of its National Program of Action for Children

South Africa

The DG Murray Trust

South Africa

Project support for Grow Great, a national campaign to significantly reduce stunting by 2030

South Africa

The Equal Education Law Centre Trust

South Africa

General support for a social justice law clinic working to support access to quality early childhood development and education using strategic litigation, advocacy, and policy development support

South Africa

The Unlimited Child

South Africa

General support for an organization focused on scaling up a quality improvement model in 6,000 ECD centers reaching 500,000 children in low-income populations by 2025

South Africa

Training and Resources in Early Education

South Africa

General support to provide reopening, stabilizing, and rebuilding support to 450 ECD centers and programs serving 20,000 children across three provinces

South Africa

University of Pretoria, Centre for Child Law

South Africa

General support for an ongoing social justice program focused on advancing the realization of children’s rights in South Africa

South Africa

Wordworks

South Africa

General support for an organization that develops content and resources to support early language and literacy development, and provides technical assistance to government and non-profit organizations to scale effective integrated ECD services

South Africa

Special Initiative: Scaling Early Childhood Development in South Africa

Over the past 10 years, The ELMA Foundation has been investing in strengthening and growing the Early Childhood Development (ECD) eco-system in South Africa to enable it to provide universal access to ECD.

Current Investments

Explore The ELMA Group of Foundations

Special Initiative:
Scaling Early Childhood Development in South Africa