Orange Farm ECD Centre Owners Graduate From Business Accelerator

Orange Farm, Gauteng - Running an early childhood development centre in Orange Farm requires far more than just a passion to educate children. Centre owners must navigate rising costs, manage staff, comply with regulations, balance tight budgets and support families facing economic hardship, often while operating on very limited resources.

To help address these challenges, 26 Orange Farm Early Childhood Development (ECD) centre owners and principals recently completed a six-week business accelerator designed to strengthen their leadership, financial management and business skills, enabling them to build more sustainable centres for the children and families they serve.

Funded by the Futuregrowth Community Property Fund (Comprop) and implemented by Grow ECD, the Accelerator was hosted from 19 August to 23 September 2026 at Eyethu Orange Farm Mall. Over six weeks, participants completed training modules covering leadership, personal financial wellbeing, sustainability planning, ECD centre registration, cashflow management, compliance requirements and quality education programmes.

Local ECD Leaders Building Stronger Centres

According to Lyndsey Petro, Head of Partnerships at Grow ECD, the Accelerator is about helping ECD practitioners see themselves not only as educators, but also as business leaders. She says, "Many ECD centre owners enter the sector because they have a passion for children, but they rarely have access to the business training needed to run sustainable centres. The Accelerator helps bridge that gap. When centre owners understand their finances, compliance requirements and growth opportunities, they are better positioned to provide quality early learning experiences and create lasting impact in their communities."

Participants in the Orange Farm cohort represented centres caring for 30-45 children each, on average, with many navigating tight operating margins and increasing financial demands while charging low fees to keep services accessible for parents.

The programme delivered measurable results. Post-programme assessments showed significant growth in participants' confidence and knowledge, particularly in financial management, record keeping, profit and loss understanding, expense tracking, compliance requirements and centre registration processes.

Participant feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with every module receiving at least 92% "very helpful" ratings and participants consistently describing the learning experience as engaging, practical and relevant to their daily realities.

Investing in Local Leaders

The Futuregrowth Community Property Fund has been investing in the Orange Farm community for many years. Smital Rambhai, the Portfolio Manager of the Futuregrowth Community Property Fund, highlights how investing in leadership is a pathway to sustainable growth. "Quality early childhood development is one of the most impactful investments in a community. By supporting the Grow ECD Accelerator, we are not only investing in the sustainability of ECD centres, but also in the futures of the children and families they serve. Each centre will benefit generations of learners, as well as provide meaningful jobs for staff. We are encouraged by the commitment shown by the Orange Farm participants and are proud to be part of a programme that is building stronger ECD enterprises and stronger communities."

Centre Owners Share Their Experience

Participants say the programme has changed the way they manage their centres.

Gloria Phakathi, owner of Kanana Stars ECD, said: "For the first time, I'm properly keeping track of what I'm making and what I'm spending. This is now my second month being able to account for my money, and honestly, that feels like such a big achievement for me. Grow ECD helped me understand that managing my money properly is a big part of growing my day care."

Phillys Martin from Little Angels Day Care Centre said the financial management component of the programme was particularly transformative. "I realised that although money was coming in, we weren't really keeping proper records. The programme helped me understand that making money is only one part of running a successful centre. You need to know where your money is going, keep proper records and manage it intentionally."

Christinah Moloi from Dimpho Tse Ntle Day Care said the training gave her renewed confidence for the future of her centre. "The programme taught me how to stay on top of my administration and be more intentional about how I run my business. Going into next year, I feel far more confident and disciplined in what I'm doing."

What's Next for Participating Centres?

As a next step, Grow ECD will conduct site visits and assessments to identify centres with the potential to join its Small Business Programme and will receive ongoing support.

The Orange Farm Accelerator demonstrates what can happen when funders, development organisations and community-based ECD entrepreneurs work together to strengthen the foundations of early learning. By helping centre owners build sustainable businesses, the programme contributes to stronger local economies, improved educational opportunities and better futures for young children.