Running an ECD centre means wearing many hats.
You are responsible for creating a safe, quality learning environment for children, but you are also managing a small business. There are staff and learners to manage, attendance to record, parents to communicate with, school fees to collect, invoices to send, finances to track, paperwork to keep up to date and learner progress to monitor.
At Grow ECD, we often call ECD owners Chief Everything Officers for exactly this reason.
The Giraffe App was created to make some of this work easier. And now, Giraffe can do much more.
Giraffe has grown with ECD centre owners
Existing Giraffe users may already know the app for helping with centre management, curriculum, learner assessments and other day-to-day tasks.
But as the needs of ECD centre owners have grown, so has Giraffe.
Today, it brings centre management, business tools, teaching, parent engagement, training and support together in one platform.
You can use it from a phone, tablet or laptop, it is 100% free to use and data-free, and you don’t need to download an app to get started.
So, what’s changed?
One app for your whole ECD team
One of the biggest changes is that Giraffe isn’t only for the centre owner.
Owners, teachers and parents can now use the same connected platform, while the owner or principal remains in control.
The owner has access to the full centre profile and can manage classrooms, learners, staff, finances and business information. Teachers can be given access to the classes and tools they need to plan lessons and track learner progress. Parents can access information relevant to their own child, including progress reports, daily observations, billing and payments.
Importantly, the centre owner decides which staff members have access to which features.
That means one system can support the whole team without everyone having access to everything.
More tools to help you manage your ECD business
Providing quality early learning is at the heart of an ECD centre, but a centre also needs to be, professional and financially sustainable.
That’s why some of the biggest improvements to Giraffe focus on business and financial management.
Owners can use Giraffe to track income and expenses, manage invoices, access financial reports and see business insights.
Instead of having learner information in one place, invoices somewhere else and financial records in another, more of the information you need to run your centre can now live together.
For Tin House Daycare Centre owner Julia Muteba, these business tools have become an important part of running her centre:
“The new Giraffe App is such a pleasure to use. I use the business page and attendance register daily, and the business feature is really my favourite. Invoicing has made our communication with parents more professional and our accounting much better.”
This is exactly what Giraffe is designed to support: helping an ECD owner manage both the education and business sides of their centre professionally.
Make everyday ECD admin easier
There are also practical tools for the administration that comes with running a preschool or crèche.
Giraffe allows you to manage learner enrolment, attendance, staff roles and access, school and class information, documents and storage.
Having this information together makes it easier to keep records organised and find the information you need without relying on piles of paperwork or information stored in different places.
And because Giraffe works on phones, tablets and laptops, you can choose the device that works best for the task you’re doing.
Support your teachers and track learner development
Giraffe isn’t only about administration.
Teachers can access Grow ECD’s play-based curriculum and daily teacher guide, as well as learner assessments, development reports, teacher assessment and professional development training and tools.
This means the same platform being used to manage the centre can also help teachers plan, monitor learner development and strengthen their own practice.
For an owner or principal, it provides a more connected view of what’s happening across both the business and educational sides of the centre.
Keep parents more connected
Parents are an important part of every child’s early learning journey.
Through Giraffe, parents can access information relating to their child, including daily observations, learner progress reports, billing and payments.
This creates another way for centres to keep parents informed and engaged while keeping relevant information connected to the same platform used by the centre.
You don't have to figure everything out on your own
Adding more functionality shouldn’t mean making an app more difficult to use.
That’s why Giraffe now includes step-by-step guidance.
Helpful messages, tips and suggestions appear as you use the platform, guiding you through different tasks and helping you understand what to do next.
Think of it as a little helping hand along the way.
More than preschool management software
Growing a sustainable ECD centre requires more than good administration software.
Giraffe also connects owners and teachers to downloadable ECD resources, policies and templates, online training courses, coaching, tips, helpdesk support and the AI-powered Grow ECD Assistant.
So whether you need to manage attendance, understand your finances, find a policy template, complete training or get help with an ECD question, you can access support through the same platform.
Giraffe has grown alongside the needs of ECD centre owners, but its purpose remains simple: to make it easier to manage and sustainably grow an ECD centre while providing quality early learning.
Frequently asked questions about the Giraffe App
What is an ECD management app?
An ECD or preschool management app helps centre owners manage everyday tasks such as learner enrolment, attendance, staff, finances, records and reporting digitally. Giraffe goes further by also providing teaching tools, parent engagement, training, resources and support.
What can the Giraffe App help me manage?
Giraffe includes tools for centre administration, staff and learners, attendance, income and expenses, invoicing, financial reporting, curriculum, learner assessments, parent engagement, resources, training and more.
Is the Giraffe App free?
Yes. Giraffe is 100% free to use and data-free. You will still need an internet connection to access it.
Can I use Giraffe on a computer or laptop?
Yes. Giraffe works across phones, tablets and laptops, allowing you to choose the device that suits you.
Can my teachers use the Giraffe App?
Yes. Teachers can access their classes, plan lessons, track learner progress, access professional development training and download resources. The centre owner controls staff access and determines which features each staff member can use.
Can parents use the Giraffe App?
Yes. Parents can access information about their own child, including progress reports, daily observations, billing and payments.
Is your data and information safe on the Grow Giraffe app? Who owns the data and who has access to it?
Your ECD centre’s data, including children’s information, belongs to the centre. Your data will never be shared or sold without your written permission (for example, if your ECD centre works with a nutrition partner and you want them to have access to selected information, you can approve the level of access they may have). Access to the data is controlled by the user’s account, role, and permissions, which the ECD centre owner controls.
How Is The Data Protected?
User permissions and Role-based access determines what type of information each staff member has access to. The ECD centre owner controls the level of access. For security, there is an authentication process with OTPs, which work on email or SMS. Grow Giraffe App is securely hosted on AWS cloud infrastructure.
Ready to see what Giraffe can do?
Whether you’re looking for a preschool management app, a better way to manage your centre’s finances or simply one place to bring more of your ECD administration together, take a look at Giraffe. It’s free, data-free and built around the day-to-day realities of running an ECD centre.