Centre Snapshot
Centre name: Grow Buddies Preschool and Aftercare
Owner / Principal: Mthwakazi Nancy Soqaka
Location: Khayelitsha, Cape Town
Year established: 2022
Years in operation: 4 years
Children currently supported: 53 across two centres
Joined Grow ECD programmes: 2024
From job loss to bold new beginnings
When Mthwakazi Nancy Soqaka lost her teaching job during the COVID‑19 pandemic, she faced a crossroads that many experienced Early Childhood Development practitioners know well. She could search for another job, or she could take a risk and build something of her own.
Nancy chose to build.
With more than 15 years of experience working at a preschool in Pinelands, she knew what quality early learning looked like. Encouraged by her former employer and driven by a deep passion for children, she decided to open her own preschool in the community where she lived.
Starting without funding was daunting. Grow Buddies began in a rented house in poor condition, with donated equipment and just four children enrolled. Growth relied entirely on trust, word of mouth, and Nancy’s reputation as an experienced educator.
“It was a little bit scary, but I was brave,” Nancy recalls. “I told some of my neighbours that I was going to open my preschool, and because they knew my experience, they trusted me. One parent even told me they would wait for me to open before enrolling their child anywhere else.”
Grow Buddies Preschool and Aftercare opened its doors in 2022, responding to a clear need in Khayelitsha for quality early learning delivered in English and grounded in strong educational practice.
You cannot run a preschool on passion alone
As enrolment slowly increased, Nancy realised that passion alone would not be enough to sustain her centre or support her family. Running a preschool required more than love for children. It required business skills, systems, and long‑term planning.
Nancy was introduced to Grow ECD, a South African non‑profit social enterprise that supports ECD centres to operate and grow as sustainable small businesses. After reaching the required enrolment threshold, she joined Grow ECD’s Business Accelerator Programme, a six‑week training designed to build confidence, business capability, and sustainability for ECD owners.
“That training changed my mindset,” Nancy says. “It gave me the courage to think bigger and plan properly. I knew this was the start of something big.”
Through Grow ECD, Nancy received structured business mentoring, teacher training, quality education equipment, and access to digital tools that transformed how she managed her centre. Her business mentor helped her simplify fee structures, improve financial tracking, and adopt systems, and a mindset, that now guide how she runs her schools.
“You are not running a charity. You are running a business. You must have a brain for the business and a heart for the children,” Nancy explains.
Grow ECD’s system for less stress and more impact
Administrative work had previously been a major source of stress. Filing, registers, and bookkeeping took time and energy away from children and teaching.
“Before, it was very stressful for me to do the filing and bookkeeping,” Nancy says. “Now I use the free Giraffe App. I can register my finances, do a staff register, take the children’s register, and record my expenditures. I can record everything that is happening in my centre.”
Using the Grow ECD App, Nancy now manages enrolment, staff records, finances, and reporting in one place. This reduced administrative pressure and enabled better decision‑making.
At the same time, Grow ECD education mentors supported Nancy with classroom setup, curriculum planning, observation, and assessment. This strengthened the quality of education offered at Grow Buddies.
“The quality of education is five‑star,” Nancy says. “The children’s language, confidence, and development improved across the board.”
Growth that creates jobs and reaches more children
As quality improved, demand followed. Enrolment soon exceeded the space available at the original Grow Buddies site. Temporary solutions worked for a time, but it became clear that further expansion was needed.
Through Grow ECD’s funding pathways, Nancy secured funding to refurbish a second property, making it possible to open Grow Buddies 2. At the same time, Breadline SA, a Grow ECD partner, supported the expansion by providing a classroom container at the original site.
Together, this support allowed Nancy to expand responsibly while maintaining quality.
Today, Grow Buddies supports:
- 17 children in the original classroom
- 20 children in the Breadline classroom container
- 16 children at Grow Buddies 2
From a single centre with just four children, Nancy has built a growing ECD enterprise that creates employment and expands access to high‑quality early learning in Khayelitsha.
What parents are seeing
Parents report remarkable changes in their children’s development.
“My daughter started here only speaking Xhosa. After two years, she was fluent in English,” says parent Tumelo Leballo. “We never expected this level of development. We are incredibly proud of Grow Buddies.”
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Grow ECD is an early learning social enterprise. We equip ECD businesses and organisations with the skills, support and resources they need to provide 5-star early learning for every child.