When Mthwakazi Nancy Soqaka lost her teaching job during the COVID\u201119 pandemic, she faced a decision familiar to many experienced Early Childhood Development (ECD) practitioners. She could look for another job, or she could take the risk of building something of her own.<\/p>\n
Nancy chose to build and started her own preschool.<\/p>\n
Today, just four years later, Nancy is the founder and owner of Grow Buddies Preschool and Aftercare in Khayelitsha and has recently opened a second ECD centre, growing her business, creating jobs, and reaching more children with high\u2011quality early learning.<\/p>\n
Starting With Experience, Not Capital<\/strong><\/h3>\nNancy spent 15 years working at a preschool in Pinelands before losing her job in 2021 due to the pandemic. Encouraged by her former employer and driven by a deep passion for children, she decided to open her own centre in the community where she lived.<\/p>\n
She admits that starting without funding was daunting. With donated equipment, a rented house in poor condition, and just four children enrolled, Nancy relied on word of mouth, community trust, and her professional experience to get started.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a little bit scary, but I was brave.\u00a0I told some of my\u00a0neighbours\u00a0that\u00a0I’m\u00a0going to open my preschool,\u00a0and\u00a0because they knew\u00a0of my\u00a0previous\u00a0experience,\u00a0they trusted me. One parent even told me they would wait for me to open my school before enrolling their child anywhere else,\u201d Nancy recalls.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nGrow Buddies Preschool and Aftercare<\/a><\/strong> opened in 2022, responding to a clear need in Khayelitsha for quality early learning delivered in English and rooted in strong educational practice.<\/p>\nTurning a Passion Project into a Sustainable Business<\/strong><\/h3>\nAs enrolment slowly increased, Nancy recognised that passion alone would not be enough to sustain her centre or put food on the table. She needed business skills. She was introduced to Grow ECD<\/a><\/strong>, a non\u2011profit social enterprise that supports ECD centres in operating and expanding as viable businesses.<\/p>\nAfter meeting the required enrolment threshold, Nancy joined Grow ECD\u2019s Business Accelerator Programme, a six-week training focused on building confidence, business skills, and long-term sustainability for ECD owners.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat training changed my mindset. It gave me the courage to think bigger and plan properly. I knew this was the start of something big,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nNancy 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 processes \u2013 and the mindset – that now guides how she runs her schools.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are not running a charity. You are running a business. You must have a brain for the business and a heart for the children,\u201d Nancy explains.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cBefore, it\u00a0was very stressful for\u00a0me\u00a0to do the filing and bookkeeping.\u00a0But now I use the <\/a>the free Giraffe App<\/a><\/strong>. I can register my finances there,\u00a0do a staff register, take the children\u2019s register,\u00a0and record my\u00a0expenditures. I can record everything that is happening in my centre,\u201c says Nancy.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nUsing the Grow ECD App, Nancy now manages enrolment, staff records, finances, and reporting in one place, reducing administrative pressure and enabling better decision\u2011making.<\/p>\n
At the same time, education mentors supported her with classroom setup, curriculum planning, observation, and assessment, strengthening the quality of education offered at Grow Buddies.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe quality of education is five-star. The children\u2019s language, confidence, and development improved across the board,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.goodthingsguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/grow-buddies-classroom.jpg\")
Photo Credit: Supplied by Helene Brand, Grow ECD<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nGrowth That Creates Jobs and Reaches More Children<\/strong><\/h3>\nAs quality improved, demand followed. Enrolment soon exceeded the space available at Nancy\u2019s original site. Temporary solutions helped for a time, but further expansion became necessary.<\/p>\n
With access to Grow ECD\u2019s funding pathways, Nancy secured funding to refurbish a second property, enabling the opening of Grow Buddies 2.<\/p>\n
At the same time, Breadline SA, a Grow ECD partner, generously supported the expansion by providing a classroom container at the original site, increasing capacity and improving infrastructure.<\/p>\n
Together, this support made it possible for Nancy to expand responsibly while maintaining quality.<\/p>\n
Today, Grow Buddies supports:<\/p>\n
\n- 17 children in the original classroom<\/li>\n
- 20 children in the Breadline classroom container<\/li>\n
- 16 children at Grow Buddies 2<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
From a single centre with four children, Nancy has built a growing ECD enterprise that creates employment and expands access to quality early learning in Khayelitsha.<\/p>\n
And the parents? They couldn’t be happier, sharing the positive changes in their children\u2019s development, language and confidence.<\/p>\n
A Model for Scaling ECD Impact<\/strong><\/h3>\n\u201cIf we are serious about reaching more children with quality early learning, we have to stop treating ECD centres as informal projects and start supporting them as the businesses they are,\u201d says Tracey Chambers, Co\u2011Founder of Grow ECD.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cNancy\u2019s journey shows what becomes possible when ECD entrepreneurs have access to the right business skills, systems, and partners. When centres are financially sustainable and professionally run, they don\u2019t just survive, they grow, create jobs, and expand their impact year after year.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nNancy is already planning her next phase of growth. Her long\u2011term vision is to develop a larger campus with multiple classes, outdoor play spaces, and education up to Grade 7.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know my dream will come true,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nSources: Grow ECD<\/em><\/h6>\nDon\u2019t ever miss the Good Things. Download the Good Things Guy App now on\u00a0Apple<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Google<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/h6>\nDo you have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by\u00a0clicking here\u00a0<\/a>or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque \u2013 South Africa\u2019s very own\u00a0Good Things Guy<\/a>. He\u2019s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there\u2019s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you\u2019ll meet these everyday heroes and hear their incredible stories:<\/em><\/h6>\n
\u201cIt was a little bit scary, but I was brave.\u00a0I told some of my\u00a0neighbours\u00a0that\u00a0I’m\u00a0going to open my preschool,\u00a0and\u00a0because they knew\u00a0of my\u00a0previous\u00a0experience,\u00a0they trusted me. One parent even told me they would wait for me to open my school before enrolling their child anywhere else,\u201d Nancy recalls.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Grow Buddies Preschool and Aftercare<\/a><\/strong> opened in 2022, responding to a clear need in Khayelitsha for quality early learning delivered in English and rooted in strong educational practice.<\/p>\n As enrolment slowly increased, Nancy recognised that passion alone would not be enough to sustain her centre or put food on the table. She needed business skills. She was introduced to Grow ECD<\/a><\/strong>, a non\u2011profit social enterprise that supports ECD centres in operating and expanding as viable businesses.<\/p>\n After meeting the required enrolment threshold, Nancy joined Grow ECD\u2019s Business Accelerator Programme, a six-week training focused on building confidence, business skills, and long-term sustainability for ECD owners.<\/p>\n \u201cThat training changed my mindset. It gave me the courage to think bigger and plan properly. I knew this was the start of something big,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n 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 processes \u2013 and the mindset – that now guides how she runs her schools.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are not running a charity. You are running a business. You must have a brain for the business and a heart for the children,\u201d Nancy explains.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBefore, it\u00a0was very stressful for\u00a0me\u00a0to do the filing and bookkeeping.\u00a0But now I use the <\/a>the free Giraffe App<\/a><\/strong>. I can register my finances there,\u00a0do a staff register, take the children\u2019s register,\u00a0and record my\u00a0expenditures. I can record everything that is happening in my centre,\u201c says Nancy.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Using the Grow ECD App, Nancy now manages enrolment, staff records, finances, and reporting in one place, reducing administrative pressure and enabling better decision\u2011making.<\/p>\n At the same time, education mentors supported her with classroom setup, curriculum planning, observation, and assessment, strengthening the quality of education offered at Grow Buddies.<\/p>\n \u201cThe quality of education is five-star. The children\u2019s language, confidence, and development improved across the board,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n As quality improved, demand followed. Enrolment soon exceeded the space available at Nancy\u2019s original site. Temporary solutions helped for a time, but further expansion became necessary.<\/p>\n With access to Grow ECD\u2019s funding pathways, Nancy secured funding to refurbish a second property, enabling the opening of Grow Buddies 2.<\/p>\n At the same time, Breadline SA, a Grow ECD partner, generously supported the expansion by providing a classroom container at the original site, increasing capacity and improving infrastructure.<\/p>\n Together, this support made it possible for Nancy to expand responsibly while maintaining quality.<\/p>\n Today, Grow Buddies supports:<\/p>\n From a single centre with four children, Nancy has built a growing ECD enterprise that creates employment and expands access to quality early learning in Khayelitsha.<\/p>\n And the parents? They couldn’t be happier, sharing the positive changes in their children\u2019s development, language and confidence.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we are serious about reaching more children with quality early learning, we have to stop treating ECD centres as informal projects and start supporting them as the businesses they are,\u201d says Tracey Chambers, Co\u2011Founder of Grow ECD.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNancy\u2019s journey shows what becomes possible when ECD entrepreneurs have access to the right business skills, systems, and partners. When centres are financially sustainable and professionally run, they don\u2019t just survive, they grow, create jobs, and expand their impact year after year.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Nancy is already planning her next phase of growth. Her long\u2011term vision is to develop a larger campus with multiple classes, outdoor play spaces, and education up to Grade 7.<\/p>\n \u201cI know my dream will come true,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nTurning a Passion Project into a Sustainable Business<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Growth That Creates Jobs and Reaches More Children<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
A Model for Scaling ECD Impact<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nSources: Grow ECD<\/em><\/h6>\n
Don\u2019t ever miss the Good Things. Download the Good Things Guy App now on\u00a0Apple<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Google<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/h6>\n
Do you have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by\u00a0clicking here\u00a0<\/a>or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque \u2013 South Africa\u2019s very own\u00a0Good Things Guy<\/a>. He\u2019s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there\u2019s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you\u2019ll meet these everyday heroes and hear their incredible stories:<\/em><\/h6>\n