Johannesburg, South Africa, 17 September 2024 – Earlybird Educare@Work, a social enterprise dedicated to providing high-quality early childhood development (ECD) services through their educare centers located throughout South Africa, has successfully concluded a USD 1million equity raise to fuel the expansion of their proven model. The round saw participation from one of Earlybird’s existing investors, UBS Optimus Foundation, along with a new incoming investor, the Klett Group.
Founded in 2017, the Company has been on a mission to provide affordable, high-quality early childhood education and care services to working families in South Africa. The organization currently operates 10 centers in 3 provinces, serving 618 children.
“We are really happy to have the opportunity to partner with these visionary investors who share our commitment to providing every child with the opportunity to reach their full potential,” said Megan Blair, Founder and CEO of Earlybird Educare@Work. “We hope to open multiple new centres per year over the coming years to expand our positive impact on the lives of children and families across South Africa.”
Dhun Davar, Head of Social Finance, UBS Optimus Foundation and Head of Social Impact & Philanthropy, India and Middle East, UBS, said:
“Children who attend quality early learning programs are more likely to have a good start at school and achieve better learning outcomes. But only 1 in 3 children in South Africa has access to a high quality early learning centre. At UBS Optimus Foundation we aim to drive transformative, scalable impact for marginalized communities across the globe and are proud to support Earlybird Educare@Work as they double the size of their footprint in South Africa.”
About Earlybird Educare@Work
Earlybird is a social enterprise which seeks to address the critical shortage of, and unacceptably unequal access to, high-quality centre-based early childhood development services for families across South Africa.
We operate two equally high-quality centre-based educare brands – Earlybird Educare@Work (a for-profit company) and Blue Door ECE (a non-profit company) – which, together, enable us to serve children from across the socioeconomic spectrum.
About UBS Optimus Foundation
UBS Optimus Foundation is an independent grant-making foundation that offers UBS clients a platform to use their wealth to drive positive social and environmental change. The Foundation selects programs that improve children’s health, education, and protection, ones that have the potential to be transformative, scalable, and sustainable, as well as programs tackling environmental and climate issues.
About the Klett Group
Klett Group is a family-owned education provider based in Stuttgart, Germany. The company’s origins date back to 1897. Over the past few decades, Klett has evolved into one of the largest education groups in Europe, with 80 companies in 18 countries providing educational content, tools, and services in many different forms. Various independent education providers are part of Klett Group, each with its own special pedagogical profile. Together, they offer high-quality education in 150 childcare centres, more than 40 general education schools and seven vocational schools throughout Germany and beyond.
Website: www.earlybirdeducare.co.za
For more information, please contact: info@earlybirdeducare.co.za
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