Every year on 18 July, we honour Madiba’s life through acts of service – 67 minutes that symbolise the 67 years he gave fighting for freedom, dignity and justice. This year, the theme, “It’s still in our hands to combat poverty and inequity”, reminds us that the decision to solve and the solution to deeply rooted poverty and inequity are in our hands! If we want to break the cycle of poverty and inequity, we have to start early, because early is where the foundation and future of our society begins.
The South African Early Childhood Review report of 2024 tells us that 7 out of 10 young children live in households below the poverty line. This means that they live in homes where there isn’t enough money to meet basic daily needs like food, clothing, shelter, as well as access to healthcare, education and other essential services.
We know that interventions focusing on improving education, healthcare, nutrition and economic opportunities are happening across the country. But more work still needs to be done. Without undoing the good that’s already in motion, we need to bring in fresh ideas, brave thinking and bold new ways of doing things. We also need to act earlier and think differently, so we can solve challenges before they grow. That means placing early childhood development (ECD) at the centre and investing in our youngest citizens.
The Real Meaning of Innovation in ECD
Research and real-life experiences show that innovation can play a significant role in addressing poverty in South Africa, but it requires a supportive environment and strategic implementation.
When it comes to ECD, this means finding innovative ways to address the complex challenges faced by young children, their caregivers and the systems that support them.
Some of the most common misconceptions about innovation in ECD are that it has to be a technological idea, product, or service, and that it must have never existed before. While it can involve both, it’s so much more than that. At Innovation Edge, we see innovation as the intentional use of information, imagination, and initiative to create greater or new value from resources. This includes all processes where new ideas are born or existing ones are made better. Simply put, it might mean coming up with fresh ideas or finding smarter, more inclusive, and impactful ways to use what already exists, all to solve real problems that affect real lives.
For example, access to quality early learning is a big problem in South Africa, especially for children in low-resourced communities. In response to the problem, one of our partners, Earlybird, is building a network of high-quality Early Childhood Care and Education (‘educare’) centres that serve low-, medium- and higher-income families across South Africa. They partner with large companies to improve the attraction and retention of talented employees by providing world-class, workplace-based educare centres (Nest Centres) for their children. Earlybird also partners with property developers to reduce tenant turnover at their middle-income and affluent housing estates by establishing educare centres (Flock Centres) for children living in those communities.
In this example, Earlybird didn’t invent early learning centres – they have always existed. But they used information (such as insights into both the demand for quality early learning and the challenges employers and property developers face with staff and tenant retention), imagination (to bring learning centres directly to parents’ and caregivers’ workplaces and middle- to high-income residential areas), and initiative (partnering with employers and property developers to make this possible) to reimagine how and where early learning can happen.
For us, an innovative idea or solution also has to be scalable and affordable. For instance, a fixed revenue generated from Earlybird’s Nest and Flock centres is used to subsidise the provision of the same high-quality educare model at early learning centres (Blue Door Centres) in low-resourced areas. This cross-subsidisation model allows children from different socio-economic backgrounds to receive the same high-quality early learning experiences.
Smart and impactful solutions to problems in ECD can be applied across all areas of early childhood development, but they require a supportive ecosystem and strategic rollout to succeed.
A Strategic Path from Idea to Impact in ECD
A clear strategy of Innovation in ECD starts with understanding the real challenges young children face, then seeking out bold, responsive solutions that are either new or better than what already exists. Once these gaps are known, the next step involves actively sourcing or co-creating bold, forward-thinking solutions designed to meet those needs in new or more effective ways. But they must be tested. This may involve supporting innovation through real-world piloting and gathering feedback that helps improve it. It also involves setting clear indicators of success, tracking impact, and being willing to adapt or abandon what doesn’t work. When a promising solution demonstrates progress and potential for scale, a good strategy includes supporting its growth, whether through funding, capacity-building, partnerships or policy influence.
One example is hearScreen, an early-stage partner we supported during their pilot phase. Their mobile hearing screening solution, developed to detect hearing loss early in young children using smartphone technology, was tested, refined, and validated through our support. Since then, they’ve expanded internationally and are now reaching children across 30 countries.
Creating a Supportive Environment for ECD Innovation
No innovation thrives in isolation, it needs an ecosystem that encourages learning, collaboration and risk-taking. A supportive environment makes space for experimentation, welcomes feedback, and allows policies and systems to adapt and grow. It brings together funders, government, NGOs, caregivers, entrepreneurs and social innovators – all working towards a shared vision for young children.
This kind of environment values trust, flexibility, and diverse voices, especially those closest to the challenges. It also ensures access to resources, proximity for collaboration, and a culture where failure leads to growth.
Innovation is how we turn intention into impact. To truly honour Madiba’s call to end poverty and inequity, we must back bold ideas with the support they need, a supportive environment where everyone plays their part, ideas flow, problems get solved together, and children thrive. Without this, even the best solutions won’t stand a chance.
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Author: Dimpho Lephaila – Communications Associate at Innovation Edge