GROW ECD - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Programme Manager Gauteng
Daisy Kekana is passionate about developing and empowering communities to take care of their children... Read more
She has been working in the children field for the past 19 years and was granted an opportunity to join the Grow ECD team in 2023 April as a Programme Manager for Gauteng Region. She is responsible for capacity building, mentoring, monitoring and evaluation of schools in the different municipalities within Gauteng to implement the Grow ECD programme. She holds a National diploma in early childhood development, certificate in project management, Operations management, facilitation skills and currently in her final year studying Bachelor of arts in Community Development. Her life is motivated by the impact she makes in children's lives.
Before joining Grow ECD, she led multiple projects responsible for stakeholder relations, establishing Toy Libraries, capacity building of ECD practitioners, parents and Government officials.
Job Titles:
- Marketing and Fundraising Manager
Heléne Brand joined Grow ECD in January 2019 with 12 years' experience in senior leadership, business marketing strategy, brand development and social responsibility....Read more
Her qualifications include a B.Comm Honours in Marketing (University of Stellenbosch) and certificates in Digital Marketing and Senior Leadership. At GROW, she is responsible for developing and executing an integrated marketing, brand and communication strategy, fundraising and also acts as the company spokesperson.
Job Titles:
- Programme Manager KwaZulu - Natal
Kim is a post-level one educator with specialization in Media Science and Remedial Education... Read more
She joined the KZN Grow ECD team in Oct 2017, after spending 17 years as an educator, teaching at a local primary school. She taught Grade 3's, Grade 4, a LSEN class and run the Media Centre. As a passionate remedial teacher, she has also been teaching at a Kip McGrath Education Centre for the past 20 years where she helped learners who experience learning difficulties in Mathematics, English and Afrikaans.She is responsible for working with the Regional Implementation Manager to implement the ECD road map, with a special focus of providing ongoing onsite support and coaching to the principals and teachers of all GROW with Educare Centres.
Job Titles:
- Programme Manager Western Cape
Lisa is a qualified special-needs teacher with a postgraduate psychology diploma... Read more
She has many years of experience in successfully running her own early childhood development centre. She is responsible for implementing the project process/road map from beginning to end, with a particular focus on the recruitment of new franchisees and the training and mentoring of principals and teachers.
Bachelor of Social Science degree in Sociology and Organisational Psychology and a Masters Degree in Sociology from the University of Cape Town (UCT)...
Worked as a Writing Centre consultant and tutor at UCT. Lectured part-time at UCT and Cornerstone College. Research Coordinator at Kuyasa Fund, a housing microfinance initiative. Before GROW, Lyndsey spent 5 years at Innovation Edge, an impact-first investor, in the Portfolio Management Team.
Melanie joined Grow ECD in 2021 with experience in consumer research, project management and data analysis... Read more
Her qualifications include a Honours BA degree in Psychology and certificate in Data Analytics.
Prior to embarking in a career in the NPO sector, she worked at Kantar SA as a Senior Research Executive. Before joining GROW, she was responsible for the Programmes, Training and Patient portfolio for Operation Smile SA. At GROW, Melanie's portfolio includes managing the operational implementation of the Technology suite offered by GROW which includes the App and Learning Management System.
Job Titles:
- Regional Manager Western Cape
Sheilah Chikoki is a holder of a Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Psychology from the University of Zimbabwe... Read more
Sheilah has 12 years of experience of working in communities managing projects, formulating concepts, facilitating and training in Early childhood development, family preservation, prevention and early intervention programmes. She has worked for Power-Child Campus for 10years and briefly for It Starts With Me Global before joining Grow ECD in January 2019. In her role as the Regional Implementation Manager of Cape Town she is responsible for identifying and recruiting potential Franchisees, establishing and maintaining functional relationships with them. Sheilah fosters an environment of team work in the region and ensures that strategy is clearly defined while overseeing performance and maintaining morale. Her strong communication skills, people skills, critical and strategic thinking ensures that the mission of Grow is driven and that an ecosystem for development and empowerment is created.
Job Titles:
- Regional Manager KwaZulu - Nata
Tara is qualified in the fields of Financial Accounting and Human Resource Management... Read more
She has 18 years' experience specifically in the development, setup and management of the financial and HR administration departments within the educational field. She is responsible for the management of the KwaZulu Natal Grow ECD project role out and implementation.
Tracey is a Chartered Accountant with 25 years' experience in the corporate and social sector. Before starting TCB (formerly known as The Clothing Bank) she worked for Woolworths as the Head of Financial Planning and Performance Management. In 2010, she founded TCB, an award-winning non-profit organisation which inspires, skills and supports unemployed South Africans to eradicate poverty in their families. In 2014 she co-founded Grow ECD Centres with Lisa Voortman, which is pioneering a new model for 5Star quality early childhood education in South Africa.
Tracey has a BA-Social Sciences degree, a post graduate diploma in Human Resources... Read more
and a career of more than 28 years in skills and enterprise development, human resources, retail management and market research. 15 of her working years have been in human resources where she has worked in a broad spectrum of sectors in Southern Africa. When she returned from a stint living in the Middle East in 2010, Tracey pursued her passion for people development in the non-profit sector by being instrumental in the establishment and running of a skills centre in the Cape Winelands to empower disadvantaged unemployed women. Tracey is responsible for national policies and procedures as well as business sustainability within the schools at GROW with Educare Centres.