Tiny Totos Kenya
Organization Details
We upgrade and network informal slum-based daycares so that from their improved business service and standards of care, disadvantaged preschool children have a better start in life, working mothers can get to work with peace of mind and unskilled childcare business owners can earn more and take pride in their work.
Impact Story
We take an existing informal market and making it better so that customers, users, business owners and society mutually benefit. Without state services for preschool care, women open ad hoc daycares in their homes, looking after the future generations without however any business or childcare training to guide them in their work. With over 3,500 micro daycares operating in Nairobi, the market is large and widespread yet supervision and support practically non-existent. Each daycare struggles to work out how to run its daycare alone, without any access to training or investment that could help improve the services they provide. As such, standards and consequently prices are poor, businesses struggle to break even, provide erratic and indeed unstable service that makes it hard for working mothers to hold down steady jobs, or children to get the consistent care they need. Over the past few years, Tiny Totos has proven that with a light touch intervention model, in which knowledge exchange and access to low interest capital is prioritized and peer-exchange is facilitated,significant improvements in daycare management and service delivery can be achieved. Our partner daycares earn on average x3 revenue after 1 year's partnership with us, and x4 profits. We have demonstrated significant improvements in the nutritional and developmental status of children in our network, based on the fact that we provide daycares loans to cook and sell nutritious meals to children attending our daycares, and because we teach managers to run age-appropriate content programmes in the daycares. We have grown to a network of 32 daycares, serving over 2,000 children and selling almost 50,000 meals to date. Apart from the children who attend our daycares and enjoy better quality care, we help their mothers access affordable, safe and stimulating care for children, and provide improved livelihoods and new jobs to owners and helpers in the daycares. Our goal is to scale and replicate.