OneSky Caregiver Training

Solution Pitch

The Problem

When workers migrate to find industrial jobs, they leave behind their families and social support networks, which particularly impacts their childcare. Residency status may limit access to public services in a new place. Urban caregivers also often lack training and resources to safely and effectively educate their young students, who then miss crucial early-learning opportunities.

The Solution

OneSky brings quality early-childhood education to Vietnam’s factory communities by training women as professional childcare workers and creating nurturing care for vulnerable children. An on-the-ground team coordinates programming with government officials, trade associations, and women’s groups to ensure that OneSky consistently meets local needs. The program thus creates jobs and careers for its adult participants, and helps children prepare for academic success—breaking familial cycles of poverty.

Following a 2018 pilot with 80 providers, OneSky now trains 240 home-based caregivers annually using classroom instruction, home center coaching, and an engaging online learning platform.

Market Opportunity

Of the nearly 150,000 early childhood educators in Vietnam, 37 percent have had little-to-no pre-service training. Further, it’s estimated there is a shortage of 27,500 teachers in the early childhood care sector across the country, especially in Vietnam’s industrial zones where the adult-to-child daycare ratio can be as high as 49:1. If scaled, OneSky’s proven model could train and upskill early childhood educators to reach 1.2 million children of factory workers living in Vietnam’s 300 industrial parks. 

Partnership Goals

OneSky currently seeks:

• UI/UX expertise to further develop and improve its online learning platform;
• Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) expertise to build robust processes to analyze and share impact data from OneSky programs; and
• Consultation to create a sustainable business model and shift away from dependence on grant capital.

Organization Highlights 

Some of OneSky’s notable achievements include:

• Founder Jenny Bowen’s selection as a Skoll Awardee and winner of the AmCham Women of Influence Award;
• Recognition as a best practice by the Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood (ARNEC), the leading network for early childhood education in the Asia-Pacific region; and
• Media features in Quartz, South China Morning Post, and Vietnam's ANTV.

Existing Partnerships

OneSkye currently partners with:

• Saving Brains Platform;
• Governments of each country of operation (China, Vietnam, Mongolia);
• Local welfare programs; and
• Foundations providing grant funding support.