Kidogo - quality childcare through social franchising

The Problem

Globally, 350 million children lack access to quality childcare. In Kenya's informal settlements, where 60% of the urban population lives, there is a childcare crisis. When a child spends their essential early years in an unsafe, unhealthy environment, they enter primary school with cognitive, emotional, and physical deficits.

The Solution

Kidogo’s solution is a community-rooted childcare system that delivers a triple win for children, mothers, and local women entrepreneurs (“Mamapreneurs”).

We improve access to high-quality, affordable childcare in low-income communities by finding, upskilling, and quality-assuring women who run childcare micro-enterprises. Children receive safe, nurturing early learning environments that support healthy development. Mothers are able to work with greater stability and peace of mind. And Mamapreneurs build sustainable businesses, increasing their income, skills, and professional recognition.

Alongside strengthening centres, Kidogo partners with government to advance licensing, financing, workforce pathways, and data systems, embedding childcare into public systems to enable long-term, government-led scale.

Stats

Kidogo's childcare social franchise network serves 112,000 children, parents, and Mamapreneurs.