EXPRESSION OF INTEREST: Impact at Scale Bootcamp - Early Years in Tanzania
Apply by May 30, 2025.
The Impact at Scale Bootcamp – Early Years in Tanzania seeks to support locally led organizations providing early childhood care and education (ECED) services for children aged 0–5 years. Over a two months period, selected organizations will receive:
Scale readiness diagnostic to identify strengths, challenges, and growth opportunities.
Technical workshops, expert support, and one-on-one coaching to refine programme models and strengthen scale pathways of childcare solutions for greater impact.
Peer learning and collaboration through access to shared resources and knowledge exchange with like-minded organizations.
Access to GSF’s Global network of funders, policymakers, and technical experts to enhance visibility and unlock collaboration opportunities.
Pipeline for future extended Lab support: Potential eligibility for extended childcare-focused Lab support, providing continuity and deeper engagement for promising solutions.
Thematic Focus: Early Years in Tanzania
In Tanzania, parents and caregivers especially in low-income communities struggle to access affordable and reliable childcare. Meanwhile, the childcare workforce is shrinking due to low pay, limited recognition, and underinvestment, leaving many young children without adequate care and support. Providing nurturing care for children aged 0–5 is critical for their development and for the economic well-being of caregivers. While a range of providers from daycare centers to home-based caregivers and NGOs are addressing this gap, many face barriers to scaling, such as limited funding, weak partnerships, and lack of knowledge-sharing platforms.
The government has shown strong commitment through the 2021 launch of the National Multi-Sectoral Early Childhood Development Programme (NMECDP), a coordinated approach to strengthen ECD systems.
To support this momentum, Global Schools Forum (GSF) is launching the Impact at Scale Bootcamp– Early Years Tanzania to strengthen locally led ECED solutions. Building on the 2023 success in Kenya, GSF will support six innovative organizations ready to grow their impact and improve outcomes for children aged 0–5.
Who will the bootcamp support?
The bootcamp will focus on selecting new and established approaches to improve childcare including social franchising models, inclusive childcare initiatives etc. We will support organizations delivering affordable, accessible, scalable, and high-quality childcare solutions in low-income communities and ensuring children's safety, well-being, good health, nutrition, and holistic development. These may include Home-based childcare providers, Daycare centers, crèches, community-based childcare, ECD Corners in health facilities.
Scaling impact is integral to how we think about scale at GSF. We understand that scale is a nuanced and tricky business. Read more about how we think about scale here. As we strive to support organisations keen to scale their impact, we recognise that selecting the right organisations at the right stage is important. Please see examples of solutions and stages of previous Lab participants here (Impact at Scale Labs - Early Years in Kenya).
How to apply
Organisations that meet the eligibility criteria should apply using the Expression of Interest Form.
Download the EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FORM here.
Provide appropriate responses to the questions in the form. We strongly advise you to stay within the word limits.
When you have completed the form, convert the filled-out form into a PDF.
Upload to the APPLICATION PORTAL here and respond to the questions on the portal. Submit by Friday, May 30, 2025.
Submit your application via the portal below. Apply by 30 May, 2025.
Learn more about the bootcamp
Get quick answers you might have about the Labs and the application process here. GSF will host an application webinar to answer questions on the programme and application process. For more urgent questions, send us an email here.
TIME AND DATE: 12 PM GMT, Thursday, May 14, 2025
Key timelines
Application Open – April 30, 2025
Application Webinar – May 14, 2025
Expression of Interest (EOI) submission deadline: May 30, 2025
Shortlisting and selection of participants: Late May - Early June 2025
Announcement of selected participants: Mid-June 2025
Kick off date: Late June 2025
Feedback from previous Impact at scale programmes
Sabre Education
"The Impact at Scale Labs has been a fantastic opportunity for Sabre, and an excellent learning experience for us as we enter the private school market. The ongoing coaching and mentoring, interspersed with the step-bystep workshops, has been incredibly valuable. Thank you very much for your support and expertise."
Dignitas
“Engaging through the Labs with other participants and with the GSF team has helped us to refine our strategic vision. This happened to be very timely for Dignitas, as we’re also in the process of launching our new strategy for 2023-2028. This means we have been able to align the strategic vision for our innovation, our strategic vision for scale, and our strategic vision for impact in powerful ways."
Gyan Shala
"In the last year, GSF has helped Gyan Shala to constantly step back and evaluate the APS program based on new MEL data and learnings. This has helped Gyan Shala develop a more effective business model, a more accurate financial model, and has helped the organisation take strategically more sound decisions for its APS program."
Find out more about Global Schools Forum's Impact at Scale Labs programme below
As a part of the Impact at Scale Labs, GSF is supporting organisations to design and scale solutions to improve learning outcomes for children in low-income communities. In this blog, discover how we have adopted and adapted the DVF framework, a widely known framework in the social innovation space.
Schools2030, HundrED, and Global Schools Forum have come together on the Scale Project, aiming to create clarity and enable key stakeholders, in particular practitioners, to understand and navigate the various pathways to scaling impactful education solutions within and beyond their context.
Learn about our first Impact at Scale Lab focusing on Innovations For Learning Recovery. Discover how the Lab supported Dignitas, Sabre Education and Gyan Shala to scale their innovations
Our second Impact at Scale lab is focusing on Early Years in Kenya. Read more about how we are supporting Education Empowerment for Rural and Urban Slums Initiative (EERUI), Jackfruit Finance, Lake Region Development Programme and TotoCare to scale their solutions.