Kidogo: Improving Access to quality childcare in Kenya
0-1 Original language
English
I-1 Name of the initiative
Kidogo: Improving Access to quality childcare in Kenya
I-2 Geographical coverage
KEN
I-2-A Region/country
Kenya
I-2-R Region
Africa
I-2-T Geographical scope
Country
I-3-A Initiative start date
2013
I-3-B Initiative end date
__EMPTY__
I-4 Leading entity/organization
Social and solidarity economy (SSE) entity
I-5 Collaborating entities/organizations
Government
I-5 Collaborating entities/organizations
Social and solidarity economy (SSE) entities
I-5 Collaborating entities/organizations
Civil society, including NGOs
I-6 Has the ILO been involved in the initiative?
No
I-7 Is there collaboration with other agencies of the United Nations System or other partners?
Yes
I-7-A Specify agency names
UN Women, UNDP, UNEP and other partners
II-1 Justification of the initiative
In Nairobi’s informal settlements, mothers faced a severe shortage of safe, reliable, and affordable childcare options. Existing childcare was largely informal, unlicensed, and of poor quality, often exposing children to inadequate nutrition, unhygienic environments, neglect, and potential abuse during critical early developmental years. This lack of quality childcare also forced many mothers to either leave young children in unsafe settings, bring them to hazardous work environments, or withdraw older siblings from school to provide care—undermining both children’s well‑being and women’s ability to work.
II-10 Focus on other branches of economic activity
No sectoral focus
II-11 Focus on certain categories of enterprises or economic units according to their size
Micro enterprises
II-11 Focus on certain categories of enterprises or economic units according to their size
Social enterprises
II-12 Focus on specific status in employment
Own-account workers
II-13 Focus on other specific categories of workers and employers, not captured elsewhere
Childcare workers (for children ages 0-start of primary school)
II-13 Focus on other specific categories of workers and employers, not captured elsewhere
Home-based workers
II-13 Focus on other specific categories of workers and employers, not captured elsewhere
Workers in the informal economy
II-14 Focus on specific groups of population / persons prioritized in the initiative
Women
II-14 Focus on specific groups of population / persons prioritized in the initiative
Men
II-14 Focus on specific groups of population / persons prioritized in the initiative
Mothers
II-14 Focus on specific groups of population / persons prioritized in the initiative
Fathers
II-14 Focus on specific groups of population / persons prioritized in the initiative
Persons with other care responsibilities
II-15 Has the initiative been developed through effective social dialogue processes and inter-institutional coordination mechanisms?
Other consultations
II-2 Objectives and description of the initiative
Founded in 2014, Kidogo works with existing childcare providers known as Mamapreneurs to strengthen the quality and sustainability of community-based childcare in low-income communities. By upskilling Mamapreneurs, Kidogo supports women to build safer, more viable childcare businesses, improves early learning and nurturing care outcomes for young children, and enables working parents, especially mothers, to participate more fully in income-generating work and education. In parallel, Kidogo partners with county and national governments to embed childcare into public systems, advancing long-term, systemic solutions that can reach families at scale.
II-3 Type of initiative
Project / pilot intervention
II-3 Type of initiative
Training/capacity building
II-4 Which of the Rs in the 5R Framework for Decent Care Work guides this initiative?
Recognition, reduction and redistribution of unpaid care
II-4 Which of the Rs in the 5R Framework for Decent Care Work guides this initiative?
Reward care workers
II-5 Which is the main policy area of the 5R Framework for Decent Care Work does the practice focus on?
Skills policies
II-6 Which other policy areas of the 5R Framework for Decent Care Work does the practice focus on?
Care policies
II-6 Which other policy areas of the 5R Framework for Decent Care Work does the practice focus on?
Social Protection policies
II-7 Which policies or measures to advance decent work in the care economy does the practice focus on?
Design and implement integrated and coherent care policies and systems for decent work and gender equality
II-7 Which policies or measures to advance decent work in the care economy does the practice focus on?
Mainstream care into relevant public policies
II-7 Which policies or measures to advance decent work in the care economy does the practice focus on?
Formalization of informal care jobs and enterprises
II-7 Which policies or measures to advance decent work in the care economy does the practice focus on?
Promoting active labour market policies, education and training, upskilling and re-skilling, skills recognition and skills certification
II-7 Which policies or measures to advance decent work in the care economy does the practice focus on?
Addressing the undervaluation of care work by raising public awareness
II-7 Which policies or measures to advance decent work in the care economy does the practice focus on?
Supporting micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and SSE entities that deliver quality care services
II-8 Which beneficiaries in the care economy does the practice focus on?
Unpaid carers (workers or persons with care responsibilities, parents, other family members, etc.)
II-8 Which beneficiaries in the care economy does the practice focus on?
Paid care workers (nurses, domestic workers, teachers, childcare workers, personal assistants, etc.)
II-8 Which beneficiaries in the care economy does the practice focus on?
Care recipients (children, older persons, persons with disabilities, etc.)
II-9 Geographical scope
Urban
III-1 In a short paragraph, summarize the main results and impacts obtained
Founded in 2014, Kidogo has strengthened access to quality childcare for low-income families by working with community-based providers, known as “Mamapreneurs,” to improve the environments where young children spend their most critical developmental years.As of 2025, Kidogo supports nearly 2,000 Mamapreneurs across 12 counties, reaching approximately 55,000 children aged 0–5 through its network of childcare centres. Recent results show strong child-level outcomes: 93% of children are developmentally on track, while rates of wasting have declined by 50% and underweight prevalence by 33%, reflecting meaningful gains in nutrition and overall well-being.
III-2 Explanation of the innovative element of the initiative for advancing decent work in the care economy
Kidogo’s model is innovative because it does more than supply childcare: it professionalizes and upgrades the informal childcare sector through a market‑based social franchising approach. Unlike traditional childcare interventions that focus only on direct service delivery, Kidogo acts as a quality‑assurance and business‑development partner, providing training in early childhood development, nutrition, safety, and business management, while offering continuous mentorship, monitoring, and peer‑learning networks to Mamapreneurs. This dual focus strengthens the supply of quality childcare while creating pathways for decent work by transforming informal caregivers into trained, certified micro‑entrepreneurs earning dignified livelihoods. The model is both scalable and sustainable, leveraging local women’s leadership while raising standards across the childcare ecosystem.
IV-1 What were the main challenges or difficulties during the design and implementation? How were they faced/ addressed?
Kidogo faced several core challenges in designing and implementing its childcare social franchising model. First, the organization had to confront the deeply entrenched problem of poor‑quality, informal childcare in Nairobi’s low‑income settlements, where unlicensed centres suffered from overcrowding, untrained caregivers, and unsafe conditions. Kidogo addressed this by introducing structured training, coaching, and Kidogo certification for Mamapreneurs, transforming informal operators into trained early childhood providers who could meet Kidogo quality standards. Second, many daycare operators lacked business management skills, leading to financial instability and inconsistent service delivery. Kidogo responded by offering business training and continuous mentorship, including guidance on budgeting, record‑keeping, and centre management. Third, gaining trust from parents and communities posed a challenge because families had long relied on informal providers despite poor conditions. Kidogo tackled this by developing Centres of Excellence that demonstrated high‑quality care and served as community models, helping build acceptance and credibility for the franchised centres. Finally, scaling the model required maintaining quality across many decentralized micro‑centres. Kidogo addressed this by creating ongoing monitoring systems, coaching visits, and communities of practice, which ensured peer learning and consistent adherence to standards as the network expanded.
IV-2 Lessons learned and good practices, including room and opportunities for improvement
Kidogo’s experience highlights several important lessons and good practices. First, improving and sustaining quality in informal childcare at scale is achievable when standards are clear, feedback is timely, and accountability mechanisms are built into the system; the strongest gains occurred when childcare providers received practical, actionable guidance. Second, centering the journey of women childcare providers and investing in trust-based relationships supports stronger uptake of best practices and more durable outcomes for children and families. At the same time, Kidogo has learned that maintaining quality with lighter-touch support requires sharper tools, clearer incentives, and stronger data and monitoring systems. Key opportunities for improvement include further simplifying the model, strengthening impact measurement, and deepening integration with government systems so quality childcare can be sustained with less direct organizational involvement over time.
IV-3 Key conditions for success
For Kidogo, several conditions are critical for success. First, sustained quality improvement depends on clear standards, consistent feedback, and accountability mechanisms that are well understood by childcare providers. Second, trust-based engagement with women childcare providers is essential, as behavior change and adoption of best practices require time, coaching, and respect for existing informal systems. Third, affordability for low-income families must be preserved, requiring continued subsidy and careful cost management to avoid excluding the most vulnerable children. Finally, strong collaboration with county and national governments is a key enabling condition, as long-term scale and sustainability depend on public ownership, alignment with government priorities, and integration into public systems rather than parallel delivery models.
IV-4 Key conditions for sustainability
Sustainability rests on the financial viability of Mamapreneur-run centres, supported by improved business skills, steady demand for quality childcare, and ongoing mentorship. The model embeds quality standards and accountability mechanisms within a decentralized network, reducing dependence on direct service delivery by the implementing organization. Continuous professional development, peer learning through communities of practice, and simple digital tools for tracking attendance and finances strengthen long-term performance. Kidogo also works to embed childcare into public systems by supporting policy development, clarifying government ownership of the sector, and collaborating with county governments to integrate elements of its model into public implementation pathways, laying the foundation for long-term regulation, oversight, and sustainability at scale.
IV-5 Potential for transferability, expansion and replicability in other countries and contexts
The model is highly transferable to other low-income urban and peri-urban contexts where informal childcare markets dominate and quality is uneven. Its emphasis on upgrading existing providers, rather than replacing them, makes it adaptable across countries with large informal economies. Replicability depends on the presence of local women entrepreneurs, enabling regulatory environments for micro-businesses, and demand for affordable childcare linked to women’s labour participation. Expansion to new contexts would require adaptation to local childcare regulations, cultural norms around caregiving, and financing models, but the core social-franchising and quality-assurance approach offers a scalable pathway for improving childcare systems in diverse settings.
V-1 Sources of information and documents used on the characteristics of the initiative, including links to websites, news items, toolkits, policy documents or reports
ILO, 2022. Childcare leave and services from a women ’s entrepreneurship development perspective.Kidogo: Empowering Mamapreneurs, Mothers, and Children in Kenya's Low-Income Communities - Jane LombardiKidogo: Addressing the Childcare Needs of Low-Income Families in East Africa | Carsey School of Public PolicyLessons on evidence for scale-up from Kidogo | IDinsightKidogo: Unlocking Potential Through Quality Childcare