Banking on children

For children joining kindergarten, a new environment, new faces and sometimes excitement, can be overwhelming. As a result, it might take longer for young learners to settle down.
It is an observation that Mukami Mutheu and Nyawira Karuma, both teachers, made in their 10 combined years of teaching, an observation that would lead to a business idea.
“Nyawira and I taught at an international school in Nairobi which follows an adapted form of the British curriculum. During summer holidays, the school would organise kids’ camps, where, besides academics, we taught co-curricular activities. We discovered that the children were eager to learn outside a classroom setting, an observation that led us where we are now. In October last year, Nyawira suggested that we partner and start teaching preschool kids. I thought it was a fantastic idea and immediately said yes,” says Mukami.
In December last year, the two friends started a programme which they call itshappylittleminds. They visit children in their homes, where they offer lessons such as pronunciation, numbering, nursery rhymes and a variety of outdoor activities. They target those between one and three years.
Determined to make their project successful, Mukami left her teaching job having taught for three years to fully concentrate on their new business, while Nyawira, who is still a full-time teacher, works for their business on a part-time basis.

HOME-BASED
Theirs has been an organic growth, having started with just one child to the more than 20 children they have in their programme right now. On her busiest days, Mukami teaches six children.
“The learning is home-based, which means that we visit a particular home and interact with the child for an hour. During that session, we assign the child different tasks and resources to interact with, such as blocks and balls. All these prepares them for formal education. The first parent we started with recommended us to other parents - we have grown through word of mouth marketing,” explains Nyawira, who has a degree in education, having trained in early childhood development, while Mukami studied communication, majoring in advertising. After graduating in 2015, she worked for an events company briefly and then got a teaching job. She explains that she is most fulfilled working with children.
Looking at them interacting with their charges, you might think that they are just playing with the children, when in fact, a lesson is taking place.
“Children are curious but can easily lose concentration if whatever they are doing is not exciting or interesting. In our lessons, we sometimes incorporate nursery rhymes and activities such as building blocks to help them learn how to pronounce words or familiarise themselves with different colours. Occasionally, we engage in outdoor activities near their homes – we also give them lots of encouragement and applaud them when they accomplish something,” explains Nyawira.
Appreciating the fact that children have different needs, the first stage before starting any lesson involves cross-screening the potential learners.
“We learn about them through what their parents tell us and by observing them. This helps us customise the programme to suit every child's needs, this enables us to fit into their system and understand how best to impart our lessons, for instance, while some children are visual learners, others are musical or verbal learners,” explains Nyawira, adding,
“Each one of us has learners that they teach throughout the year. This ensures consistency, there is also no chance of confusing the child. It takes time to create a good rapport with a child, which is necessary because it makes interaction easier and the sessions more interesting.”

CREATE A BOND
To kickstart their business, the two friends started with the learning items they had collected over the years, items such as balls and other toys which aid them in their teaching.
“What we do is not so capital intensive because we only get to spend money when buying items required by a particular child,” says Nyawira.
They charge Sh2,000 for an hour-long session and accept a flexible payment plan. The highlight of their journey, says Mukami, has been the positive feedback they receive from parents and those who follow them on their Instagram page, itshappylittleminds. For Nyawira, it is the amazing bond that they have created with the children they teach that stands out for her. Like very business, theirs faces a number of challenges.
“Traffic has been our greatest stumbling block. To ensure that we honour our appointments in time, with Nairobi’s disabling traffic in mind, we decided to zone our clients -we are currently working with parents in Kileleshwa, Kilimani, Lavington and Westlands areas. Even then, it’s not easy moving from one place to another,” says Mukami.
The other problem, one that they did not think they would have, is getting people to entrust their brand with.
“Several people have expressed interest to work with us, but the recruiting process has proved difficult, partly because the nature of our work involves going to peoples' homes, so the person has to be above reproach. Presently, we have one young person who recently joined the team as an associate. We have both worked with her for more than a year, and we are certain that she makes a good addition,” explains Mukami.
Eventually, the two plan to establish a learning centre where parents can drop their preschool children in the morning and pick them up in the evening.
“During the three months we have been in operation, we have realised that most children this age don’t have enough social interaction, which limits their intellectual development – imagine how easy their transition to school would be if they got to regularly interact with other children for three years,” says Nyawira.