LGT Venture Philanthropy Foundation (LGT VP) is excited to announce its new partnership with nonprofit Rocket Learning to strengthen early learning for India’s most underserved children. The collaboration will support Rocket Learning’s ambitious plans to reach 12 million children annually by 2028, ensuring they enter primary school ready to learn.
Rocket Learning enables equitable early learning by strengthening the capabilities of India’s frontline daycare workers, empowering parents with digital learning tools, and working with state and national governments to formalise early childhood education policy and delivery.
Rocket Learning currently operates in 270 000 government-run and funded daycare centres, known as Anganwadis, across 140 districts in ten Indian states. It supports over 250 000 frontline workers – 20 % of the country’s total workforce – and has reached more than four million children since its foundation.
Nearly 85 % of brain development happens before the age of six, yet less than a third of time spent at daycare centres is currently devoted to age-appropriate learning activities, leaving many children ill-equipped for primary school.
Rocket Learning’s integrated model – blending human-centred design with scalable technology – has led to measurable impact. 80 % of children in supported centres demonstrate school readiness, compared to a national average of 50 %. On average, a child scores 30 percentage points higher on key developmental indicators, and time spent on learning activities by caregivers has doubled.
With LGT VP’s support, Rocket Learning will strengthen its organisational capacity and core systems to scale effectively and sustainably. This includes enhancing programme operations, expanding the use of technology to personalize earning, and deepening its communications and systems work.
“Rocket Learning’s work, anchored in the Anganwadi system and shaped by sustained government engagement, offers powerful insights into making early childhood interventions more effective and inclusive. Its tech-enabled, evidencedriven approach, backed by a strong leadership team and deep culture of collaboration, makes it a significant force in the early childhood ecosystem in India,” says Supriya Balakrishnan, Investment Director and India Head at LGT VP
“Rocket Learning’s approach combines a strong understanding of system actors with the use of digital tools to drive engagement and inform delivery for the most vulnerable children in India. The emphasis on measurable outcomes reflects a model that is both adaptive and aligned with our broader interest in system-oriented Early Childhood Development,” says Aarushi Gupta, Impact Fellow at LGT VP.
"Early childhood development is one of the most critical yet under-recognised human capital investments of our time. If we are to shift outcomes at scale, we must invest in research, systems change, and field-building — not just service delivery. Our collaboration with LGT Venture Philanthropy reflects a shared commitment to strengthening the Early Childhood Development ecosystem in India and the world, and advancing thoughtful, evidence-led leadership across the sector," says Namya Mahajan, Co-Founder of Rocket Learning.
About Rocket Learning Founded in 2020, Rocket Learning works by strengthening the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of daycare workers and caregivers towards age-appropriate learning of children. They help children at government-run daycare centres (called Anganwadis) become ready for primary school by (i) training Anganwadi workers to disseminate better early learning, (ii) helping parents understand and support their child’s needs, (iii) formalising Early Childhood Education (ECE) as a core systems responsibility. For more information, please visit https://rocketlearning.org/.
LGT Venture Philanthropy (LGT VP) is an independent charitable foundation established in 2007 with teams in Switzerland, Sub-Saharan Africa, and India. The foundation strives to improve the quality of life of people facing disadvantages, contribute to healthy ecosystems, and build resilient, inclusive, and prosperous communities. LGT VP focuses on strengthening the capabilities of locally rooted organisations that deliver effective, scalable solutions across health, education, and the environment, contributing directly to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. For more information, please visit www.lgtvp.com.