Our Mission

“When children start school, their mastery of math and language fundamentals is the most important factor in predicting later academic achievement.” —Prof. Greg J. Duncan, 2007

Following the best practices of parent coaching company ChildUp, the Arcanys Early Learning Foundation aims to instill basic math and logic skills to preschool children, with the active support of parents, in Cebu City's underprivileged areas. Recognizing early education as a key to success, the teachers efficiently impart practical teaching methods to parents and children, which ultimately grants the children a brighter future in academics, as well as in their personal and professional lives.

The ChildUp methodology

Arcanys Early Learning Foundation implements the ChildUp Early education model based on decades of practical, positive parenting experience in real life situations and families, backed by 21st-century international scientific research.

The 5 keys of the ChildUp Early Learning Model:

  • Newborns are ready to excel at anything.
  • Talent is made, not born.
  • Parents as role models and first teachers.
  • The goal is to be quite school-ready.
  • Games are great learning tools.

The Kindle eBook “MATHnimals Preschool Math Games” is now available on Amazon. Based on the ChildUp Early Learning methodology, it aims to help parents around the world to teach their children to count to 20 in 100 days with 80 animals.

Meet our team

The Arcanys Early Learning Foundation is a team of academics, experienced educators, and early learning advocates who are 100% dedicated to the project. All of them work eagerly and faithfully with the communities involved to reach the foundation's goals.

The foundation was founded in 2012 by Alan Debonneville, a Swiss technology entrepreneur running Arcanys, a software development company in Cebu City, Philippines.

Currently, AELF has 5 board members: Alan Debonneville, John Debonneville, Frederic Joye, Michel Kurzen and Gabriel Pretre.

With programs running in Cebu City barangays Ermita, Pasil, and Suba, the foundation now has 16 full-time licensed teachers.

Low administrative costs

Over 85% of the Arcanys Foundation’s total costs is fully utilized for parent-child coaching activities. This covers the teachers’ salaries, essential educational resources such as the ChildUp Early Learning Game cards, as well as for special events like Math Olympics and snacks for the children to enjoy during the sessions. Only 12% of our budget is dedicated to funding research, monitoring, and assessments of the programs. In the end, administrative overhead accounts for less than 3% of the Arcanys Foundation expenses.

High Economic Impact

According to a large scale study conducted in 2016, which involved 579 children, preschoolers that received active support from their parents at home showed significant improvements. The children in the math coaching group showed almost twice as much improvement in number sense skills as the ones in the control group. Thus, by empowering parents to support children’s home learning, preschoolers are able to significantly improve their basic math skills.

Coming from families whose members earn $2 daily average, children who participated in AELF’s parent-child math learning program were given a better chance at actualizing their potential, pursuing further studies, and ultimately, getting high-paying jobs in the future.

The multiplying factor

Parent-child math sessions do not stop with the children who directly participate in the program. About half of the parents continue the training with their other children, proving the exponential efficiency of the method.

Due to the benefits of a playful early learning model in the recipient families’ daily lives, we’re hopeful that, in the long run, those children will also reuse the method with their siblings, relatives, and even their own future children.

Our journey so far

  • Our Impact

  • +5,000

    Families helped
  • +150,000

    Coaching sessions provided
  • +20,000

    People positively impacted