Provide resources/ services to local nurseries and early years services
90% of children under five will access early education and childcare. These settings are a vital part of our nation’s infrastructure and are under more pressure than ever. It is very possible that these small businesses are enabling your own business to function by providing childcare for your employees. Creating these partnerships, even on a small scale, can be extremely rewarding.
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1. Understand which are the early years settings that your business might connect to
These might be settings used by your workforce, or early childhood organisations in a location that is important to your business for other reasons. For some organisations, these early years small businesses might be your clients or customers.
Think about the settings which might most benefit from your expertise or support.
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2. Connect with the leaders of the settings
Start by listening and understanding the particular needs of the early years setting – it might be that the leadership team would appreciate business support, perhaps they need a space for the annual concert, or even help with 1:1 reading sessions.
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3. Review how you might provide support
Start by listening and understanding the particular needs of the early years setting – it might be that the leadership team would appreciate business support, perhaps they need a space for the annual concert, or even help with 1:1 reading sessions.
Case study: NatWest
NatWest provide financial services to hundreds of early years settings. As part of The Royal Foundation Business Taskforce they spoke to their early years partners and understood that there was more that they could do. Since last year NatWest has created resources and provided training for 600 of their staff so that they can be better partners for nurseries and other early years settings. This includes business plan templates, marketing strategies and financial planning tools to help people running early education and childcare settings.
Why this matters
It is in businesses’ interest to address the early childhood education and care challenge that many of their employees are facing, by acknowledging the important role it plays in their employees’ lives and considering any support they can provide.
Improve early childhood education and careRelated actions
