What businesses can do
The Report and first initiatives launched by the Business Taskforce are just the beginning. Here are some starters on how any business – big or small – can get involved.
How to get going
1. Start the conversation
Engage with your workforce, customers and business partners. Consider which of the opportunities for impact you feel you can take steps on to deliver impact. Just by initiating this type of consultation you will start to stimulate conversations about the importance of early childhood and begin that shift in culture.
2. Build on what is already working
Review any current activity that is already shaping early childhood outcomes for your customers, employees and members of your community. An audit of employee policies and workplace culture might be a good place to start, but expand to think of your role as a provider of goods and a member of your local community and wider society.
3. Consider what more can be done
Think about how else you might contribute to change, the opportunities for impact provide a great framework. Think about how are you supporting the social and emotional development of young children and the adults that surround them. Perhaps you have an ESG strategy and can consider how new activity might bolster the ‘S’ in your reporting.
Thinking about touchpoints
Businesses large and small can make a significant difference. As well as using the the five opportunities to prioritise impact, it’s also helpful to think about the influence businesses can have across multiple touchpoints:
- As employers of parents and caregivers
- Providers of goods and services
- Visible and influential community members
“We hope this report will encourage businesses of all sizes, across the UK, to join us and help build a healthy, happy society for everyone.”
Taskforce initiatives
The Taskforce members have committed to taking action across the opportunities for impact and are working on a whole range of initiatives with more to be announced. These include:
- Partnerships with Baby Banks to provide goods, strategic support and volunteers
- Working with early years settings to help provide training, products and business support
- Thinking about spaces where people convene and incorporating conversation starters to encourage strengthening social and emotional skills
If every business made just one change which prioritised early childhood, the impact could be transformational.
What’s next?
The Taskforce will continue to work on increasing understanding of the importance of early childhood and supporting Shaping Us, The Princess of Wales’ campaign to raise awareness about the vital importance of the first five years of life.
As more businesses engage with the report, The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood will consult with more businesses across the UK to drive momentum. This will involve a number of regional events and working with a ranges of businesses to innovate, adopt and expand initiatives which prioritise early childhood.
