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Transform the culture

Build a culture that prioritises early childhood within businesses, local communities and wider society.

An Iceland executive kneels down next to a young child and her mother and points to an emoji poster attached to the side of a freezer.

It really does take a village to raise a child. Businesses play a vital role in our communities and have enormous influence on the way we all live our lives. The business case presented by The Business Taskforce offers the opportunity for businesses to seize this moment to consider how to use their sway to create a culture that prioritises early childhood.​

The Business Taskforce’s report reveals that investing in early childhood could generate £45.5 billion in value added for the national economy each year. Yet, public awareness of the importance of early childhood is mixed and private investment is limited.​

Prioritising early childhood within wider culture will impact the future prosperity of our society; promoting social mobility across the UK and contributing to social cohesion through supporting people to live happy and healthy lives. Prioritising early childhood is essential for building a robust and sustainable economy – a place where business can thrive.

£11.8bn

of the £45.5 billion in value calculated to be added to the national economy is in additional profits for businesses​

£27.5bn

of the £45.5 billion in value calculated to be added to the national economy is in additional earnings for the UK workforce​

£6.2bn

of the £45.5 billion in value calculated to be added to the national economy is in tax revenue for the UK Government​

Iceland: Designing customer experiences prioritising young families

Iceland, a member of The Business Taskforce, are using posters in their stores to help young children to identify their emotions.

Iceland is providing learning, awareness and support in all 1,000 Iceland and The Food Warehouse stores by featuring emoji posters at a child friendly height. This is to act as a practical tool to help customers with young children and to create a space of understanding and support in stores, reaching 5 million customers every week. They are also working to raise awareness among their 30,000 colleagues of the importance of early child development and how social and emotional skills impact on future mental health.

“This is our opportunity to create a happier, more productive workforce today and a future workforce equipped with the skills and resilience needed to thrive in the ever-more complex business landscape of tomorrow.”

Lord William Hague