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Acorn’s ethic of care is deeply embedded throughout the organisation’s 16 settings, from the way in which children are nurtured and the way effective partnerships with their families are developed to the links with local communities and the way the group develops and cares for its employees. There is a focus on developing staff teams by encouraging them to develop their careers through their personal as well as professional development.
Acorn is a charitable social enterprise, so the financial model is atypical of the sector. It operates a cross-subsidy model in order to achieve affordability as well as high quality. This means that all the nurseries are supported to ensure they can meet their direct costs and overheads, but the expectations for each nursery to contribute to centralised costs are adapted to their socio-demographic catchment. This enables lower fees to be charged at nurseries in areas of deprivation, while still maintaining competitive salary levels in order to retain excellent staff teams.
Being a charitable social enterprise also frees the group from the pressure of external investors and allows them to plan long-term. It enables decision-making to focus on how to continually improve and develop, to provide centres of excellence within the sector.
Management teams all have direct access to specialist support at the central office, which includes HR and recruitment, staff wellbeing support, a finance team that assists with fees and funding issues, and even a sustainability lead who supports the nurseries on their eco journey. The CEO and board of trustees regularly visit sites, and there is a regular staff newsletter to share best practice.
The group’s social impact model underpins its approach to ensure consistency, although each nursery has autonomy to deliver the best service for their local community, taking into account the unique qualities of their building, team and local area. The child’s needs are placed at the centre of decision-making and the group works in close partnership with families to build trusting relationships with them.
Being embedded within the local community – including strong inter-generational links with care homes and retirement housing – is an integral part of the model, and engagement with nature is also a key Acorn characteristic, with all nurseries having access to regular Forest School sessions and opportunities to play and learn in natural environments. Staff recently visited the Netherlands to deliver a presentation on Acorn’s outdoor ethos and tour Dutch childcare provision. The group also welcomed Childcare International delegates to its settings and received hugely positive feedback.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
RAFA Kidz – Nationwide
RAFA Kidz is a not-for-profit subsidiary of the Royal Air Forces Association (RAFA) and runs 14 nurseries, with more than 90 per cent of children being dependants of military personnel. Consistency is especially important to RAFA Kidz due to the transient nature of its community, and the group prides itself on understanding the uniqueness of this life and providing bespoke and impactful support. Military families can be assured their children will receive the same high standards of care when they are posted to a new station and their child is transferred to another of the group’s settings.
FINALISTS
Bright Horizons – Nationwide
Kido Schools – Greater London
Kids Planet – Nationwide
Kindred Nurseries – Nationwide
CRITERION
Open to UK nursery groups with three or more settings.
