The payout - the company's largest ever - was distributed among all the company's 1,200 staff and was equivalent to 20 per cent of the company's pre-tax profit for the year.
Child Base, which owns 38 nurseries across south-east England and has a £30m turnover, is the only private nursery operator to offer its staff this kind of employee share scheme.
Sixty per cent of the company is now owned by Child Base employees and held in a share trust, with staff represented at board level and involved in financial and operational decisions and in deciding how the bonus is distributed.
The annual bonus is usually made up in shares, but this year, for the first time, employees were given the option to take their bonus in cash, equivalent to around 2.5 per cent of salaries, or double the cash value in shares.
Mike Thompson, chief executive of Child Base, told Nursery World, 'It's important that people know how much they're valued. The company is successful because of what people do.
'It's imperative to us that everybody's incredible efforts are recognised. Our teams work together, our success is mutually dependent on each other and everyone should share the rewards. It's simple - we all contribute, we all benefit.'
He added that he envisaged that the company would be totally owned by employees 'like John Lewis, in about ten years' time.'
'We've given away 20 per cent of our pre-tax profit this year,' said Mr Thompson. 'We're the only company in the sector that runs itself this way.'
Last month Child Base was ranked 31st in the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies to Work For, the seventh time it has appeared on that list (News, 18 March).
Last month Child Base was awarded its eighth Outstanding grade from Ofsted for Miles House Day nursery, which opened in a converted Georgian house in the centre of Bath last year.
