Co-operatives UK has received almost 200,000 funding from Co-operative Action to promote the co-operative sector both nationally and regionally, provide support to existing childcare co-operatives and work with others to develop new childcare businesses.
The money will also be used to pilot a co-operative childcare consortium in London, which will act as a central service for small community childcare providers to share experience, learning and best practice.
Childcare co-operatives are democratically-run businesses owned by staff, parents and other interest groups. Proponents say the service can be tailored to reflect individual community needs, and there is better staff retention because staff have a stake in the business and a greater commitment to the service.
Co-operative childcare services are well developed in New Zealand, Canada and Sweden, where two-thirds of independent daycare centres are parent- or employee-owned co-operatives. In contrast, there are only 40 known co-operative childcare businesses in Britain.
Helen Seymour, national strategy co-ordinator for Co-operatives UK, said, 'Childcare co-operatives are not prevalent in the UK as there is no support available. There has never before been a national co-operative childcare development project for the UK. Our project will make a real difference in providing high quality, affordable childcare in a truly co-operative setting.
'At the moment there are only about ten new co-operative childcare services opening each year. The project aims to more than double this number over the next two years.'
Sarah Lees of Co-operative Action, which awards grants and loans to co-operative projects, said, 'Childcare is a turbulent and competitive environment dominated by private chains and independent operators. The difference that co-operatives make is that they empower the key stakeholders, staff, parents, carers and others in the community, to ensure the highest quality.'
Sure Start Folkestone has re-launched itself as a mutual co-operative society, thanks to a 25,000 grant from Co-operative Action. This makes it the first mutual society Sure Start.
The grant money will be used to finance a conference in February to launch such a model nationally. Programme manager Sylvia Scott said, 'At Sure Start Folkestone, half of the management board are people from the local community, and the other half are the service providers. Becoming a mutual society is critical to sustain an effective level of community involvement. It's where joined-up working really begins to work.'
