Nursery owners are under increasing pressure to become more businesslike in order to cope with the burgeoning bureaucracy relating to both childcare and employment issues, as well as to face up to the growing competition in the sector.
But a study funded by the Department of Education and Skills, published this summer, found, 'identifiable cultural resistance to the application of business principles' among childcarers.
The report, Developing the Business Skills of Childcare Professionals: An evaluation of the business support programmes, said private sector providers were generally more comfortable than voluntary sector managers in taking a business approach. However, there was a distinction in the attitude of nursery chains compared with owners of single- site settings, who 'often run the nurseries at a personal cost'.
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