Tops Day Nurseries, which operates nine nurseries across the south of England, hopes to find grandparents aged from 50 to 75 for part-time roles.
They will be asked to work for a couple of hours at lunch time and can sign up to work between one and five days a week. All the new workers will receive full training.
Cheryl Hadland, director of Tops Day Nurseries, said, 'No formal childcare experience is necessary. We will run a full induction course lasting eight weeks to make sure everyone is familiar with current practice and guidelines.
'Even if the grandparents have had lots of experience with their own children, things may have changed quite a bit,' she added. 'Although the induction is not a formal childcare qualification, they could go on to work towards an NVQ level 2 or 3 with us, as Tops is a recognised Beacon training centre.'
Ms Hadland hopes the move to introduce grandparents to the nurseries will benefit both children and parents. She said, 'Many of our children do not have grandparents who live close by and so they do not come into contact with older people. I'm sure the children will learn from the more mature generation, and they will bring great personal wisdom. I'm also hoping that their maturity will be comforting for the new mothers.'
She added, 'In many areas of the country there is a shortage of nursery staff. There is no reason why retired people could not work a few hours a week in a nursery and help provide the answer.'
To find out more about the recruitment, contact Tops Day Nurseries on 01202 551 553 or e-mail admin@topsdaynuseries.co.uk.
