Zizu’s Daycare and Learning Centre, which opened in September, launched the sessions last week for parents wanting time alone to do shopping, get their hair done or attend an important appointment.
Paid for by the hour, the sessions for parents of children over the age of four are available on Thursday nights for late night Christmas shopping and on Saturdays for a minimum of two hours at a time. The setting is currently offering a deal of buy two hours, get one free.
The sessions cost £7.50 per hour, slightly above the normal rate charged by the nursery to pay for increased staff wages.
Nursery owner Maaz Rahman told Nursery World that he had launched the sessions to fill a gap in the market locally for flexible childcare provision.
He explained, ‘As a widowed father to two children, there have been many occasions where I’ve needed time on my own to do the food shopping. However up until now, there has been no provision for parents that need a bit of "me time" or for those working late nights and weekends.’
‘The nursery is ideally located as it is very close to the town and next to a multi-storey car park that offers two-hours free parking.’
While it is early days, Mr Rahman said they had received a lot of interest from parents keen on taking up the ‘drop and shop’ sessions.
Maaz Rahman opened Zizu’s Daycare in honour of his late wife Saerah, who sadly passed away weeks after giving birth to their now three-year-old daughter.
Wanting to draw upon his experience working in digital technology, Mr Rahman has added a number of special features to the 60-place setting including a biometric entry system for parents, which uses facial recognition technology, and a digital device suite for children attending the setting’s after-school club.
The interior of the nursery also incorporates elements of biophilic design, bringing the natural world into the workplace, which is thought to increase productivity. For example, the reception area has a carpet of simulated grass, there is carpet throughout the setting designed to look like stone, and there are plants in every room.
