Nursery World - Parent co-op nurseries may be the answer to low-cost quality childcare

Parent-led co-operative nurseries could be an alternative to conventional settings for families in poor areas, according to the New Economics Foundation, which is setting up a pilot project to look at how this childcare model works.

The think tank has been inspired by the Grasshoppers in the Park nursery in east London, a not-for-profit limited company, set up 15 years ago as a parent-led childcare co-operative with the aim to offer families high quality childcare at a lower cost than at a private nursery.

The NEF, which is working with the Family and Childcare Trust, says that it sees a lot of potential in the parent-led co-operative childcare model, and has teamed up with the nursery to build a network that will help parents from low-income areas learn how to set up their own co-operative nursery.

Lucie Stephens, head of co-production at the NEF, said, ‘We are working in partnership with Family Childcare Trust to pilot this model of childcare. The model will be focused on providing high quality childcare, and the aim of this approach is to blend professional skill and expertise with parents’ experience.

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