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The going rate

Nursery proprietors have to master the art of juggling income against expenditure. Mary Evans looks at how to set salaries and offer staff rewards without raising fees Balancing the budget to set salary levels high enough to recruit and retain staff while keeping fees low enough so parents can afford them has become almost an art form for nursery managers and proprietors.

Balancing the budget to set salary levels high enough to recruit and retain staff while keeping fees low enough so parents can afford them has become almost an art form for nursery managers and proprietors.

Overheads such as council tax, insurance and utility charges mean there is little spare money with which early years employers in the private sector can enhance their basic wages bills and design attractive pay scales and bonus systems to mirror those on offer in council settings. However, with imaginative thinking it is possible to create some leeway in the constant juggling of income against expenditure.

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