Many people in the early years sector pay lip service to flexibility, but at York Nurseries, staff have initiated totally flexible childcare for children aged from birth to 12 years old.
The setting is in an area of high deprivation on the edge of the neighbourhood damaged in the Burnley riots, near the town centre.
With unemployment rising following the closure of local factories and shops, nursery owners Claire York and Heather Langridge decided to ask parents what they most needed from their childcare.
They all responded that they needed flexibility - families wanted childcare that would allow them to take the jobs on offer, which were often part-time and sometimes at unsocial hours.
As a result, the pair introduced Totally Flexible Childcare and the nursery now opens 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm on Saturdays and operates a thriving out-of-school club taking and collecting children from six local schools up to four times a day. They cope with the hours of parents working shifts in three or four weekly cycles.
Claire and Heather also welcome parents who want to book ad hoc sessions - while they attend a job interview, for example - because they have found that these bookings often become regular when the parents get work.
Obviously, this degree of flexibility requires flexible staffing and the nursery has introduced flexible working for its 25 staff. This means practitioners can enjoy a good balance between work and home life, and also allows them time to study.
The pair say that 90 per cent of their business comes through recommendation and parents tell them they were recommended because of their flexibility. 'It works and we are proving it works,' says Heather. 'Gone are the days when you had children in full-time or five mornings. The world is a different place and we have responded accordingly.'
Highly commended
Fit 'N' Fun Kids, Falmouth, Cornwall
Award-winning childcare provider Fit 'N' Fun Kids has this year reviewed its core values and reflected on how its services meet families' needs through extensive parent consultation. It has launched All About Me, an in-depth consultation that supports practitioners in tracking the child between the setting and home from commencement of care until transition to school.
Finalist
Kiddie Winks Day Care Nursery, Burton-on-Trent
Criterion
Open to new launches of, or significant expansions to, early years services in the past 12 months.
