The scheme at the Buffer Bear nursery in Hamworthy, Poole, was devised by nursery manager Roxanne Gregory and the parent committee Bb Active to boost occupancy and interest in the nursery.
The nursery won a six-month reprieve in February from Poole council, which provided a Sure Start Sustainability Grant.
It is the only full daycare provider in Hamworthy and provides the childcare for Hamworthy Children's Centre across the road.
Ms Gregory said, 'The idea is that as soon as spaces are available we offer them as pay-as-you-use childcare, so parents can go to the gym or have a haircut and are not tied into a contract. They might then decide to have a regular spot.
'If children start to attend regularly we will also build in observations and planning for them.'
Users must book a slot one week in advance so staff rotas can be drawn up according to the right ratios. The nursery is also advertising the scheme, being launched this week, with local colleges to attract parents who are studying short courses for a few weeks and need childcare but do not want to be tied into a contract.
Parents can sign up for a full day, hourly sessions, or morning and afternoon sessions.
Chair of Bb Active Clare Macnaughton, whose daughter attends the nursery and who came up with the name the Kodiak Club for the pay-as-you-use service, said 'We were looking into how they could make childcare more flexible. We are trying to encourage parents to make a firm commitment for the time they want.'
Kay Turner, chief executive of Buffer Bear, said, 'All our nurseries are operated so that they have the flexibility to meet the changing needs of the local community. Clearly, at the present time in Poole, there is a need to provide a different type of childcare suited to a community in which local families are being impacted more adversely than most in our nursery network by the recession. We will certainly use the experience to inform our overall service provision.'
