Childcare Co-operatives

A major barrier to participation in the economy for single parents returning to work or establishing a new business is lack of affordable or appropriate child care. This fact has been recognised by Labour Market Surveys.

Child care co-operatives offer a potential solution to overcome that barrier and others listed below. Where there is a common shared need, parents can collaborate to create a solution where they spend a share of their time participating in child care in order to release a more substantial amount of time to gain employment , participate in skills development or develop a business idea. The benefits of being involved in such a scheme can include:

• Access to affordable child care
• Flexibility in response to needs
• Skills development and accreditation in business and child care

Barriers and solutions

Availability: Many childcare services have yet to evolve to meet the needs of children and parents that have changed with modern flexible working patterns and changing family structures.
Co-operative childcare delivers flexibility and responsiveness. The close relationship between childcare worker and parent that is inbuilt in the co-operative approach ensures that the business is shaped to respond to the changing needs of children and parents using the service.

Staff Turnover: Many childcare services suffer from high staff turnover due to low pay, lack of training and low morale. This has a direct impact on children and their parents, as well as causing problems for staff and employers.
Co-operatives know that well trained employees not only provide excellent care but can also contribute to the effective running of the business. Giving employees the opportunity to share this responsibility gives staff a more positive outlook and job satisfaction, creating a strongly motivated staff team and low staff turnover. Attention to attractive employee benefits and excellent working conditions also aid staff retention.

Quality: There are huge variations in quality of care available, as highlighted by recent media coverage, the experience of users and Ofsted reports.
The co-operative model combines a stable, well trained and committed staff team with financial stability (reinvestment in the business rather than operating purely to obtain maximum profit). This provides a basis from which consistent high quality care can be delivered. Direct involvement of parents in shaping their children's learning experiences and care ensures that childcare truly meets the needs of families and the community.

Costs: Childcare costs in the UK are the highest in Europe. Private sector provision of childcare has increased in cost in line with the increase in demand. Government support is not always adequate.
Co-operative childcare delivers vale for money because profits are not taken out of the service by shareholders or owners, but reinvested in the business and the local community. Co-operative childcare is cost effective.

Options available include:

• the establishment of a worker co-operative which provides child care as a service, but with a socially responsible approach as opposed to one purely driven by profit, thereby providing affordable, high value, child care
• the establishment of a multi-stakeholder co-operative where the management is drawn from staff and service users (i.e. the parents)
  

SACDA provides:

• identification of enterprise idea
• identification of stakeholders in enterprise idea
• feasibility advice
• advice of most appropriate legal format based on needs
• business plan development
• skills development and training plans
• access to appropriate finance

Based Upon

• An understanding of how to marry social needs with income generation
• A proven track record of implementing community owned responses to need
• Experience of working within disadvantaged communities
• Experience of introducing business principles to people with no previous experience
• A commitment to equality of opportunity