Nutrition is vital for wellbeing. Staff who eat well have more consistent blood sugar levels and therefore more consistent energy and mood. Over 50 per cent of our nursery staff, and a proportion of our children’s families, are eligible for benefits because they are low-paid. Someone who is weighed down by money woes has comparable to about a 13-point dip in IQ or the loss of a night’s sleep, which means they are more likely to make mistakes and bad decisions.
An example of already poor and stressed staff making decisions that make them even poorer is buying breakfast or lunch on the way into work or going without. Hungry staff struggle to work effectively, and buying convenience food is an expensive luxury. It also uses one-use plastic that increases your waste bill.
Ways to help
We can provide the facilities and ingredients to make high-quality, nutritious food – sandwiches, toast, microwave oats and noodles – and offer fresh fruit, encouraging staff to make a meal in the staffroom. Alternatively you could provide insulated lunch bags and sporks so staff can bring food from home. This may save staff £5 a day, or about £1,200 pa, while costing the nursery about £240. Well-fed staff are likely to be happier and so the children they look after will be happier too; great for quality, and also staff retention.
Wider support
Many nurseries now offer boots, coats, dressing-up stuff, clothes, books and toy swaps. You need a clothes rack, shelves and some signs encouraging parents to donate items and pick up what may be useful. Some parents may be reluctant to be seen taking things. So encourage and thank them, on the basis that sharing is the socially responsible thing to do and reduces our impact on the environment. We can feel great for giving and receiving, so it is also fabulous for mental health. Enabling others to acquire already used and desirable items for next to nothing is something to be proud of; financially, environmentally and socially.
We can signpost to things like independent financial and debt advice, phone and data deals, budget tools, savings clubs and food-sharing apps like Oddbox.
Sector challenges
We may not be able to pay staff more given underfunding in the sector, or do much about parents in poverty, who then cannot pay more to make up for this. But we can help beyond maximising pay increases and profit sharing.
