Nursery World - Children profit from enterprise

By Robin Harris, communications manager, Social Enterprise London An often-repeated statistic is that for every one child receiving adequate childcare provision in the UK, there are six who are not. Another figure is that the average cost of childcare in this country is Pounds 6,000 per head (Daycare Trust 2003). Neither are the sort of thing you want to be hearing over the patter of tiny feet. But there is an alternative that combines business acumen with a strong desire to serve the community.

An often-repeated statistic is that for every one child receiving adequate childcare provision in the UK, there are six who are not. Another figure is that the average cost of childcare in this country is 6,000 per head (Daycare Trust 2003). Neither are the sort of thing you want to be hearing over the patter of tiny feet. But there is an alternative that combines business acumen with a strong desire to serve the community.

Social enterprise is a 'not-just-for-profit' model that allows nurseries, daycare and after-school groups to use profits to subsidise places. They compete in the private sector but are not limited by the need to maximise shareholder value. Their motivation for making money is to use it to have a positive social impact. As such, they are well placed to deliver on service level agreements because they can provide the 'added value' sought by local authority contracts.

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