Willow Den – a trading subsidiary of Inspiring Scotland, a venture philanthropy organisation - plans to operate settings for children aged three- to- five across Scotland, including in deprived communities.
It will open its first nursery in partnership with Spartans Community Food Academy in north Edinburgh next month, which will have places for 24 children.
The group plans to have eight settings by 2026, providing places for up to 200 children and creating 30 new jobs.
The launch of the chain of outdoor nurseries has been made possible thanks to a combined £725,000 in funding from Inspiring Scotland, Social Investment Scotland, and capital from a pool of private investors.
Willow Den is led by chief executive Deborah Grant, who has 25 years’ experience working in childcare and within social enterprises. She is also an expert on early learning and childcare, specifically outdoor learning. Prior to her current role, Ms Grant was a performance advisor for Inspiring Scotland’s Thrive Outdoors programme – supporting organisations to develop outdoor learning.
She said, ‘I’m delighted to be leading Willow Den through an exciting launch period, with a clear aim of creating more opportunities for children to spend quality time outdoors.
‘With funded childcare hours doubling from August, and Covid-19 continuing to impact children’s health and well-being, there is growing demand for increased access to outdoor nurseries across Scotland. Our aim is to help to meet this demand and support the wider outdoor learning movement to gain traction.’
Celia Tennant, chief executive of Inspiring Scotland, added, ‘Our work over the past decade has highlighted the impact of high-quality outdoor play as an essential catalyst for healthy childhood development and a fundamental part of growing up in Scotland.
‘However, our experience also uncovered a gap in the availability and provision of high-quality outdoor nurseries in Scotland. Combining our sector experience and entrepreneurial approach, we took the bold decision to create a sustainable business model to address this at scale. We are delighted that Social Investment Scotland are on board to help us and Willow Den achieve our ambition that every child in Scotland has the opportunity to play and learn in the outdoors.’
