New 24-hour nursery opens for shift workers

Russell Hill Road Day Nursery in Purley, Surrey, which was opened in June, is registered to provide care for 56 children from birth to five during the day, and 12 children overnight.

The nursery is open Monday to Sunday and charges a fee of £53.52 to care for children from 7pm-7am, which includes a meal in the evening and morning.

Owner Natalie Salawa, who also has a nursery in Brixton, said she opened the setting in Purley with the intention of providing 24-hour care after parents in the area who work shifts and weekends expressed the need for extended hours.

According to Ms Salawa, no other private settings in the area open for 24 hours a day.

Children who stay overnight sleep in rooms separate to the main play areas and are grouped according to age. Each sleeping room has a baby monitor

Staff watch over the children until they fall asleep and check on them every 20 minutes, recording their observations.

Adult to child ratios are maintained overnight and the nursery pays a higher wage to those staff who work the unsociable hours.

Ms Salawa said, ‘A lot of our parents work at Gatwick airport or St George’s hospital in Tooting, so do shift work. It can be really expensive for parents to pay for someone to care for their child at night if they go through an agency.

‘So far, the most children we’ve had overnight has been five, all over the age of two. However, we’ve had a lot of interest from parents looking for childcare on a Saturday.’