Question for Katymac (or anyone else who's started a nursery) - what are you doing about HR policies for your nursery?

[Pennies]

My friend is setting up a nursery and whilst there are only four of us doing it and it is all mates together I still think she should be considering some HR policies, particularly relating to maternity leave and sickness.

What are you doing about this? I'm not entirely sure where to start.

Advice from anyone very welcome.

That's me bubble

Food, outdoor play, growing vegetables, collecting eggs, natural materials

We're just a really small pre-shool from 18months - 3years, running mornings only, max 14 children and only food served will be snack time fruit or packed lunches provided by parents.

Our target market is local mums and also mums that are in surrounding villages / nearby towns.

The whole thing is just so small that you can barely see it but we all miss what was there before so we're opening again. The old owners have branched out into jewellery making after running it for 15 years and they wanted to do something different. They opened it for the same reasons as we are - they just wanted something for local toddlers to go to.

Are you going to be economically viable

What happens when you aren't?

what about when your children go to big school?

Is someone NVQ qualified?

Pennies. How many children will you be/are you registered for?

Katy. Great minds!

Are you a registered Charity?

OK 3 hours a day 5 days a week Minimum legal staff costs £168 a week plus NI £18.48

How much is your rent?

So £190 staffing costs
Rent?
Equipment?
Craft supplies?
Snacks?
Tea & coffee for staff?
Money to pay staff while other staff go on mandatory training?

The leader is an ex-primaryschool teacher so has her qualifications all sorted. Ofsted have approved the qualifications we're all taking and said we'll be fine on that front.

We'll be breaking even - we're looking into getting charitable status to help with this as well.

When our children go to big school we all intend to keep on running it - mine will be there from next January so for me it give me a couple of morning's work and I think it will help me to contribute to the village. I think I speak for the four of us when it comes to the motivation, because that's what we're all doing it for. It's not about making a mint because we know that's not going to happen at all.

I would strongly advise you to set up with stat sick /holiday/maternity pay. Especially if you expand and take on more staff. We currently have three staff on maternity leave and, as ratios have to be covered, have needed to staff to replace them during their mat leave. If we were paying anything over and above stat mat pay we would struggle financially. Also the same for sick pay as, unlike any other business, nurseries have to have set ratios of staff.

Half your staff must be NVQ qualified (that's right isn't it Bubble)
& there mus be someone with a qualification there at all times

You will all need
First Aid
Food Hygiene
H&S
EYFS training
(tell me when I get it wrong)

To breakeven I would be thinking about charging upwards of £5 an hour

Umm what about your insurance I was quote £1200 a year - I guess you might pay half of that

What is EYFS?

All other relevant training in hand.

Early Year Foundation Stage - the new legal framework that comes in in September

It replaces B23 & foundation stage and the national standards

The H&S implications are a nightmare tbh

Despie public perceptions, very few (morally run!) nurseries make a mint. The overheads, particularly in cities, are frightening and our staff bill is huuuuuuge!

We set ours up as we couldn't find childcare locally that we thought was good enough for our boys. We make a good enough living but we're not planning to retire to The Bahamas just yet!

Rent £12 a day

Insurance, c. £12 per week.

Planing on charging £12 - 15 per child per session (9.00am - 11.30am). Extra money if child staying for lunch club (if we run them). This is a little more than the old owner charged (a tenner).

I'm less worried about you making money
I am more concerned about you getting paid

Yes, Katy. At least half must be qualified. I think OFSTED currently class NVQ2 as qualified in the half/half equation.

Pennies. What area are you in? I'm guessing rural by the sounds of it.

But do NVQ2 class with EYFS - I haven't looked yet, but I have a feeling not

Yes rural.

We all know we're not going to be paving our driveways with gold KM - it's not me doing the maths so I can't really answer your questions very well. I'm confident that my mate's done all her homework on that front and I know we're not making much, if any profit.

Thanks for all the info you're giving me. I'm in the process of drawing up a hit list of things we need to be doing and every little thing's useful.

Well at least you have your degree qualified person - that's good

Have flagged the EYFS thing to my mate who will ask Ofsted about it.

Training also needed:
Equal Ops
SN
Nutrition
Planning

Income £840 - £1050 (when you are full)

Rent £60
Ins £12
Wages £190 Minimum - no toilet breaks allowed
Ideally £285
Allowance for sick/training/etc £38 (better £57)
Holiday pay £30 a week

But if you pay your staff £6 an hour it's £300 a week plus £60 (add ons) plus £30 (hols)

I guess you breakeven is about 7 children assuming no other costs (food/toys/crafts ect)