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Business support case study 3 - Metropolitan Borough Council Children's Centre
In the summer of 2010, Daycare Trust worked with a Metropolitan Borough Council to:
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review costs and models of their phase 1 Children’s Centres childcare provision;
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provide an options paper for their future sustainability; and
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develop a business support toolkit to enable the Centres to assess, plan and manage their childcare provision in the long term.
The project was delivered in two stages.
Stage 1In the first, full business health checks were carried out on five Phase 1 children’s centres, which included assessments of costs, fees, occupancy levels and staffing and governance structures. A practical business plan was then drawn up for each setting, making recommendations which could include re-organisation of opening hours, strategies and tips for managing operational costs, alternative service modelling and addressing issues that impact on user groups. Stage 2Following completion of the business health checks, a solution seeking workshop was developed and delivered to Children’s Centre staff focusing on the areas identified as being most beneficial. These included best practice in managing costs, increasing occupancy and developing a marketing strategy. To support the long term sustainability of the childcare provision, a toolkit was created for the Phase 1 Children’s Centres to use which included;
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By starting with a comprehensive assessment of the current position of the Children’s Centres, Daycare Trust were able to offer tailored support in the short term to help them to address key issues affecting their stability and sustainability and provide systems and tools to enable the Centres to continue this work themselves in the future.
For further information on how Daycare Trust can support you and your providers in becoming more financially sustainable please contact Esther Burridge at eburridge@daycaretrust.org.uk or on 020 7940 7514.
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