The growth of Little Forest Folk, a chain of outdoor nurseries, has been rapid. It opened in Wimbledon in January 2015 with three staff and now has 52 staff across five settings in south west London. ‘No wonder we feel like we’re recruiting constantly,’ says managing director Leanna Barrett, who remortgaged her home to open the first setting.
The swift up-scaling of the model was thanks to the organisation being awarded Social Entrepreneur of the Year by the Big Venture Challenge in 2016, which brought financial, legal and HR assistance.
The nurseries – based on the Scandinavian model of giving children the freedom to enjoy nature – are sited in accessible but not overused green spaces which are leased or have licence agreements. There is access to a building at the beginning and end of the day with children and practitioners spending from 9am until 3.30pm exploring outdoors, erecting rain shelters if needed and sleeping in tents.
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