The £8.5 million financial support plan will benefit 2,200 staff in the employee-owned nursery group, which operates 44 nurseries in England.
Full-time staff in post during the previous financial year are set to receive six monthly tax-free payments of up to £500 between 1 December and 1 May 2023, with pro-rata payments for others.
This is irrespective of qualification or role within the company, with apprentices receiving the same maximum amount as members of the Executive Team, and nursery and head office staff.
New pay rises mean starting rates for Qualified Level 3 practitioners, for example, range from £11.50 an hour to £13.00 an hour in ‘high cost-of-living areas’.
Chief executive officer Emma Rooney said, ‘Every employee is a partner in our business, and we stand together during tough times. Ensuring the security and wellbeing of colleagues is not only vital to our mission to achieve the best possible outcomes for every child in our care it is also, quite simply, the right thing to do.’
For early years practitioner Kairit Jalast, of Willows Day Nursery in Buckinghamshire, the plan could not be more timely, as she is in the process of moving.
‘The sense of relief is amazing for all of us, 'she said. 'We have all been looking at our bills coming in and imagining a very difficult winter. The fact that this plan gives everyone a boost in different ways is just brilliant.’
The support has been extended to new nursery recruits on contracted hours who will receive up to a maximum £100 a month based on hours worked – until 1 May 2023, to help them meet rising costs and bills.
This is in addition to two meals a day in nursery during winter months, and enhanced company training and mentoring to upskill staff with new qualifications.
Explaining the plan, Rooney said the need to act quickly with extra financial support did not distract from the company’s focus on maintaining and enhancing the current range of benefits and wellbeing initiatives.
This included increasing loyalty payments to long serving employees, cash gifts recognising exceptional effort and achievement throughout the year, and investment in the ‘tools and facilities colleagues need as professional early years educators’.
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Long service employees receive separate cash rewards and extra holiday entitlement in the ‘milestone’ year. This means that staff receive £500 and one extra day of annual leave for five years’ service. Staff who have been at Childbase for 10 years, receive £1,000, plus one week of extra leave.
In addition to one extra week of leave, staff serving 15 years receive £1,500; £2,000 for 20 years; £2,500 or 25 years; and £3,000 for 30 years.
Childbase said holiday entitlements are set to increase from April 2023, and staff were already benefitting from the July introduction of the Thrive App, which is endorsed by the NHS, and is designed to build resilience and prevent mental health conditions developing.
Staff also have access to Perkbox for discounts at supermarkets, clothing retailers and entertainment outlets.