{"id":824,"date":"2024-10-25T10:46:58","date_gmt":"2024-10-25T10:46:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mo.work\/how-to-rewrite-the-story-of-staff-retention-in-childcare\/"},"modified":"2025-02-03T14:33:51","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T14:33:51","slug":"rewrite-the-story-of-staff-retention-in-childcare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mo.work\/insights\/rewrite-the-story-of-staff-retention-in-childcare\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Rewrite the Story of Staff Retention in Childcare"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When we caught up with David Hancock<\/strong>, he had just taken the reins at Monkey Puzzle<\/a><\/strong>, a collection of nurseries that care for children across the UK. He had already headed two other nursery groups, iStep and Children1st<\/strong> and improved staff retention across his childcare workforce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we\u2019ll explore the challenges facing the sector and how Mo\u2019s employee recognition platform brought staff turnover \u201cto a halt\u201d across David\u2019s teams.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Before we get into David\u2019s story at iStep, some background: this sector has faced vast challenges, not least from increased demand and changes in work patterns. But while nurseries are a vital part of the childcare system, they often receive little support to tackle such challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David\u2019s latest team at Monkey Puzzle is full of passionate employees who just want to feel like they are part of something meaningful. They face similar challenges to his previous workforce at iStep. Even staff who have a long tenure begin to feel disengaged in these circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been hearing this for twenty years: the childcare sector is fragmented,\u201d David explained to our CEO, Luke Fisher. \u201cWhat happens when the head of a nursery that feels more like a family decides to sell? Some staff will feel like they\u2019ve lost that personal connection\u2026 how do we support them?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throw a leadership change into the mix and things reach an inflection point. Will the team come together to succeed? This is the story of how Mo helped iStep bring their whole company together with an effective recognition platform and improved staff retention.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201c<\/span>I\u2019ve been hearing this for twenty years: the childcare sector is fragmented.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tDavid Hancock<\/strong>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/cite>\n\t<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

A Fresh Start For iStep Nurseries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In early 2022, the nursery sector was facing real challenges related to high staff turnover, employee disengagement and ineffective communication. People wanted jobs that felt them feeling valued. The opposite was true: many left work feeling tired and demotivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make things harder for the team at iStep Nurseries, this family-run business was changing hands from its original owner to a new set of hands. David knew that his so-called \u201ccorporate\u201d culture may lead to friction among employees, who were used to a \u201cfamily-run\u201d approach. Not only did he not want to alienate his hard-working staff, he was concerned about resulting inefficiencies in their children\u2019s care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Direct feedback from employees highlighted these issues; David, who has been the Managing Director of several nursery groups, knew that something had to be done about these growing concerns. He realised that centralised software could solve these issues and make his new staff feel truly informed and appreciated in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

David\u2019s staff retention challenges:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n