Childcare. Always a big talking point. Everyone always has ‘childcare issues’. Whether they can’t finish something at work as they need to pick up their child, can’t make a change to their schedule due to a childcare commitment or they can’t make a BBQ as they’ll have to fork out and get a baby sitter.

Childcare is essential to modern life, it’s massively important but unfortunately it’s expensive. Price and quality range hugely among providers but do price and quality go hand-in-hand? Well, you’d hope so…

I was talking to a good friend last night who is a Fireman. He said he had recently been into a well established, large Nursery chain in Devon to do some fire safety inspections. I asked him what it was like.

“It was horrible. It stank and was noisy. The children were being herded around like animals. There was only a tiny outdoor space and they all have a certain amount of time out there before being moved into the next area. There we these ‘nappy changers’ with large aprons on, wearing big gloves and carrying out these huge sacks of dirty nappies. That was their job, to just work through all the children in a production line. It was like battery farming!”

After a little research I find that this nursery is one of the most expensive in the area and rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.

Karibu aims to ‘raise the game’. It wants to stay small, stay personal and stay true to what children and also their parents deserve. I want the parents that drop their child off in the morning to go to work knowing that their child is in high-quality care, enjoying excellent relationships with other children and adults and knowing that Karibu treats every child as a unique one.

Based on a family model, a few adults and a few children, we can maintain high standards, deliver an excellent education that allows children to flourish and ensure that price and quality go hand-in-hand.

Simon Jay