Childcare funding can be one of the most confusing components of the early years education landscape. Between 15 hours, 30 hours, stretched funding and tax-free childcare, parents are often left unsure of what they’re entitled to or how to apply.
That’s why we’ve developed a suite of specialist resources designed to make funding clearer for our parents and easier for our franchisees to deliver. By breaking down complex government guidance into accessible family-friendly formats, we endeavour to guarantee our franchisees across our network can confidently support parents while also strengthening their own value proposition.
Here, Jamie Ross, our commercial director, discusses why it is essential for us to support our franchisees with valuable resources to help customers cut through the jargon, especially in industries as heavily regulated as early years education.
Setting the scene
For many families, the cost of childcare is one of the biggest worries on the household budget. While government funding schemes can make a real difference, they often come with a maze of rules and variations, not to mention eligibility codes and strict deadlines. It’s no wonder parents can feel confused and overwhelmed.
What families really need is clear guidance they can trust, and providers need the right tools to deliver that support with confidence. By making the system easier to understand and access, families can get the support they’re entitled to.
With all this in mind, it’s important for our franchisees to have the right resources at their fingertips to enable them to guide our parents with clarity and confidence. This is why we’ve developed a funding guide – plus a new funding calculator that will soon be available on all our franchisee landing sites – to simplify the process and provide a one-stop shop for our franchisees and their teams to answer any questions families may have when it comes to funding.
Adding value for our franchisees
So, why is this beneficial for our franchisees? Well, to start with, it takes the heavy lifting away from our franchisees – meaning they can focus on their day-to-day operations. As the franchisor, our role is to help franchisees thrive – and sometimes that means taking the lead at head office to give them the best support possible, meaning while they’re saving valuable time, there is a consistent message across our whole network.
This cohesion strengthens trust in our brand, while also giving each of our franchisees and their teams the utmost confidence that the information they’re sharing with parents is both accurate and up to date.
In turn, this brings real clarity for parents. Families feel reassured about what funding they can access – and what they can’t – and how to do it. With everyone singing from the same hymn sheet, the process feels a whole lot simpler, clearer and far more supportive for all parties involved.
Franchisor support in action
For our franchisees, one of the biggest advantages of being part of our network is knowing we have their back on complex, time-consuming challenges. Childcare funding is a prime example in our industry – by tackling it centrally, we’re relieving our franchisees of the burden, allowing them to focus on delivering outstanding early years education.
This approach strengthens our individual settings but also reinforces the power of being part of our franchise network. It demonstrates our commitment to investing in practical, high-value support that helps our franchisees grow with confidence, while also setting the brand apart as one willing to go the extra mile for our people and our customers.
As a franchise, our role is to make the complex simple so our franchisees can concentrate on what they do best. By taking ownership of childcare funding guidance, we’re easing the pressure on each of our nurseries and adding real value across the whole network.
For me, this is what franchising should be about: practical support that drives business growth while enhancing the customer experience.
When we invest in tools, such as our funding guide, that help our franchisees succeed, the benefits are felt by everyone – from our brand, right down to the children who walk through our nursery doors every day.