PMH at Work Case Study: Kids Planet Day Nurseries Ltd
The organisation
Kids Planet Day Nurseries Group, a privately owned and family-run enterprise, operates a network of 203 early years nurseries throughout the United Kingdom. Established in 2008, the company offers flexible childcare and educational services to over 20,000 children, ranging in age from birth to five years. As the third-largest nursery group in the UK, the group has garnered numerous awards and boasts the top-ranking nursery group in the UK according to OFSTED. We have recently been certified as a ‘Great Place To Work’.
At present, the organisation has a dedicated workforce of 5500 employees who serve across various nursery settings, the internal Training Academy, and Head Office locations. Over 95% of colleagues are female.
Kids Planet offers a variety of roles across the organisation, including Early Years Practitioner, Room Leader, Deputy Manager, Chef, Nursery Manager, Area Manager, and Childcare Director. At our Head Office, roles are equally diverse, supporting key functions across departments such as Human Resources, Finance, Marketing, Customer Service, and Data and Technology, among others.
The rationale for action
High Proportion of Female Employees
As a rapidly growing company in the Early Years Childcare sector, we naturally attract individuals who enjoy working with babies and young children. Consequently, many of our colleagues are new or expectant parents; we currently have 202 employees on maternity leave. Given this, it’s essential to enhance our support for new and expectant parents. Our goal is to reduce sickness absence and improve retention by offering comprehensive support during pregnancy and ensuring a smooth return to work after maternity leave through early intervention, personalised-support through our Wellbeing Passports and ongoing assistance.
Sector-specific Issues
Unique challenges affecting the wellbeing of our workforce during the perinatal period include financial pressures due to lower-than-average salaries, which may lead to the need for an earlier-than-planned return to work. Additionally, our employees face an increased likelihood of encountering child safeguarding issues, illness and bereavement, which can heighten anxiety, especially for expectant or returning parents. Furthermore, being exposed to colleagues or parents who have experienced miscarriages may also add to fears around pregnancy and returning to work. Finally, fertility struggles, coupled with frequent interactions with colleagues and parents who have successfully conceived, can further contribute to emotional stress.
Community Support
Our nursery-based teams are uniquely positioned to provide early intervention and support to new parents who may be facing mental health challenges during the perinatal period. Due to regular interaction with families, we often see parents during vulnerable moments—whether they are pregnant with another child or transitioning back to work. Our staff have the advantage of fostering positive, trusting relationships with these parents, which allows them to recognise early signs of stress or difficulty and offer timely guidance, signposting, and support.
What we did
Kids Planet partnered with Dr. Krystal Wilkinson from Manchester Metropolitan University to create a dedicated event for our company wellbeing calendar, coinciding with Maternal Mental Health Month in May. Through collaborative discussions, we explored ideas, suggestions, and the appropriate language and approach for the event. This led to a series of initiatives aimed at supporting our new and expectant parents within the organisation while also raising awareness and reducing stigma around perinatal mental health amongst the families we serve.
Innovations to practice
Our collaboration led to the development and implementation of several key initiatives including:
Perinatal Mental Health Awareness Workshop: Presented by Dr. Krystal Wilkinson for our People Team, this workshop provided guidance on how we can better support new and expectant parents.
Maternal Wellbeing Stations: Set up across various settings, offering information on maternal health topics such as breastfeeding, pelvic floor exercises, mental health, and sleep.
Maternal May De-Caffé Morning: A social gathering featuring caffeine-free beverages and treats, providing information on local community support resources for parents.
Parent & Baby Wellbeing Sessions: Hosted sessions with activities like baby yoga, massage, and nutrition tips, with signposting to local perinatal mental health services.
Wellbeing Baskets: Thoughtfully curated baskets for new and expectant parents, filled with items, information, and signposting to encourage self-care and support.
Apprentice Stay and Play Session: A stay-and-play session specifically for apprentices on maternity leave, offering a chance to connect, share experiences, and provide peer support.
Maternal May Newsletter: A company-wide newsletter focused on Maternal Mental Health, raising awareness and promoting perinatal mental health services, shared internally and across our social media channels.
Ongoing Review of Maternity Policy: We are working to update our maternity policy to include provisions for maternal mental health, with clear signposting to relevant support services.
Impact so far
The feedback from our People Team following the Perinatal Mental Health workshop has been very positive. Colleagues recognised the importance of supporting new and expectant parents and identified potential barriers to their wellbeing that are unique to our sector and workforce. They also highlighted practical solutions that can be implemented through policy improvements, refined processes, and enhanced wellbeing support.
Furthermore, our apprentices appreciated the opportunity to come together with their babies in a supportive, informal work environment and there is an appetite to organise a follow-up session.
We plan to leverage our new HR management system to track and analyse data that demonstrates the impact of these initiatives. By examining retention rates and sickness absence figures during the perinatal period, we aim to provide evidence of their effectiveness, securing further buy-in and investment from the Senior Leadership Team and colleagues across the business.