Fifteen years ago a group of parents in East London found themselves facing the dilemma of how to combine active hands-on childcare, with bringing in a salary? Their answer was to set-up a co-operative, parent-run nursery. At Scallywags, a paid and fully qualified childcare professional works every day with a rotating shift of two parents – in charge of lunch or play duty. Every parent takes their turn and when they’re not at the nursery, they’re free to work, study or do whatever they want. Anna McNamee meets some of the parents and talks to Nursery Manager Debbie Bull to find out how it works. |
