Early Years work is some of the most rewarding work there is. It is also emotionally and physically demanding, day in and day out, and anyone who has done it knows that. Caring for young children asks a great deal of a person: patience, energy, attention, warmth, and the ability to ensure that every child is supported and seen each day as we help shape our future generation. That is real work, and it deserves to be treated as such.
So we made a decision early on: we would treat wellbeing as something ongoing and built-in, not a one-off gesture. That starts with something that sounds small but matters enormously. In every one of our nurseries, we have a wellbeing representative whose role is to be there for the day-to-day: someone to check in with, someone to raise a concern with, someone to have a chat with on a hard day. We run weekly and monthly check-ins, and we hold regular wellbeing drop-in sessions and wellness days, because emotionally demanding work needs proper, human support, not a poster on a wall.
The way we listen matters just as much as the support itself. Through our MiWellbeing Matters representative system, staff voices genuinely shape what we do. The feedback our teams give drives the monthly activities and incentives we put on, which means wellbeing support at MiChild feels personal, visible and relevant to each setting, rather than something handed down that doesn’t quite fit. When people tell us what matters most to them, we act on it. Staff feedback has shaped everything from improved benefits to investment in our resources and training spaces.
Caring for our teams also means backing that up with a benefits package that speaks plainly about how much we value the people who work with us. An 80% childcare discount, so that the people providing childcare can actually afford childcare for their own families. Free uniform from day one. A milestone birthday day off, and an extra day of annual leave for every year of service, rewarding loyalty over time. Paid compassionate leave, because our team members have lives, and sometimes losses, outside of nursery, and nobody should have to choose between their family and their job.
Then there is recognition, because feeling seen is part of feeling well. Every year, teams from across all fourteen of our nurseries come together for the MiChild Annual Awards, with fifteen categories that recognise the full breadth of what our people do, from Apprentice of the Year to Cook of the Year to SENCO of the Year. What makes those awards mean so much is that they come from staff and parent nominations. As one of our team put it, knowing your colleagues and the parents have nominated you for it means everything.
None of this is a recruitment gimmick. We do it because we believe our work deserves to be valued, and because the quality and consistency of what we deliver depends entirely on the quality and consistency of our team. It is why our people so often describe MiChild as a family, and why they talk about feeling heard, connected and supported to grow.
When our teams feel this way, the children feel it too. A settled and consistent team is calmer, warmer and more attentive. They have the space to notice the small moments, to respond with patience, and to build the kind of trusting relationships that help children thrive. That is the real return on caring for our people. It flows straight through to the children and families we serve.
So yes, we look after our teams. Properly, and every day. Because they are the ones who look after your children, and there is nothing more important than that.
