COVENTRY’S first organic nursery is opening its doors to more youngsters following seven months of ‘huge growth and success’.
Enchanted Day Nursery and Holiday Club in Foleshill has used a unique approach to childcare to attract young children – and has seen its staffing number treble since opening in October.
With its success, the nursery’s directors plan to open a new floor which will accommodate more children.
Directors Adele Payton and Carly Cullen renovated the entire building from scratch themselves after receiving support from the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce through the Coventry and Warwickshire Business Support Programme.
The nursery serves organic food, uses organic baby wipes, natural cleaning products and biodegradable nappies.
It also has a low-plastic toy policy, with building blocks made of eco-friendly foam rather than plastic and focuses on ‘open-ended’ resources which encourage children to think about what they make without a finished product.
Adele and Carly both have extensive experience in childcare but had no previous business experience before starting up the nursery.
Adele said: “We did a lot of market research into what was missing, where the gap in the childcare market was because there were lots of things that I wanted for my little girl at nursery that I could never find.
“Our ethos is that we want to be kind to the environment and continue to reduce our carbon footprint.
“We set about renovating the building ourselves, so every inch of this been painted by myself and Carly. It really is a labour of love.”
She added the duo used advice from the Chamber’s Margaret Bull to teach themselves the basics about business.
Margaret Bull, business adviser at the Chamber, said: “Adele and Carly have a great vision for their nursery and it has allowed them to build this unique childcare facility in Coventry.
“The owners are very determined. They took on board the advice and now the nursery is achieving the financial objectives set out in the business plan and delivering high standards in childcare.
“They started from scratch, are largely self-taught when it comes to business and are a great example of how you can start-up a successful company with hard work and a can-do attitude.”
The Coventry and Warwickshire Business Support Programme is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, in partnership with Coventry City Council, Warwickshire County Council and the District and Borough Councils.
