Could the creative industries’ loss be childcare’s gain?

Award-winning part-time nanny service and the UK’s fastest growing childcare brand Koru Kids has revealed a trend among creatives who are moving into childcare after losing work during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Since lockdown 23% of nannies hired through Koru Kids have been from creative backgrounds, compared to 4% before. Many who were previously employed in the creative industries have decided to look for part-time work due to the uncertainty caused by Coronavirus.

This is likely to be a permanent shift, with many planning to continue with childcare, even when their creative work eventually picks back up.

Ashia, an actor turned Koru Kids nanny, previously worked in a drama school alongside acting jobs. She said ” I see being a part-time nanny as a more permanent role alongside drama school and any acting jobs that arise, it gives me some income security and I’m finding that using my artistic skills is fulfilling to both me and the children”

Koru Kids also revealed that 40% of parents registering for the nanny service since Jan 2020 said their kids main interests were creative including dance, imaginative play and music, demonstrating the demand for creative talent in childcare roles.

After school childcare could be seen as the perfect solution for parents worried about their children mixing outside their ‘bubbles’ at after school clubs. In a recent survey of 1500 parents by Koru Kids, 30% of families said they would be rethinking their childcare in September post-lockdown.

Helen, a parent from North London said “My son won’t be going to his after school club anymore, but will stay at home with a nanny, which we feel will be safer until COVID-19 is under control.”

There is already growing concern regarding accessing wraparound care, as highlighted by a recent survey by the Out of School Alliance (OOSA) earlier this month, showing a third of after school care providers will not be able to meet government guidelines and open in September, creating even more demand in this sector.

Koru Kids CEO Rachel Carrell said “Parents are facing the worst childcare crisis in living memory. I founded Koru Kids to support families, and I couldn’t be more delighted that so many incredible qualified and talented creatives have joined our amazing community of nannies. I love hearing stories from families about their kids acquiring surprising new skills like dance and making short films! It’s been an enormously tough time for working families and unfortunately women have shouldered a disproportionate amount of the burden. The government needs to support the childcare industry as they would any other area of infrastructure as it’s a key foundation for economic recovery .”

Koru Kids has been supporting London’s working parents since it launched in 2016 with its unique proposition that focuses on part-time nannies for school aged children (aged 3+). Since launch, Koru Kids has placed over 4000 nannies with families. When schools closed, Koru Kids were quick to respond to the needs of working parents and to date their nannies have provided over 145,000 hours of childcare to support parents to continue working since the lockdown.