Tops Day Nurseries has operated day nurseries in the local area since 1990, expanding organically from the first start up in Parkstone, Poole, to the 32 nurseries and a training centre spread across the South coast today. Founder and Managing Director, Cheryl Hadland, has seen a considerable amount of change in that time, not only in the early years and adult training sector, but in society and the environment. Ever alert to threats and opportunities, sustainability poses both to any entrepreneur, and there are a number of ways to address both, such as engaging in B.Corp., or similar.
- What factors influenced your decision to pursue certification?
I think it’s very easy for companies to claim that they are “green” or “eco” themselves, whereas submitting your data, policies and procedures to an independent organisation exposes you to external scrutiny to prove that you are what you say you are. There are a number of organisations that provide this service such as B.Corp., PlanetMark and ISO standards and there are some that are specific to education such as Eco Schools, Healthy Early Years, and OMEP, and some that are focused on specific areas of sustainability such as Plastic Free and Soil Association “Food for Life”.
We could have decided not to be certified externally, but to add a section to the annual report that we are required to produce for Companies House each year with our accounts. We are also required by law to complete an ESOS (energy use) survey every 4 years, which is a very useful survey to do for any business, and does inform where your biggest energy use is, and therefore focuses your attention on reducing it, whether that’s specific buildings, vehicles, or processes for those in the manufacturing sectors.
- Why did you decide to register as a B-Corporation business?
I looked for a standard that was doable, affordable and appropriate for us and found nothing that was perfect! However, B. Corp. does go further than eco sustainability and is a measure of social impact too which is something that drew me to to it. I also found the free to access self-assessment tool that came with registration for B. Corp very useful, a structure that we could use to evaluate every aspect of our provision with the exception of our pedagogy.
A fundamental difference between B.Corp and the other accreditations is the commitment to change the legal structure of a company to commit to sustainability, something that I felt would help protect the company’s vision and mission if and when I step back. Tops, Aspire and the Hadland Care Group’s primary mission is about creating value for the community, and for all our stakeholders, rather than the more old-fashioned vision of creating value for just the shareholders/owners through EBITDA and profit. We create value through our childcare and education, and myself and my whole team work with that goal in mind.
- In what ways have Tops and Aspire benefitted from becoming a certified B-Corp?
We are the first day nursery group and training provider to become certified B.Corp which carries some kudos although probably more amongst people already aware of green credentials. I feel it can attract the right type of customers to us, those who are also wanting to save the planet for their children and grandchildren and are interested in learning with us and doing what we can. It helps to have independent assessment of our sustainability to share with people, it helps people trust us in this world where green wash is so common. Results of annual questionnaires to parents and staff support our understanding that sustainability is very important to both parents and colleagues and therefore this certification is important evidence of our commitment in this area.
Other organisations stories and scores are published within B.Corp so we can read and learn from each other, which can be very helpful. Collaboration rather than competition is an important attitude, becoming B. Corp has meant joining a wider network of similar minded organisations, so there are some good business to business links to be made at all levels.
- Describe your experience participating in the B-Corp assessment to meet the requirements of this award.
The award was gruelling on our time. We had to relook at a lot of what we do, self assess where we are, plan to improve in some cases. This wasn’t a one person job but involved all the directors and their teams plus we formed a sustainability group to meet regularly to guide, coordinate and monitor the various action plans.
The scoring system is such that you can achieve B-Corp with quite a lot to do still, but it allows you to focus on the areas that are most relevant to your circumstances. Being B.Corp is being on the path to improving sustainability and we are expected to chip away at our actions into the future and to progress, which is certainly our intention, although Covid did throw a delaying spanner in the works!
- To what extent do you believe the B-Corp status can positively influence a companies reputation?
B Corp certification is held by around 5000 companies in 77 countries, that is a significant force for good that we are proud to be part of, and I think that as more companies join and it becomes better known, this will be good for us also.
Certainly there are more B.Corp companies than PlanetMark companies, which was a close second although I felt PlanetMark were rather too focused on the environment than on social or economic impact for us. The ISO standards are also a good option, again requiring rigorous reflection of all relevant policies and procedures, but again more environmental than social or economic.
Having B.Corp certification may help with winning government contracts and other awards, which in turn should help the companies’ reputations, but we shall see! Certainly the process that we have gone through, and the improvements we have made, are supporting our reputation as a sustainable organisation.
See our websites www.topsdaynurseries.co.uk and www.aspiretrainingteam.co.uk for further information on what we are doing.
- What sustainable plans do you have for the company in the future?
We would like to be carbon neutral or even positive as soon as possible. We would like to invest to improve insulation on sites with older insulation, to instal more efficient heating systems, for example, but this has to be balanced against the more pressing needs of colleagues currently earning low salaries due to poor government direct funding of early years education and childcare and indirectly with poor support for parents, which are both amongst the worst in the developed world. I envy countries like Denmark and Sweden, New Zealand, and the other European countries where the whole community shares in the education and care of the youngest children knowing what a great investment this is and realising that parents need help to provide the best opportunities for the children, who will in due course return this investment many times over to everyone. Whole communities need to be involved in children’s education, not just the parents, and they will all benefit as the next generations take over.
Sustainability includes investment in people as well as the planet and financial sustainability, it is not just about the environment. Our staff groups for LGBTQ, and Men (being the minority), and our multi cultural, and mental health groups all meet regularly and bring actions to the company in order to make our environments as welcoming and inclusive as possible for colleagues, which in turn provides the best support for the diverse children who attend our settings.
We do however, plan to make more of our gardens for the children in the future, encouraging diversity (butterflies and bugs), respect for living creatures, learning about growing food at the same time as supplementing children’s diets. We have a wonderful head chef, who is working with local farmers as well as our main suppliers to provide as healthy and sustainable diet as possible, focusing on plant based and unprocessed foods, having already cut added salt and sugar many years ago.
Becoming more sustainable is a collaborative, community effort, and I hope that by sharing best practice, and learning from others, we can all protect our children’s futures.