Childbase Partnership, founded in 1989, has been 100% Employee-Owned since 2017, the first Early Years company to transition in the UK. Every member of the company is a ‘partner’ invested in providing superior care and early years education to each child and tailored support for their families. 

Founded on the principle that employee wellbeing, engagement and retention is critical to consistently high-quality provision, all partners work under the banner ‘We All Contribute, We All Benefit’. It is the collective efforts of all partners that drives our overall success.

Employee Ownership keeps the focus on people and creates empowerment, which breeds a happier working environment and a continual pursuit for excellence. Our awards include achieving Number 1 in the national Nursery World Quality League Table in 2024, 2025 and 2026 for the most ‘Outstanding’ and ‘Good’ Ofsted inspection outcomes in the UK, and The Princess Royal Award for our staff training. We were the Sunday Times 100 best company to work for in 2019 and have decades-long innovative environmental initiatives and a proud tradition of ‘giving back’ with charity fundraising and support for local worthy causes amounting to over £3.5 million in our 35-year history.

Every partner is an owner and has a voice both individually and collectively through the elected Partnership Council, who are regular and valued contributors at Main Board meetings. Our partners help shape the direction of the company by sharing their thoughts, ideas and challenges faced.  Feedback provides the basis for action and review and communication is of high importance to ensure partners are kept abreast of how their company is doing.

“As the Partnership Councillor for Head Office, my role is to ensure that our colleagues are heard and feel connected with our nurseries. I work to bridge the gap between Head Office and the rest of the company, making sure feedback from all departments is valued and acted on. By fostering engagement and a positive work culture at Head Office, we uphold our belief that every voice matters and everyone plays an important role in our success. This is essential for strengthening our business as a whole” – Rachel Boyle

We have a clear set of shared company values, so that each and every partner can truly behave like the owner they are. They underpin the expected behaviours and attitudes, of which we hold each other to account.