Childcare business idea takes off

Charlotte Forsyth, owner operator of Cherish Childcare, pictured here holding 2-week-old Thea Foster, spends some time playing with Conrad Hobin, 3, at the company's office in Bell Block.

"We saw a need in the market," says Charlotte Forsyth, explaining how she and her business partner Clare Foster, ended up owning and operating a home-based childcare business.

"We started a year ago," she continues, "with just Clare, myself, five educators and 18 children in care."

The business has grown substantially, and employs 21 educators, providing care for more than 60 children.

Clare and Charlotte say they wanted to offer parents the option of home-based childcare from a Taranaki owned and operated company, that would focus on the individual needs and preferences of their clients.

"When we interview prospective educators, we ask ourselves, would we use them to look after our own children," says Charlotte.

One educator who passed this informal test is Joanne Hobin, who says she values the support and training the local company offers to its employees.

"They pay 50 per cent of our training costs," she says, adding that she also enjoys the opportunities to meet with other educators through regular coffee groups and playgroups.

As for the children who are looked after, Joanne's son Conrad, who benefits from having his mum at home with him, while she also earns an income, says, "We get to play with trains," referring to the resource library that offers educators the chance to change the toys around regularly. "My friends come and play," he adds, referring to the other children that his mother looks after while their parents work.

After the success of the past year, Charlotte and Clare are keen to continue growing their business, and are looking for potential educators in the Stratford area. "We are going to start a playgroup in Stratford as well," Charlotte adds.