Interview: Samantha Rhodes, chief executive of Just Childcare


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Rhodes has taken over from the nursery group’s outgoing chief executive and co-founder David Johnson, who has stepped down to pursue other interests.

His wife Jacqueline will continue to work with the nurseries and the broader Partou Group as a nursery concept consultant. It follows the acquisition of Just Childcare by the Netherlands’ largest childcare provider, Partou, in 2021.

The group was set up by David and Jacqueline in 2004. It operates 64 sites, providing over 5,000 childcare places.

YOU HAVE PREVIOUSLY WORKED IN THE HOSPITALITY, RETAIL AND HEALTH AND WELLBEING SECTORS. WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THE ROLE AT JUST CHILDCARE?

Although on first appearance the sectors I have worked within seem a million miles away from childcare and early years, I see lots of similarities between them and this is one of the reasons I’m so excited about the role at Just Childcare.

Successful hospitality and retail organisations are built on providing an exceptional customer experience that builds reputation and drives both repeat custom and new customer acquisition. Coupled with this, my time as operations director of Weight Watchers UK has given me a great understanding of how to develop and deliver a caring, empathetic and very personal service that is built on providing expert knowledge through trusted and skilled colleagues.

I’m now looking forward to working with the fabulous teams we have throughout the Just Childcare Group to further develop and enhance the education and care we offer across our settings to more children as we continue to grow and expand our geographical presence.

GIVEN THAT THIS IS YOUR FIRST ROLE WITHIN THE EARLY YEARS SECTOR, DO YOU EXPECT TO FACE ANY CHALLENGES?

One of the obvious challenges will be getting to grips with the many unique factors within the sector. While I’m used to being heavily involved in supporting and developing successful multi-site operations, I certainly acknowledge the learning curve I need to go through in order to get a full understanding of everything from early years funding through to how our nurseries deliver the EYFS.

Thankfully I’m delighted to say that since joining Just Childcare, I’ve quickly realised what an incredible wealth of early years knowledge and expertise we have within our nurseries and at our Nursery Support Centre. I’ve no doubt that in the short term there may initially be some challenges, but I’m confident with the support of my team I’ll quickly get up to speed with many of the aspects that go into making the sector such an interesting one to be joining.

YOU HAVE PRETTY BIG SHOES TO FILL TAKING OVER FROM DAVID JOHNSON – HAS HE IMPARTED ANY ADVICE OR KNOWLEDGE TO YOU?

Obviously both David and Jacqueline Johnson have been an incredible driving force behind Just Childcare. They worked tirelessly to grow, improve and develop Just Childcare into one of the leading UK nursery groups during their 18-year tenure.

The organisation is now entering a new phase in its development with its new Dutch partner Partou, but despite David and Jacqueline’s absence, I will continue to inspire the staff to be obsessive about the quality and care we provide to our children and the families we support.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE IN YOUR ROLE?

I am hugely impressed by the nursery managers and the team members I have met so far. One can sense the devotion and passion for giving each and every child the best possible start in life. At the same time, we are all acutely aware of the recruitment and retention challenges the sector is undergoing.

More than ever before our focus is on retaining and attracting the best qualified team members, ensuring we strive to make Just Childcare an employer of choice within the sector and in turn ensuring we provide the best possible service for our customers. The old adage that happy employees equals happy customers has never been more pertinent.

Alongside this sits our aspiration to continue to grow the Just Childcare group and deliver an exceptional nursery experience to more parents, in more locations.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE THE BIGGEST ISSUES FACING THE SECTOR?

Clearly the huge rises in the cost of living we have all seen over the past 12 months represents a considerable ongoing challenge to the sector.

Against a background of ongoing difficulties in recruiting and retaining early years staff, operating costs continue to increase in all nurseries and there is the real fear that if things carry on the way they are, or indeed worsen, then some families simply won’t be able to access childcare.

Funding in the sector continues to be the “elephant in the room”. While the Government continues to claim that current funding levels are where they should be and looks at ideas like amending ratios as an answer to increasing costs for parents, the industry fights with increases across every area of its operations, some of which inevitably gets passed on to parents. It’s a situation that simply can’t continue without a concerted effort from all stakeholders to create a long-term sustainable plan in which everyone can feel confident.

ACQUISITIONS

Since Partou became majority shareholder of Just Childcare in 2021, the group has bought several nurseries, including Footprints Day Nursery in Atherton, Greater Manchester in November and the Chestnut’s Nursery chain of three sites in Gloucester in September.

Dutch childcare provider Partou, which was established in 1984, now operates more than 700 childcare settings across the Netherlands and the UK, providing places to over 63,000 children and employing 9,000 members of staff.

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