We had a list too.
We bought a 98-place nursery that was barely half full—and we know exactly how that feels at two o’clock in the morning.
It was running at 51% occupancy and losing money. We could see what needed to improve, but the only way to fund those improvements was to bring more children onto the roll.
We had one advantage most nursery owners don’t:There were two of us.
While Deborah ran the nursery day to day, John focused on helping more local parents discover our nursery, consider it and arrange a visit.
DeborahRun the nurseryDay-to-day operations
+JohnGrow occupancyDiscovery, consideration and visits
A 98-place nursery, at a glance
51%Starting occupancyStart
+21Places filledFilled
28%Still availableAvailable
Dark grey = children already attendingOrange = the growth we created
In our first full twelve months, occupancy rose from 51% to a profitable 72%—the equivalent of filling approximately 21 additional full-time places—and we began ticking things off the list.
Eight years later, we offered the nursery for sale. It sold on the first morning—full, with a waiting list.
Since then, we've used what we learned to help other nurseries increase their occupancy.
That experience is why the programme works the way it does. We carry the upfront cost; you pay only after a parent we've introduced actually visits your nursery.
We're not an agency. We're John and Deborah—nursery people who built a business around the one problem that was holding everything else up.