I was speaking to an organiser recently who said something I hear a lot:
“Event childcare is expensive, especially considering it’s only for a few days.”
I understand why it feels that way. Childcare is expensive. In fact, childcare is so expensive that the government committed to providing 30 hours of free childcare for working families because the cost of doing it properly is a barrier for so many parents.
And that’s for permanent settings. Purpose-built premises. Fixed teams. Established routines.
Event childcare is something else entirely.
When you add childcare to an event, you are effectively creating a temporary crèche that must meet the same safeguarding, welfare and compliance standards as a permanent one - often in a far more complex environment.
That means:
• differing venues
• changing layouts
• mixed age groups
• fluctuating numbers
• strict build-up and breakdown schedules
• regulatory registration
• and parents who need to feel confident from the moment they hand their child over
None of the responsibility reduces just because the childcare is temporary. If anything, the risk increases, which is exactly why the planning, staffing and safeguards have to be even more robust.
And that is where cost comes in. Not as a premium, but as a reflection of what it takes to do this properly.
When organisers compare quotes, it’s tempting to assume childcare is childcare and that a lower cost simply means better value.
But with event childcare, price differences usually come down to one thing - whether corners are being cut.
A responsible provider won’t take chances with:
• safeguarding policies and reporting procedures
• staff vetting, training and ratios
• insurance and liability cover
• risk assessments tailored to your specific event and venue
• contingency planning for incidents, illness or emergencies
• clear codes of conduct for teams, parents and organisers
• security protocols and planning
• local authority/regulatory registration and temporary childcare legislation compliance
These things are rarely visible on the day. When they’re done well, you never notice them at all. But they are exactly what keep children safe and organisers protected.
A cheaper quote doesn’t usually mean a provider has found a clever shortcut. It often means:
• less experienced teams
• lighter-touch planning
• generic policies not adapted to your event
• assumptions that nothing will go wrong
In childcare, that’s not a risk worth taking.
Just as parents are advised not to choose childcare based on cost alone, organisers shouldn’t either. Because if something does go wrong, the consequences are far greater than a line on a budget spreadsheet.
We’ve been delivering event childcare for 34 years. In that time, we’ve supported everything from intimate conferences to large, multi-day events with hundreds of children.
We’ve seen and effectively managed the scenarios organisers hope will never happen and that experience is exactly what informs how we plan today.
It’s why safeguarding and compliance aren’t bolt-ons to our service. They shape every decision we make, from how a crèche is set up to how children are welcomed, supervised and handed back to parents.
Issues are anticipated, not reacted to. Risks are managed before they escalate. And organisers are free to focus on their event, knowing childcare is in safe hands.
So much so that we have a checklist for you – if your provider does all of this as standard, fabulous!
Childcare will never be the cheapest line in an event budget.
And it shouldn’t be.
The right provider won’t cut corners, won’t gamble on ‘it’ll be fine’ or ‘it’ll never happen’, and won’t compromise on safety, protocols or safeguarding to win work.
So when you’re choosing an event childcare provider, ask questions. Look beyond the headline figure. And remember that in childcare, cost is often a reflection of care.
Because when it comes to children, taking chances is never an option.
