The brief

In 2012 the owner of independently owned children’s nursery chain ABC Day Nursery in Telford faced losing her first nursery setting due to non-renewal of the lease. Penny Hustwick wanted to follow her original vision and keep the setting in a rural location.

Despite many meetings with the council, she could not find the perfect location and had been told she would not get planning permission at her chosen location. Penny, who had never used a PR firm for support in the history of the business, turned to J&PR for professional advice.

J&PR has continued to work with Penny and her team ever since with full PR and social media management in place - and of course the social media which nursery owners were most fearful of in 2012 is now the main line of communication.

The solution

J&PR advised Penny to speak out - appeal to the community to help her find her perfect rural location and explain how a unit on an industrial estate offered by the council was not the answer she was looking for.

Within 24 hours of the story hitting the headlines and making front page news, Penny was granted planning permission for her dream location - on a farm out in the countryside.

A strategic PR campaign attracted hundreds of enquiries from interested parents and within a few months of the doors of ABC Hoo opening they had a 12-month waiting list.

The nursery group now with four settings has gone from strength to strength with Penny being a leading voice in her field, raising controversial issues such as funding in the childcare industry.

Becoming the first nursery in the borough to be accredited by the Curiosity Approach, Penny has excelled, developed and changed her business and settings over the last 27 years but through the communication and marketing strategy we have ensured parents and prospective parents know why ABC should be the choice for them.

All four settings have achieved the highest rating from Ofsted with three out of the four nurseries inspected within an eight month period. Here inspectors praised the business for their communication strategy and parental partnerships through the powerful use of social media.

From profiling each setting and key features to prospective parents and grandparents to day to day activities, J&PR fully manages the very busy social media.

Whilst the PR plan sees the amazing staff and children featured in regional press every month - they have so much to shout about.

The impact

ABC Day Nursery is a leading nursery in the borough of Telford with a constant waiting list for each setting.

The media approach J&PR for reaction to national news, industry updates and photo and interview opportunities on a regular basis.

Previously the internal staff were only thinking about those parents at work whilst they looked after their children and were not thinking about how to target new parents and those unhappy in other settings.

Through the key messages promoted through fun social media accounts including video and Facebook lives along with a strategic PR campaign, ABC has waiting lists across the settings.

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