Bilingual Childcare

All Mobile Creche Company franchises in Wales will be required to provide Welsh-speaking staff, even in the most anglicised areas. And in cities with large ethnic-minority populations, franchisees will need staff fluent in the relevant languages.

Founder Julie Williams lived in England for 12 years before her mother returned to North Wales, and later spent five years in Greece. She could not find Welsh-speaking childcare when her eldest children were small, although 30% of Conwy residents speak Welsh. When she later set up a day nursery in Old Colwyn she ensured it was Welsh-medium.

“If we have English-speaking children we use Welsh first and translate into English. It doesn’t take them long to absorb it. I want my children to be bilingual because I know the benefits. It’s on the application form for the franchises in Wales that there would have to be someone who can speak Welsh.”