Nanny in the Park
Norland worked with a leading developer of entertainment and leisure destinations and attractions on a ‘Nanny in the Park’ scheme. This project blended professional childcare with fun, freedom and peace of mind.
Designed to make family days out easier, safer and more enjoyable for everyone, Nanny in the Park ensured parents could rest assured. The childcare programme meant parents were able to relax and make memories while knowing that their children were being cared for by trained professional nannies who understand how to keep little ones happy, engaged and safe – even in busy theme parks.
Families often face the same dilemma at theme parks – how to make sure children are safe and entertained, without missing out on the fun themselves. Some families just need an extra pair of supportive hands, while others want to drop their children off and collect them later. Most parks don’t offer structured childcare options, and when they do, these are rarely run by professionals who specialise in creating outstanding experiences for children and families.
We wanted to change that. The challenge was to create something that felt trustworthy, joyful and seamless – a childcare experience that works hand-in-hand with the park environment, whether parents remain onsite or not.
Our approach
We designed a complete childcare framework specifically for theme park settings focussing equally on safety, engagement and communication.
This included:
• Clear safety procedures and park-specific operating guidelines.
• Play and activity plans designed to match the age and interests of each child.
• Simple, friendly systems for parents to stay in touch and receive updates.
• Training and quality standards to ensure consistency across all staff.
Implementation
For the pilot, we brought in a team of experienced Norland Nannies and current students whose expertise set the tone as calm, confident and caring from start to finish.
To make the model sustainable long-term, we also wrote a training course for local nannies, allowing the scheme to be handed over to local providers in future. This ensures that the same level of quality and professionalism can be maintained wherever the service runs.
We piloted Nanny in the Park across three large, international theme parks, working closely with park management to align operations and bookings. Each site introduced a small team of trained nannies who delivered careful supervision and interaction throughout the day, working with children aged from 12 months to 12 years.
Families could check in their children with confidence, knowing they’d be supervised by professionals trained in warm interactions, supportive supervision, child-focused safety, first aid and developmental play.
Impact
The response to the programme was incredible. Both children and parents gave outstanding feedback, describing the nannies as kind, attentive and professional. Parents said they felt huge confidence in leaving their children to have fun and greatly appreciated the interaction they had with the nanny throughout the day. They were grateful to pick up happy, tired children at the end of the day, with the children themselves asking ‘when can we go back to see our nanny?’
After the success of the pilot, we are planning a wider rollout to other parks and family attractions. We’re working with a leading provider to take their already outstanding family experiences to another level, giving the highest quality services to their clients.
Nanny in the Park has shown that with the right people, structure and care, it’s possible to completely change the family experience at leisure destinations. Parents enjoy their day. Children are safe, happy and engaged. And everyone leaves with better memories.
That’s exactly what this project was designed to do.
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