About the author - Lucy Birch
Lucy has spent years working at the sharp end of school-aged and wraparound childcare. As Director of Operations at Junior Adventures Group (JAG), she led nationwide field operations across breakfast clubs, afterschool clubs and holiday camps, managing the kind of staffing, compliance and delivery pressures that most people only read about. Before that, a career in sport, fitness and training gave her a high-performance mindset and a practical approach to scaling teams and operations. Lucy now serves as COO for UK, Europe at Enrolmy Software, where she uses that hands-on experience to help other childcare providers build the systems and processes they need to grow with confidence. In her own time, Lucy is busy mum and wife, who loves to row. She genuinely understands the juggle that childcare providers and families navigate every day.
I recently had the opportunity to attend the 2026 School Aged Childcare Association (SACA) conference, CYP Unite; an event that brought together leaders, operators, policymakers and innovators from across the wraparound and school-aged childcare sector
What stood out most throughout the conference was the growing sense that the sector is entering a hugely important period of change. Conversations repeatedly returned to sustainability, funding, operational resilience and the long-term future of wraparound childcare beyond 2026. It was also amazing to be part of a conference where the focus was how we (as an industry) can serve children and families in the best possible way.
For me personally, attending SACA was an opportunity not only to hear directly from operators about the challenges they are facing, but also to better understand where I can help support childcare providers as the landscape continues to evolve.
The Sector is Approaching a Critical Turning Point
One of the strongest themes throughout the event was the uncertainty surrounding what happens after the current government wraparound childcare funding initiatives end in 2026.
SACA’s recent white paper, Every Child, Every Opportunity - Stabilising the Future of Wraparound Childcare Beyond 2026, highlighted concerns around affordability, staffing pressures, rising operational costs and the need for a long-term national strategy.
There was a clear recognition that many providers are currently operating in a reactive environment, balancing increased demand from families with ongoing pressures around recruitment, compliance, delivery quality and financial sustainability.
The message from the conference was clear: operators who begin planning strategically now for 2026/27 will be in a far stronger position than those waiting for certainty from government policy.
Key Takeaways from the Conference
A number of important themes emerged throughout the discussions and sessions:
Sustainability Must Become a Core Focus
Providers are increasingly being challenged to think beyond short term growth and focus instead on creating sustainable operating models.
That includes:
- Reviewing delivery models and staffing structures
- Understanding profitability site-by-site
- Building stronger partnerships with schools and local authorities
- Improving retention of both staff and families
- Creating operational resilience against future funding or policy changes
The sector is clearly moving into a phase where efficiency and sustainability will become just as important as expansion.
Quality and Enrichment Continue to Matter
Despite the operational pressures facing providers, there was also a strong emphasis on maintaining high-quality experiences for children.
The conversation has evolved beyond simply “providing childcare.” More operators are focusing on enrichment, wellbeing, physical activity, inclusion and creating experiences that genuinely support children’s development outside school hours.
Providers who can clearly demonstrate impact, engagement and quality are likely to be better positioned as the sector becomes more competitive and more scrutinised.
Data, Compliance and Operational Visibility are Becoming Essential
Another recurring theme was the growing importance of having accurate operational oversight.
As organisations scale, many operators are realising that manual systems and fragmented processes create unnecessary pressure, risk and inefficiency.
The providers who are likely to thrive over the next few years will be those who invest in:
- Better operational visibility
- Stronger reporting and forecasting
- Simplified compliance processes
- Scalable systems and workflows
- Improved parent communication and engagement
Book a free demo and see how Enrolmy gives you the reporting and compliance tools your service needs for 2026 and beyond.
Why I Attended SACA
One of the reasons I wanted to attend the conference was to spend time listening directly to childcare operators and understanding the real challenges they are experiencing day to day.
It is easy to talk about “sector challenges” at a high level, but events like SACA provide valuable insight into the realities providers are navigating - from staffing and occupancy pressures to administration, safeguarding responsibilities, parent expectations and growth planning.
The conference reinforced how important it is for suppliers, consultants and service partners within the sector to genuinely understand the operational environment providers are working within.
How I and Enrolmy, Hope to Support Childcare Providers Moving Forward
My biggest takeaway from SACA was that childcare operators need practical support, not just more noise.
As the sector prepares for the next phase of wraparound childcare reform and uncertainty beyond 2026, I hope to continue helping providers by:
- Supporting operational efficiency
- Helping reduce administrative burden
- Providing clarity through better systems and processes
- Enabling providers to scale more sustainably
- Allowing teams to spend more time focusing on children and families rather than paperwork and operational firefighting
The passion across the sector was incredibly clear throughout the conference. There are so many providers doing outstanding work for children and families every single day and often while navigating enormous complexity behind the scenes.
SACA created an important space for those conversations to happen, and it was encouraging to see so much collaboration, honesty and forward thinking discussion across the industry.
The next 18-24 months are likely to be hugely important for the future of wraparound childcare in the UK, and events like this show just how committed the sector is to shaping that future positively. We at Enrolmy look forward to continuing to foster positive connections and supporting childcare providers across the UK !
