What Makes a Great Trustee for your Early Years Setting and How to Attract Them?

Being a trustee in an early years and childcare setting might sound like a role filled with paperwork, meetings, and policies (and yes, there’s some of that!) but really, it’s so much more. It’s not just fundraising and cake sales.

Trustees play a vital part in shaping the future of the children, families, and communities that your setting serves and the best trustees bring passion, perspective, and a good dash of common sense. Becoming a trustee is a great way to connect with the pre-school community and enrich your child’s learning.

So, what do I think makes a great trustee?

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1. A Curious Mind

Great trustees don’t need to know everything about early years practice, that’s what your qualified staff team is there for! But curiosity goes a long way. Asking thoughtful questions like “How do we know children are thriving?” or “What does this policy mean in practice?” helps keep your setting focused on what really matters.

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2. Big Picture Thinking

It’s easy to get stuck in the detail but a great trustee looks outside the box making sure the organisation has clear direction, strong values, and a sustainable future. They’re the ones who help connect the dots between day-to-day decisions and the bigger mission: giving children the very best start in life.

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3. A Friendly Challenge

Trustees aren’t there just to “rubber stamp” everything. They’re there to offer constructive challenge. Think of it like being the Sat Nav in the car — you don’t grab the steering wheel, but you do point out if the driver is heading in the wrong direction! Great trustees can say, “Have we thought about…?” in a way that helps the team reflect without anyone feeling under attack.

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4. A Team Spirit

A board of trustees works best when everyone’s skills, experiences, and ideas are valued and listened too. The best trustees know it’s not about being the loudest voice in the room, it’s about understanding, collaborating, and recognising that together, the board is stronger.

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5. A Heart for Children

Above all, trustees in early years and childcare settings share one thing: a genuine passion for children’s learning and wellbeing. You don’t have to be an early years expert, but you do need to care deeply about giving children the best opportunities — that’s what keeps every decision grounded in purpose.

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So How Do I Find Them?

Getting parents involved often comes down to making it inviting, purposeful and convenient.

Here are some of my practical strategies:

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Show the Value

Highlight the impact: Explain how their input shapes their child’s pre-school experience (events, activities, improvements to the service provided) You can get my Trustee Recruitment poster here.

Share success stories: Point out what past committees have achieved (e.g. new outside equipment purchased from fundraising events)

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 Make it Appealing

Keep it light and social: Frame your meetings as friendly gatherings, not just obligations. Becoming a trustee is a great way to meet new friends with a common purpose.

Flexible involvement: Even small contributions matter, parents don’t need to commit to every meeting

Celebrate contributions: This is important as everyone wants to feel valued right? Publicly thank trustees in newsletters, social media posts and at events.

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Personal Invitations work best

Ask directly: From experience I’ve found a personal approach is far more effective to recruit new trustees. Make providing committee information part of your show arounds and new parent information and ask them if they would be interested in joining as a trustee.

Tailor the ask: Match parents strengths ad interests. For example “You’re great at organising, would you like to help plan the next family event?”

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Start small and fun

Launch with a social event: Combine the first meeting with a casual gathering such as a coffee morning or family fun day. (Caveat – don’t discuss confidential matters at an open event)

Offer micro-roles: If parent’s don’t want to take on an officers role let them join task groups such as fundraising, events, garden project, instead of a long term commitment

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 Why It Matters

When trustees bring curiosity, big picture thinking, challenge, teamwork, and heart to the table, they create a strong foundation for the setting to thrive. And when the setting thrives, children thrive.

If you’d like to explore this further — including the legal responsibilities, practical duties, and how to feel confident in the role join my Trustee Roles and Responsibilities Workshop on Tuesday 23^rd September form 7.30 – 9.30pm. It’s designed to take the mystery (and the worry!) out of being a trustee, while giving you tools and confidence to make a real impact. Book your spot here.