 | |
| Named after | Randolph Caldecott |
|---|---|
| Formation | 13 September 1946 |
| Founder | Leila Rendel |
| Type | Private company limited by guarantee |
| Legal status | Registered charity |
| Purpose | Therapeutic care and education of disadvantaged and vulnerable children |
| Headquarters | Caldecott House |
| Location | |
Managing Director | Nicholas Barnett |
Chairman of Trustees | Charles Lister OBE |
| Website | thecaldecottfoundation |
Formerly called | Caldecott Community |
The Caldecott Foundation, formerly known as the Caldecott Community, is a UK charity which provides therapeutic care and education for disadvantaged and vulnerable children. It has been based in the Borough of Ashford in Kent since 1947 and operates seven registered children's homes in Kent and Nottinghamshire as well the Caldecott Foundation School.
The foundation's roots go back to 1911, when Leila Rendel founded a day nursery in the St Pancras district of London which catered to the children of women working in a nearby factory. It later evolved into a pioneering boarding school in Kent, first for working class children, and then for distressed and vulnerable children who had been placed into care. Rendel named the community after the children's book illustrator Randolph Caldecott whose pictures adorned the walls of the St Pancras nursery.
The foundation was officially incorporated in 1946 as the Caldecott Community. Its name was changed to the Caldecott Foundation in 1997.