Part 1: Finding the right balance

Running a successful nursery demands hard-work, flexibility and commitment. In an industry suppressed by funding restrictions, demanding parents and ever-changing policies and legislation, managing a nursery brings new challenges every day.

We spoke with Nursery World Awards ‘Nursery Manager of the Year’, Mikki Parkes, to produce a two-part series that reveals exactly what is required to become a successful nursery manager.

Mikki is the enthusiastic and passionate manager of Auden Place Community Nursery in Camden, described by parents as a manager who ‘is always prepared to go that extra mile to improve and develop the care for kids, parents and staff.’

Since taking over the nursery six years ago, Mikki has significantly influenced the growth of the business, revamping the setting, and expanding from 15 to 40 places. However, the aim always remains the same; to support all families from Camden by providing high quality childcare at affordable prices.

Like all managers in the early years sector, Mikki’s has to juggle many aspects of the business, but her primary focus is always on the children and helping them reach their full potential.

“To run a successful nursery, you need to be extremely flexible, hard-working and committed to the nursery. You need to be aware of the needs of your market and be proactive in meeting those needs.

“Managing a nursery is different to managing in any other industry, because as well as managing budgets, staff etc, you also have the huge responsibility of having the welfare of the children at the forefront of any decision you make.”

As a not-for-profit organisation, Auden Place does not enjoy the certainty of council funding, nevertheless, Mikki has driven the nursery to financial security. When she took over the nursery in 2005, it was forecasting £30k losses and facing closure. Within four months, Mikki managed to reduce the actual loss by 50% and keep the nursery open.

Her ‘extra mile’ attitude is clearly demonstrated by her research into identifying funding routes for families. Her findings, including New Deal for Lone Parents and Childcare Support Fund, enabled families to access funding, thereby benefitting families that would never have been able to access the nursery otherwise.

Organisation and adaptability is key. Mikki is often required to quickly switch roles to prioritise between tasks around the nursery. Managing a nursery goes beyond the mountains of paperwork; it requires determination and a willingness to adapt to multiple situations.

“You must be willing to put aside your ‘to do’ list and deal with the here and now of the day, still being aware that your list will still need to be done. You have to step into the role of cleaner, cook, handyman, councillor and accountant at the drop of a hat.

“The key to being a good manager is being able to adapt to every situation, ask for support when you need it, take on board constructive criticism and learn from your mistakes.”

Managers also need to have the desire to keep up-to-date with the latest policies and the EYFS and Mikki believes every manager should use resources available to them to benefit their nursery.

“It is important to have regular training. Either myself or one of my two managers attend any forums or workshops organised by the borough, and maintain a strong relationship with the Early years team.

“We receive regular magazines such as Nursery World, Nursery Management Today and are affiliated with associations such as Pre-School Learning Alliance and National Day Nursery Association. The Ofsted and Department for Education are great websites to keep you updated.” Can we get Parenta’s newsletters in there?

Staff often see their nursery manager as a role model, therefore it is important to set a good example. Within a versatile role, the managerial responsibility can range from helping staff out during busy times, to preparing monthly invoices to send out to parents.

“Getting the balance right between the day-to-day care of the children and administration is vital. I remember being a deputy manager with a manager who was great at this. They would regularly come out of the office to help with nappies and lunch breaks etc and I always wanted to be this manager.

“I am always popping in to say hello to all the staff and children, giving them support when needed. We have two managers, both who share my vision, overseeing a room each to support the team. I always make myself available to speak with my staff everyday about what is going on and if they need anything.”

In the second part of our ‘What makes an award-winning nursery manager?’ series, Mikki talks about the importance of maintaining an excellent relationship with both your staff and parents, and working together to reach the nursery’s goals.

Do you have a question you would like to ask Mikki? Are you a manager looking for ideas, or a practitioner striving for promotion? Drop your questions to Mikki below so that we can forward them to her.

Staff are the core of your business, and one of the primary ways you are judged by your customers. As a result, tricky factors like team morale, attitude and approach are almost as important as sector specific skills and qualifications. This is becoming increasingly difficult in an industry with pressure on profits and the resulting impact on wage rates and working hours.

A lack of funds can restrict managers from offering pay rises or investing in staff training, yet the Government continues to strive towards an early years workforce trained to a minimum of Level 3 by 2015. With the majority of the workforce driven by a vocational passion rather than financial gain, is this changing the way you manage your team?

Has it become hard to finance staff training or are you still accessing funding? Do you have difficulty retaining staff due to not being able to offer pay rises or promotions?

Have you found productive methods that keep staff in your setting happy? Do you organise regular meetings\out-of-work social events to maintain good team morale and receive feedback from staff?

Join the discussion by leaving your comments below.

The journey through the nursery should be both encouraging and impressive for the parent(s), to portray a friendly, lasting environment. In order to create a safe and welcoming atmosphere in your setting, what essential things do you implement to ensure a successful show round?

Perhaps the most essential part of a successful show round is having staff properly trained. Are specific staff responsible for show rounds, having a particular procedure that they must follow?

Do you have an open door policy to allow parents to look around at short notice, or do you book a small group to take around all at once? What’s the strangest or funniest thing you’ve ever been asked by a parent? Share your experiences of what has worked best in your setting below.

Resource: ‘Handling telephone queries from prospective parents’

Last month, Laing and Buisson’s report on the childcare sector suggested that nurseries were simply ‘ticking along’ post-recession, and that cuts to public spending threaten to decrease demand in the coming year.

This news is reflected in the fact that over 500 nurseries were forced to close last year, with many others struggling financially.

As a nursery owner, or manager, do you feel that running a nursery can still be financially rewarding? Is it worth the everyday challenges or are there too many restrictions in place to allow a nursery to be profitable?

Is there any practical advice that has worked well for your business that you could share with others? What would you say to those thinking of starting a nursery business? Does the love of providing quality care outweigh the financial risk involved?

Please leave your experiences and suggestions below to join in with the discussion…

Innovative online software provides the ideal solution

Intro: Portico Day Nurseries used to keep their data on one computer, on site, but found it too demanding and extremely inconvenient accessing and transferring data between nurseries.

A cost-effective and time-saving solution was Abacus, the market-leading online system accessible from anywhere with internet connection. This helped remove hidden costs from their previous process and provided secure, immediate access to their data from anywhere.

Overview: Portico Day Nurseries Ltd is owned by brother and sister, Nicole Politis and Craig Jackson. Founded in October 2002, Portico Day Nursery has grown from being a single setting to now consist of five nurseries in the north-west.

Growing at a rate of one nursery a year for the last 5 years, Portico has a turnover in the region of 1.5 million per annum; employing 61 staff and has around 350 children on the registers at any one time.

Their ethos, “Every child is unique”, supports their dedicated approach to providing affordable good quality childcare in a homely environment. The two owners remain very hands on and see the company as a growing family of staff and children.

Director Craig Jackson feels it is essential that all associated with the nurseries feel welcome,“We want a relaxed yet professional atmosphere where people enjoy coming to work, children enjoy coming to play and parents feel comfortable and confident to leave their children.”

Problem: Their previous nursery software was based on one computer on site making it extremely difficult and inconvenient to access and move data between sites.

A large amount of time was wasted travelling between sites and sorting out various technical issues. Spending time restoring backups when data became corrupt, constant upgrades required, or if a new PC was needed, were all hidden, yet large costs to the business.

After considering setting up a network, they realised that the IT headaches associated with an in-house network wouldn’t justify the investment. This was dismissed completely when Craig discovered Abacus, an online system accessible from anywhere with internet connection, which offers convenience and security of storing data, without the worry of making frequent backups.

Solution: It was clear that Parenta’s forward thinking technology ticked all the boxes for Portico’s requirements. Without needing to worry about the maintenance and added cost of storing data, Abacus allows them to complete their admin stress-free and spend more time providing quality childcare.

Since implementing Abacus, Portico have purchased Parenta’s full portfolio of services to help grow their business. Staff gain qualifications through Parenta Training, they have a business website using one of the template-based designs and their fees are collected from parents via direct-debit using our unique fee collection service.

Portico has expanded from a single setting nursery with a £120,000 turnover to five settings with a turnover of £1,500,000. Despite the large turnover, Portico’s accounting still only functions with two people, Craig as the Finance Director and their Bookkeeper, who works one day a week.

Reflecting on how Parenta’s services have helped his business, Craig said, “Helping us manage debt collection via the Direct Debit system, and the overall time saving from the system, are enormous.

“We have grown to 5 nurseries and I, as finance director, run all our IT and bookkeeping with the help of a book keeper only one day a week. To manage this amount of data – a 1.5 million turnover – with so little accounting staff is a testament alone to the simplicity and time saving of a good system.

“We could not have grown to the size we are without employing someone to look after our IT side. If we had tried to tackle the IT issue ourselves, I believe this extra cost may have been detrimental to our growth. It would have been something we may have avoided and tried to cope without and ultimately lost us opportunities while we wasted time concentrating on areas outside our expertise.”

“We have grown at the rate of one nursery a year for the last 5 years and I would like to grow at a similar rate until I feel we are at the edge of losing the personal touch.” Craig said.

Looking forward, Craig revealed that he is keen to see Abacus developed to coincide with the latest Apple technology. “I hope that Abacus will soon be compatible with Apple computers and that an app will be developed to run on the iPad / iphone.

At Parenta we pride ourselves on exceptional customer relations and this attitude has reflected well on the Portico team.

“I can’t praise the support staff enough! The girls on the phone are always very helpful, happy and polite. I rarely speak to them now days, but when I do it’s never a daunting experience.”

Find out more about Abacus, the award-winning nursery management software, and how we can help significantly reduce the time you spend on childcare administration.

Modernising their administration system: Polly Anna’s Day Nursery Case Study

Polly Anna’s Nursery found that their former nursery management system had been left behind with the introduction of new procedures and practices, particularly the changes to the Early Years Free Entitlement. After researching the market, they realised that Abacus offered exactly what they wanted and more.

Equipped with a modern, time-saving administration system, invoicing demanded considerably less time, even being completed whilst on holiday in Australia!

Overview: Polly Anna’s Nursery is a 48 place setting based in the suburban area of York in North Yorkshire. The nursery was founded in October 1997 by Ken McArthur and his daughter Helen, when they saw an opportunity to provide childcare as a family business, utilising Helen’s talents in childcare and Ken’s talents in business management.

Possessing a strong belief in family and family values, Polly Anna’s works closely with parents to offer the highest standard of quality childcare. This is clearly demonstrated by their Quality Assurance Award, staff training and qualifications, and the nursery being led by a Manager with a 1st Class Honours Degree in Early Years Leadership, who has also achieved Early Years Qualified Status.

Problem: The original database Polly Anna’s used for recording children’s details and attendance quickly became outdated by changes, not only in their procedures and practices, but the ability to comply with the administrational management of free hours of early years.

Solution: After considering the options of updating their original system, Ken realised that Parenta’s Abacus Management software had everything they were looking for, as well as being developed for legislation requirements and new technologies.

The convenience from completing invoicing remotely is particularly favourable with Nursery owner Ken McArthur, “One advantage over many other nursery management software systems is the ability to access our data anywhere in the world – I’ve even done my Invoicing whilst on holiday in Australia!”

“Another issue for us was the storage of such vital and confidential information; having it remotely stored gave us added assurance in case anything went wrong with our equipment.”

Would you like to see how Abacus can significantly reduce the time you spend on administration? Discover the benefits of using Abacus and book an online demonstration via our nursery management software page.

Horn End Nursery suffered 18 inches of flooding

Despite having flood defences, Horn End Nursery in Stafford was affected by severe flooding.

In the early hours of the morning, water levels had risen to 18 inches inside the building making the nursery inaccessible.

The majority of paper records and computers were lost and those stored at high levels were inaccessible for 3 days.

All toys and equipment had to be replaced and major redecorating was required, accumulating a bill of over £100,000!

Determined not to inconvenience parents, the nursery found a way to operate from temporary premises.

Reflecting on the unfortunately incident, Horn End nursery owner Deborah Falshaw revealed the instrumental role Abacus played in keeping her nursery functioning.

“At this point, we became acutely aware of the value of using Abacus as our software provider. As all our data was still accessible, we could immediately contact all parents, reprint all child data forms and manage staffing. We were only closed for one day and reopened in 2 temporary premises for the next 6 weeks whilst the entire building was refurbished. “

“We could not have continued to operate without Abacus as this allowed us to email parents, create registers and fees and operate in almost the same way as usual. In fact the nursery even took new bookings at this time!”

Flood warnings were raised again the following September but on this occasion the new defences installed prevented any further problems. During periods of uncertainty, the nursery still managed to keep parents informed by accessing their details via Abacus from another site.

If you would like to find out how Abacus can solve security issues that your nursery faces with childcare administration, read our childcare data security article or book an online demonstration today!

The new Kids Allowed setting in Macclesfield

Kids Allowed – Nursery Chain of the Year 2010- owner Jennie Johnson is celebrating twice over this month, opening a new setting in Macclesfield and being awarded the title ‘Inspiring Women in Business.’

Jennie Johnson has become known as a nursery boss who has broken new ground in the sector by offering a range of services for time-starved parents – as well as children – including laundry and dry-cleaning.

But the 39-year-old, who has three daughters, says the most important factor in her success is team-building.

Jennie set up Kids Allowed eight years ago after failing to find a nursery she was happy with.

She said: “I have learned that, as great and as fabulous as our facilities might be, it’s all about the team, and you have to put most of your effort into the team to ensure that you are delivering a five-star service to customers.

“I didn’t really take that on board eight years ago when I started, but I do now and it’s vital.

“We thrive to make Kids Allowed an excellent place to work. For example, we provide food so that staff can have breakfast, lunch and tea on us.

“You can’t sit in an ivory tower, you have to be part of the team and listen. Listening to parents is so important. And listening to the team is equally crucial.”

Turnover for the year to last September was £4.8m and the new Macclesfield centre is expected to boost revenues to £5.5m.

The £2.8m centre, at the old hospital site in Macclesfield, will create 75 new jobs – equivalent to 45 full-time roles – over the next 12 months and has the capacity to welcome 160 children, aged from three months, every week.

Jennie started out at 16 in the post room of an IT firm and rose to director, but left the well-paid job after being fired-up by what she thought was the lack of flexible, professional childcare provision.

She said: “I wanted a nursery that was clean, happy and inspiring but it was Hobson’s Choice. I was totally dissatisfied with what was available.

“I was earning a really good wage in my previous job and it was 18 months before I could claim any salary after launching Kids Allowed but I was so passionate about it – I still am.”

As well as nursery provision, parents are offered a ‘wraparound’ service for school children up to the age of 10.

Judges at the 19th Inspiring Women Awards, which took place at the Midland Hotel, Manchester, last Friday, and which receives nominations from all over the north west, awarded Jennie the coveted business prize for her vision, commercial acumen and success at building a winning team, which has grown to over 200 full and part-time staff. Runners-up in the category were Carolyn Mellor of Homes4U and East Lancashire funeral director Lianna Champ.

A full-time nursery place at Kids Allowed costs £230 a week, which Jennie acknowledges is expensive but says the group delivers value for money.

“Running nurseries like ours with a one-to-three ratio is incredibly expensive and we do believe we are giving parents value for money.

“No business can get it right every time so we aim to have an honest relationship with parents and encourage them to complain about any little niggles they may have. They’re entrusting us to look after the most precious little people in their lives and it is our job to reassure them and to make sure their children are happy.”

Well done to Jennie Johnson and the team at Kids Allowed on their recent achievements. More information can be found on the Kids Allowed website.

"Excellent use of natural resources enhances children's learning experiences" Ofsted Report

Children can develop better social, literacy and numeracy skills by being outside, as demonstrated at the Farley Nursery School.

Set in the heart of the Wiltshire countryside, the private nursery has a unique ‘outdoor learning’ ethos, delivering the early years curriculum away from typical indoor comforts.

With over two acres of beautiful garden adjacent to the nursery, children can participate in a number of nature-learning activities throughout the year. Whether it is taking part in a nature hunt, learning a new song or investigating the capacity of a wheel barrow, the children are happy to learn on their next adventure.

The outside activities quickly encourage children to develop social skills. The obstacle course influences children of various ages to mix and show consideration for one another, while the freedom to participate in activities such as bike riding and running keeps them active throughout the day.

Their ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted report highlighted that the ‘Excellent use of natural resources enhances children’s learning experiences’ and that ‘Children flourish in this exceptional learning environment’.

Sue Palmer, owner of Farley Nursery School, feels that children receive both mental and physical benefits to the outdoor learning concept.

“Children are happier outside and love to learn about nature. The children have a freedom of expression when they play outside that they just do not get inside.”

Ofsted Report: “Innovative areas are used for story telling”

In a risk adverse society, almost all parents visiting their nursery are immediately attracted to the wonderful scenery and outdoor learning concept. Despite the UK experiencing rain roughly once every three days, the children remain content on taking their learning outside all-year-round.

"Children flourish in this exceptional learning environment" Ofsted Report

Risk-assessed inside and outside, the Farley Nursery was described by Ofstedin their report as having ‘a strong emphasis on ensuring children’s safety and security’. Areas such as the pond, are fenced off and controlled, and staff ratios are maintained meticulously at all times, with Abacus nursery management software playing a pivotal role in this.

There’s even a regular Norwegian fire in a controlled area, where children help cook snacks such as sausages and scones and sit around the fire.

The outdoor concept proves resilient and robust to the children’s health too. Children build up a resistance to illnesses such as colds and flu, keeping the numbers up all year round.

The Top Conkers group is for the 3-4 years olds soon to progress to primary school. To ease the transition to an indoor learning environment, nursery staff will spend time making them aware that they will predominantly be sitting down, listening to a teacher.

Last month Ofsted reported that four in ten schools, nurseries and childminders are failing to deliver a good enough standard of communication, language and literacy teaching for toddlers. However, in their report for Farley Nursery, they highlighted that “‘children thrive in this invigorating Nursery. They benefit significantly from the opportunity to spend the greater part of every day outdoors in the fresh air.”

Sue has almost 20 years experience working in the early years sector and embraced the Scandinavian principles that emphasise the health and learning benefits to outdoor learning.

“Everyone is so in awe of what we are doing. But it’s not rocket science. This is how childhood should be. Ninety per cent of their day is spent outdoors. Other schools are saying ‘We want to do what you’re doing’. What makes me cross is that other nurseries can do it but don’t.”

The Parenta team would like to congratulate the Farley Nursery on their excellent achievements and wish you all the best with the new nursery opening in Steeple Langford. More details of their Ofsted report can be found on the Farley Nursery website.

How much time do you reserve for outdoor play? What do you think of the idea of outdoor learning all year round? Drop your thoughts below.

Does your early years setting have a unique way of learning? Let us know and you could receive free online promotion!

The proportion of early years registered providers judged outstanding last year was 10% of 18,827 inspections carried out between 1 September 2009 and 31 August 2010.

Receiving an outstanding Ofsted inspection has real and tangible benefits to your business, as Townsend Montersorri Nurseries has experienced over several years.

They achieved outstanding statues at 3 of their settings last year, a direct reflection of their ethos of offering the highest quality care and education for children aged between three months and five years.

With over ten years in the industry, Philippa Townsend opened her first nursery, Port Regis Montessori in Broadstairs, Kent, back in 2005. Starting out as a 60 place setting, it quickly expanded to 94 places and Philippa now manages her time between 4 nurseries, with a further two planned early this year.

Their Margate setting, The Avenues Montessori Nursery, received full marks in every area of their Ofsted inspection last year, with the inspector commending, in particular, the management of their nurseries.

The report states that ‘the setting is outstanding in driving improvement in order to benefit children. Plans are appropriately reflected in the nursery’s comprehensive self assessment.’

Operations Manager Toni Lawrence has developed a strong network to ensure each setting implements secure and reliable management practice. Toni advises each setting manager and carries out monthly inspections and on-the-spot questions with staff to monitor quality of practice.

“We hold monthly manager meetings to discuss any issues, as well as reviewing our policies and procedures to make sure managers are implementing the latest and correct methods.”

“We’re always up-to-date with government requirements and legislation and part of our monthly review is to ensure we’re in-line with the Government’s EYFS guidelines.”

Stay Calm!

Ofsted inspections can be nerve-racking at the best of times, but Philippa insists it is important to stay calm and maintain the highest standards at all times.

“Greet the inspector with a friendly welcome and just carry on as normal and don’t panic! Make sure your staff behave appropriately and ask their supervisor if they are unsure about a question.”

Philippa also stresses that a happy, well-prepared and knowledgeable team is fundamental towards successfully implementing the highest standard of practice.

“Try to maintain the highest standards at all times. Staff should be trained and focussed around high quality care and practice. Hold regular staff meetings so that they know what is expected of them. Staff retention is key to a successful team.

Hard work pays dividends…

Their exceptional Ofsted performances haven’t gone unnoticed. Enquiry levels have increased and Philippa is now in the late processes of opening two more settings within the south-east due to continuous success.

“All staff are proud and it helps boost team morale. The parents are really happy to have chosen a nursery with outstanding status. It’s great for marketing the nursery and helps us increase the numbers.

Hard work can be very rewarding so make sure you prepare thoroughly. I would like to thank Toni Lawrence and my fantastic staff team for all their hard work.”

Plans for the future…

Philippa remains focussed on developing the business and maintaining an exceptional level of quality care to children.

“We have two new settings opening this year, one in London in March and one in Faversham in April. We aim to carry on providing outstanding high-quality childcare in all settings and achieve outstanding reports in our new settings. Hopefully we can continue to expand and open further nurseries.”

Have you recently had an inspection or have one approaching? What methods do you implement to ensure you maximise your Ofsted report? Join the discussion by dropping your comments below.