Here’s a recent comment from a Fee Planner customer:

"The impact on my business of Fee Planner has been fantastic and allowed me to focus my energy on the more important aspects of running the nursery."

Dear Marie

I’d like to express my sincere thanks to you and all of your team for the outstanding service and excellent attention that you have given to  Carlton Day Nursery over the past few years. Your service took away the headache of chasing clients for money, waiting for cheques and chasing up debtors, which as a small business was very time consuming and costly. The impact on my business of fee planner has been fantastic and allowed me to focus my energy on the more important aspects of running the nursery, whilst improving our cash flow dramatically.  I would have no hesitation in recommending you to any business in the future.

Wishing you all the best,

Jackie Young

Managing Director

Carlton Day Nursery Ltd.

To find out how Fee Planner can help your business simply complete this short form and we’ll be in touch!

Following feedback from Abacus users, Parenta have invested in a much improved Customer Support Desk. This new service offers a wide range of enhancements to our already award-winning service.

1. We commit to providing a written response to each question you ask through the helpdesk, ensuring that the answer is clear and enabling you to refer back to it at any time. Where appropriate, we will also provide a link to the appropriate page in the Abacus Help Manual. The existing 1 working hour response time remains.

2. You will be able to see any query asked by another member of your team, enabling you to see the instructions they have been given, and ensuring that we only have to answer a question once for your organisation.

3. If you have a new idea, or a suggestion for improvement, you can submit it in writing and receive regular updates on its progress. Some ideas may be accepted, or rejected, immediately, and we will advise you accordingly. Others may be put into a public forum for other Abacus users to comment and share their feelings before a decision is made on development.

4. You now have the opportunity to support or reject the ideas put forward by other users, and ensure that your voice is heard before any development takes place.

5. If we have a known issue with Abacus (it happens), we will publicise it in the support desk and provide feedback on the progress being made to resolve it.

6. Every time we provide any help through the Support Desk, you will be offered the chance to rate the service you have received, enabling us to identify and improve any time we let you down!

Customers will receive their login details via their primary Abacus email account. If you have not received your email yet, please request one within your Abacus system via the Communication section.

Dawn Burnham talks through the EYFS principle ‘Parents as Partners’ during a live webcast on Thursday 17th February 2011.

Please give send us your feedback on the webcast here.

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Dawn’s Bio: With over 24 years working in the Early Years sector, Dawn was one of the first to achieve Early Years Professional Status and has established a highly admirable reputation in the industry. She is currently completing a masters in ‘Child Centred Inter Professional Practice’ and continues to advise Early Years organisations across the UK.

We have listed below all the resources that Dawn has recommended during the webcast for further reading on Parents as Partners.

• EYFS 2.2 Parents as Partners
• Ofsted Online SEF
• EYPS Forum
• Early Years Foundation Stage Forum
• Department for Education
• Penny Tassoni

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Thank you for the great response we received after the event. Below are some of the questions answered during the live webcast as requested by viewers;

Nicola: How can we get parents involved who are not as forthcoming as others?

Dawn: Hi Nicola,thanks for your question. It can be hard to make connections with all parents and sometimes it is as simple as asking them how they prefer to be contacted and once you open up a channel of communication you can continue the dialogue and build on it bit by bit.

Guest212: What do you do if parents just do not want to be involved however much we try?

Dawn: Hi Guest 212, As with Nicola’s reply it can be difficult to reach some of the ‘hard to reach families’. Baby steps is what I suggest .Find anything that interests them from activities their child is enjoying to book bags with props and a book in to take home and enjoy together. Then build on that.

Dawn: Hi Trudi, thanks for your question, it came through prior to webcast and I didn’t manage to answer it during the webcast. You have asked about parents concerns about reading and writing. Well your examples of the kind of play you are providing to assist with muscle development and pre writing skills sound exactly right. Some publications that may help you professionally support your parents to gain an insight and further understanding to mark making and it’s importance are: Mark making Matter DCSF-00767-20

Faye: Hi Dawn. How do you feel about using new technologies like texting and websites to stay in touch with parents?

Dawn: Hi Faye, thanks for your question. I think it is the way forward as part of the communication package we offer our parents. Many parents have access to this technology at home, work and in their hands via their phones. This in conjunction with day to day direct feedback and any other forms of communication your settings has will only serve to enhance your parent partnership.

Guest243: What can be done to increase the uptake in male workers on the ground? Why do you think there is such a lack of male child carers in our profession?

Dawn: Hi Guest 243, thanks for your question. It has always been a long standing issue in Early Years. We all recognise the value of quality staff and a balance of gender in carers but it has been historically difficult to encourage male carers into this profession. You may enjoy reading some of the research that government has completed on this subject. DCSF may have a document, Nursery world and Parenta have recently presented documents on this topic and you may find your local county has information too.

Dawn: Hi Sajida, thanks for your question. Your question came through about parents who do not have a lot of time to stay and play. A quick tip is to open the invitation to all family members IE: grandparents. This has worked really well for many settings. It might be valuable to ask how parents in your setting would like to get involved and get many suggestions from the parents themselves. This will enhance any parent partnership you already have.

Dawn: Hi Ken, Thank you your question about parent involvement. It is hard when you have a large amount of working parents as the pressures on your parents can be tough, leaving little time for support in the setting. Have you tried asking for suggestions of ways your parents would like to share in your experience and the topics that would be of interest?. You can then focus on activities that you know parents really want to attend and share some enjoyable experiences together as a result.

Guest 417: At my setting we want to start using home/nursery books that include feedback on the child’s day, observations and photos of the child. Our only concern is how we can encourage our parents to make sure they return the books to the setting. Any suggestions on how we do this?

Dawn: Hi Guest 417, Thank you for your question. It is a really good idea you have to introduce a daily communication book. It may be worth introducing it to parents via and information leaflet/email. Explain what it is for, how to use it and give examples of the kind of content that will be found in it. Raise the profile of it by letting your parents know how important it is for their child to have that continuity between setting and home. Make sure your staff team are really on board. Expect to experience several parents forgetting the book. It takes weeks for a new routine to become a regular pattern .Keep up with it, it will be worth it.

Emma: Any thoughts on how we can increase attendance at our parent evenings?

Dawn: Hi Emma, Thank you for your question. Evenings for parents can be difficult some time. I would start with finding out a ‘good’ or ‘best’ time with your set of parents. Think about the issues they may have around coming out in the evening. Can/do you invite the children with them? Is there food and drink available to make the logistics of an evening out easier? Are you available at any other time if your parent can’t make it. These are probably the starting point questions to ask yourself, your team and ask your parents to see what would and wouldn’t work for them.

Guest136: Going on the parents evening we changed ours to parent consultations and arranged 5-10mins either when the parent drops off or picks up their child on a day best for them to have a chat and this seems to work really well.

Dawn: Hi Guest 136, sounds like you have found what works for your parents. Thank you for sharing this with us.

Nicola: Hi Emma and Dawn just a little suggestion as to what we do to entice parents, we have local companies coming to our parents evenings like childrens clothes sellers, we also had the local prep school come and have a little display for us, also we have a selection of cheese biscuits and juices available to parents on arrival.

Faye: Dawn. What’s the best way to prove how good our relationships are with parents during an Ofsted inspection?

Dawn: Hi Faye, thanks for your question. Ofsted will want to chat with some of your parents so they will gage a feel for your setting. The guidance I referred to in the webcast is really helpful as it takes you through the areas Ofsted will want to check. Your SEF will also inform Ofsted before they arrive of things to look out for. Then it’s your chance to expand on what you do and how you value your parents.

Dawn: Hi Tracey, Thank you for your question about the future of EYP status. I agree with your comment, it would be a really loss for Early Years for this not to continue. Sarah Teather has confirmed the government’s commitment to EYPS and that training establishments will continue to offer it. Intakes are now Jan 2012.

Thank you for all your questions sent in for Dawn. We would be really interested to hear your thoughts and comments on the webcast below.

Parenta Training has launched a new website to help support our continued growth in the childcare training market.

The website is primarily built to easily help learners choose the right childcare course for them and provide them with additional advice and support throughout their course.

We’ve introduced a number of new features for the training website; from competitions to free resources, instant live chat and other communication tools designed to help learners to discover the best way to get childcare qualified!

To kick off our website launch, we have introduced a new competition to give learners a chance to win £50 of high street vouchers to spend in the New Year sales.

Learners can also interact with their assessor online, leaving feedback and requesting advice anytime they like.

As part of the launch, we have also opened a Facebook page, for learners to join a growing community, collect free childcare resources and meet with fellow learners on childcare courses.

There is also a full list of all our childcare courses to help learners, or managers, choose the right course for their needs. With a wide range of courses available as QCF (NVQ) or apprenticeships, often fully-funded, there’s never been a better time to start your next course with Parenta Training.

Nursery employers reap the benefits of better motivated and more highly skilled staff when they get involved in work-related training such as apprenticeships, according to a report published by Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills.

The report, Good practice in involving employers in work-related education and training, highlights that training developed by providers working closely with companies helps employees – and new employees – make greater contributions to the effectiveness of their business.

Last week’s spending review revealed that an additional 70,000 adults will be offered on-the-job training under Government plans for a huge expansion of apprenticeships.

Apprenticeships have proven to offer excellent scope for progression, helping learners develop their skill set in providing quality care.

Parenta Training can offer fully funded apprenticeships for child care practitioners to gain a childcare level 2 or childcare level 3 apprenticeship qualification.  Fully supported with assessor mentoring and e-learning software, you and your staff can train for free, without taking time out from work.

Getting started is simple. Fill out the application form below, and our training team will get back to you within 24 hours with your first steps in gaining an apprenticeship.

Parenta Training, were described as ”excellent” in delivery of qualifications and quality assurance in an EV (External Verification) visit from EDI this week.

As a leading childcare training provider, we have made admirable strides in the past year in successfully helping child care professionals efficiently gain childcare qualifications.

Barbara, the EDI verifier, commented that immense progression had been achieved within our procedures and practice and that Parenta Training continues to demonstrate excellent skills, currently being ahead of the programme within the QCF (Qualifications and Credit Framework).

She left Parenta Training’s centre without giving any actions, and we’re now authorised to make direct claims for CCLD’s meaning our learners receive their completion certificates much quicker.

Debbie Sinclair, a Regional Training Manager at Parenta Training said of the achievement, “I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to the whole team for their continued support. The outcome today is a huge testament to our hard work.”

Interested in developing your childcare career? We have childcare funding available nationwide to help you gain your next qualification. Apply for one of our childcare & learning courses today!

The two co-founders of Parenta leave for Tanzania tomorrow to climb Kilimanjaro, the largest free standing mountain in the world and raise money for charity.

Allan Presland and Nick Williams are taking a break from their normal working routine to do their bit for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Fundraising activities have seen our friends at Top Days hold a cake bake day, poker nights, a summer garden party and even a Parenta team sports day!

Recent weeks have seen the pair walk 25 miles in a day, and after months of solid training, the time has come for them to tackle the 5,895 metre mountain.

So far donations for Marie Curie have reached over £5,000, but there’s still time for more! If you would like to help raise money for Marie Curie, simply head over to their donations page to leave a small contribution.

Marie Curie Cancer Care provides high quality nursing, totally free, to give people with terminal cancer and other illnesses the choice of dying at home, supported by their families.

Good luck guys, it’s for a great cause!

Happy Days have launched a competition across the south-west for a parent to win a year’s free childcare at one of their nurseries!

In association with Pirate FM, Happy Days are running the competition throughout September, with six adverts aired each day. Parents can enter the competition by telling Happy Days the three most important things they look for when choosing childcare.

After running a successful direct mail campaign earlier in the year in partnership with Bounty, Happy Days were keen to reinforce their market position using a different marketing method.

With the help of Jo Payton from Pirate FM and Natalie Jackson at Parenta, Happy Days set up an online competition that securely captures the information provided by entrants for easy review.

Jackie Arthur, Chief Operations Officer of Happy Days Nurseries, said the campaign will provide valuable market research to help Happy Days develop their service as a childcare provider, “Entries are coming in thick and fast and we are looking forward to using the views expressed to help us develop the service we offer our parents and children.

Having previously used a local radio station for advertising, Jackie was keen to be able to measure the effectiveness of the campaign to ensure their marketing budget was spent wisely.

“In order to maximise the benefits from the competition, we decided to create an opportunity that not only provides us with a potential client base, but also a mechanism to better understand the needs of parents.

“Furthermore, we decided the prize had to be valuable enough to entice someone to make the effort to enter the competition and also reward them for giving us their opinion.”

Competition entries have to be received by 30^th September 2010, with the winner being announced on both the Happy Days and Pirate FM websites by 6^th October 2010. You can enter by visiting their competition page.

Have you launched a successful campaign or event recently for your nursery? Tell us all about it and we will promote it on the web for you!

The managers of Tops Day Nurseries held a cake bake event today to raise money for the Parenta owners’ Marie Curie fundraiser.

Organised by Maria Thomas-Luker, Administration Director, Tops staff baked cakes for today’s meeting, and sold them to staff and local business to raise funds.

Nick Williams and Allan Presland aim to raise £10,000 for Marie Curie Cancer Care by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in 3 weeks time.

The pair have been vigorously training for the mammoth task, receiving plenty of support and donations in the process!

The Parenta team would like to say a big thank you to everyone at Tops for helping raise money for the Marie Curie Cancer fund! Nick said “We have worked closely with Tops for many years, but it was a lovely suprise to hear that they had gone to so much effort for us!”

Tops Day Nurseries operate eleven children’s nurseries situated throughout Dorset, Hampshire and Somerset.

You can help raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care,  Simply follow this link to donate.  Thank you in advance for your donations and support.