Putting the wellbeing and care of the children attending our nursery at the forefront of what we do means consistency of care is really important to us. Familiarity with the caregivers they’re spending their days with allows the children to form secure attachments, and see Daisy Day Nursery as their home away from home. The continuity that retaining quality staff offers the children is significantly beneficial to their experience in the nursery and to their development and wellbeing.
The stability that having an established team provides is a key factor in parents putting their trust and confidence in us. On top of that, the relationships that are formed between team members and the families we welcome into the setting are wonderful, and can be long lasting. Allowing parents peace of mind that their child is safe, happy, and well looked after is something that we can therefore pride ourselves on being able to offer.
Having long-standing and experienced staff and management on hand, we’re confident that new staff will receive the training and the support needed to succeed in their role on hand to show them the way.
We’re very proud of the dependable and committed team of childcare practitioners we have working with us, who give their all every day and are passionate about what they do. That’s why we’re keen for them to not only love what they do, but love where they do it. By investing in them and their careers with us, we see team members spend years with Daisy, with some taking on new challenges within the company such as more senior positions or further childcare qualifications.
The team’s professional development is ongoing, and is supported through regular training, some of which is available online via Noodle Now (an online training provider with readily available training on a range of early years specific topics) and some which is delivered through sessions at our quarterly team meetings. The Daisy team can share ideas and collaborate using a dedicated closed Facebook group.
As part of our commitment to supporting the team’s mental wellbeing, and therefore their overall health, our Employee Assistance Programme gives staff the opportunity to attend a number of counselling sessions. These are arranged while protecting the staff member’s privacy.
Our team access free on-site parking, and are able to have breakfast and a hot lunch during their day, provided by us. They can also take advantage of a competitive discount on their own Daisy childcare fees.
When we have consulted the team about how they are incentivised and what is important to them in terms of feeling valued, it has been widely noted in their responses that monetary rewards aren’t the number one priority for them. We therefore make a conscious effort to offer a range of perks and benefits, as well as deliver verbal and written recognition of their work through feedback and appraisals.
One of the ways we regularly provide feedback with an added perk is through our ‘wow cards.’ Wow cards are awarded to staff for great performance or ‘going the extra mile.’ Noted on the card is the reason for it being awarded, and each wow card is worth £5. The team save these up and cash them in for Love2Shop vouchers when it suits them.
At each quarterly team meeting, the Manager of each of our 3 settings nominates one of their team to receive the ‘Manager’s Recognition Award.’ As well as a voucher to spend, the award offers a platform for the acknowledgement of the staff’s specific efforts and achievements.
The peer and parent voted ‘Employee Award’ also runs quarterly, giving the team the opportunity to thank each other and highlight their colleagues’ hard work. We receive a number of parent nominations which are provided to the team to read after the winner is announced. The nominated recipient of the Employee Award, and the runner up, receive a voucher to spend.
We believe that the commitment of our team is worth celebrating, so length of service milestones are recognised with extra annual leave allowance and commemorated with an award of a voucher and gift at the team meetings, as the milestone is reached.
As we know that work-life balance is crucial, and to demonstrate of our appreciation for their hard work, we wanted to offer the chance for our team to spend quality time with their families. In 2022, we arranged a Summer trip for our team and their families to Folly Farm and in December our team were offered tickets to ‘Christmas at Bute Park.’ The trips proved hugely popular, and we’ve been delighted to hear from our team about how much they enjoyed the experiences. We’re excited to continue offering our team’s this valued opportunity.
With the cost of living putting strain on families, we now offer financial and budgeting guidance and hosted our first ‘Cooking Together’ session in November, which saw staff receive tips and hands-on tutelage about cooking for their families in a way that minimises cost and waste.
Our team really matter to us, and we are keen to for them to know this, and not only take advantage of the benefits that we offer but hear it from us day in day out; this above all else is what most contributes to the satisfaction and retention of the staff working with us.