After collecting our PLA Award in 2007, we at Oakey Dokeys all felt that we wanted to give something back to all the parents and carers who had supported us over the years, particularly those who had been with us in our early days, when we ran our sessions from the village hall.
With just a few weeks' planning, we put together the idea of a 'Rainbow Party', complete with cupcakes and cucumber sandwiches. We invited our guests to wear their 'posh clothes', just as we had done when we went to Claridges Hotel in London to collect our award. The invitations were sent to every child who had ever attended our pre-school, the oldest then having reached the grand old age of seven!
We hired a magician to provide the entertainment, giving our parents the chance to catch up on how school was going for each other's children and to admire any new babies that had been born since. Younger children still with us got the chance to play with old friends who had moved on, and members of staff reflected on how grown-up everyone had become.
The party proved to be such a success that we decided to make it a regular event, holding it every two years to make the get-together even more of a special time. Many parents reflected that it gave them a chance to remember all their happy times with us, and made them realise just how big their child had become, especially when they sat on the tiny chairs.
Third party
In September this year, we will be holding our third Rainbow Party. Our parents with older children have said that they are desperate to return to their little nursery again and have been anxiously waiting for their invitation to arrrive. The oldest child has now turned 11 and we're all wondering if the teenagers will still want to come in the next two years.
Maybe in another four or even six years some of those children may choose the path of childcare for their own careers and we will be only too happy to have them for work experience - great childcare always benefits from firm foundations.
This year we're expecting about 100 people to attend our party. A lot of our children are really into face-painting at the moment, so we're planning to hire a professional face-painter to provide the entertainment.