How long have you been working at the nursery?
It will be three years in May, and it came out of the blue as I had spent all my working life in retail. I started chatting to a friend who worked in childcare and honestly didn’t have a clue. I thought it was just singing nursery rhymes and reading books with the children. As I learnt more I began to realise the true role of a practitioner, and soon after I started at 56 found myself writing essays on the EYFS to get my Level 2.
What do you love most about your job?
I love working in the baby room, it’s so rewarding to see them grow, develop and graduate to the next stage. Each day is a bonus to see them smile from the activities and play we prepare for them. It was a new chapter when the London Early Years Foundation took over the nursery, and the words defining LEYF are words I use everyday too; nurturing, inspiring, being bold and having fun. It’s with you constantly to brighten their day and take their development that bit further. So we are constantly taking them outside, and thinking of new messy play and physical activities.
What is fundamental to what you do?
For me, it’s about the parents as well. It’s so important to build a bond with the parent as you are both working to help the child become the unique person they are. We also understand they are giving over the most precious thing in the world to us, and of course we start off as strangers and it takes time to build that relationship. It’s wonderful to see the smiles on parents’ faces when they collect their child because they can see how happy they are.