A Day in the Life of a Nursery Manager

Amongst the hussle and bustle of nursery life, I often get asked what the role as a Nursery Manager actually involves. The Chef cooks, the practitioners care for the children, the maintenance team fix things but what about the Nursery Manager? Well, let me give you a little insight! 

I’m Fennies Wimbledon’s Nursery Manager and I’ve worked in childcare for over 10 years, during that time I’ve progressed from apprentice to Nursery Manager through a lot of hard work and dedication (and possibly some blood, sweat and some tears too!) 

When thinking about my day as a Nursery Manager, I found myself listing the typical day to day jobs however, the more I thought about it, the longer the list got. One thing is for sure though, no two days are the same. 

7:30am Morning prep

At thistime,I usually go around each roommaking surethe breakfast traysareset up.I alsoobservetheenvironments;are they welcoming and inviting? Dotheyencourage curiosity and imagination? Do children have easy access to the resources? Does it enable the children to return to their explorations andconsolidatetheir learning?These are all things that I take into consideration when getting ready for the day.This is also the time when I will complete safety checksby riskassessingthe room, toys, equipment and taking the roomtemperatures.

7:45am Good morning!

Whenchildren start arriving at the nursery,I usually take this opportunity to have a morning chat with a few parents to find out how their child has been andasking the parents how they are. You just never know whenit’sbeen one of THOSEmornings.. you know the ones… trying to rush out the door, late for work, child has refused breakfast at home,won’t put their coat on and you are yet to have your morning coffee. Sometimes a friendly chat and check-in is all you need to brighten someone’s day.

9:00am Staff deployment

By this time all the staff have arrived, and I usually check staff deployment by ensuring compliance and that staff are deployed effectively throughout each room. For example, how many first aiders do we have on-site and ensuring child to staff ratios are maintained throughout the day. 

10am- Morning walk around

At 10am,Ivisiteach roomtocompletequality monitoring andtoobservepractice and staff interactions with children.I usually take this opportunity to provide supportto my teams bycheckingthat processes are being followed as well as quizzing staff on their safeguarding knowledgeas thisis one of our highest priorities.

11:30am Lunch time

All our meals are cooked fresh on site by our wonderfulNursery Chefs. It’s usually around this time that theChef and I monitor portion sizes and the appropriateness of the quantities and consistencies served for each age group.We follow a strict and robust approach to dietary requirementsby usinga traffic light system to help us clearlyidentifythe children whorequirealternativesfor culturalandreligiousreasonsorallergyandintolerances to food. Before the food even reaches thechild,it must be checked and signed by theChef, managementteamand a further check and sign off by a qualified level 3 practitioner. All staff, including myself are also provided with a delicious meal, this is part of our approach in supporting staff well-being and ensuring staff are fueling their bodies and minds to look after these little treasures.We work very closely withtheteam at the Early Years Nutrition Partnership working towards the advancedEYNPaccreditation. I oftenliaisewith their nutritionistsfor advice that I can share with parents about their child’s fussy eating, weaning andportioncontrol.

1:00pm Sleep

Children are usually sleeping after a fun-packed, busy morning. Staff will use this timeto carry out sleep checks andadaily care diaryon our parent app. Iwillalso use this timeto talk through planning with staff andwediscusshow each child is being supportedwiththeir learningand development.

3:00 pm Afternoon walk around

Bymid-afternoon,Iwilldo my second walk around of the day. Overseeing the environment and assessing whether it is enriched with learning opportunities.I will check whether the planned activitiesreflect the 7 areas of theEYFScurriculumand whether it will help support each child’s development.In addition to this,we also have our own bespoke Fennies curriculum which is made up of PE, Spanish and French,well-being activities,aSTEMprogram and focused artsessions. Theseextraenhancementsare part of our school readiness program and are designed by our education experts to support children’snext stage of learning. Iwillevaluate the effectiveness of the program and the learning impact that this has on the childrenand provide any feedback that may be helpful for any upcoming lessons.

5:00 pm Home time

Children gradually begin to go home from 5pm andI really enjoy taking thistimeto catch up with parents and give them a little personal insight into how their child’s day has been.

6:00 pm

When the nursery door closes at 6pm, I reflect onthe day and thetasks that Ihadn’tevenanticipated. The social media postto be sent totheMarketingteam,the two virtual toursto show potential new families around the nursery and arranging for staff to complete internal training. When I getintothe car most evenings I feel proud thatI’vebeen able to make an impact on a child’s early years.After a busy day, Isit back and reflect andI’mready to do it all again tomorrow!

And then before you know it, another summer is over, another set of preschoolers are leaving for school. I told myself I wouldn’t get emotional again, this happens every year. But I get a glimpse or small memory of little Billy on his first day all those years ago, he was only tiny, barely walking. Oh, the tears during settling in!And the endless cups of tea to comfort his parents and now here he is…confident, happy, and most importantly so ready to thrive in this next stage of his academic learning. And it’s moments like this where I am reminded….This is why I love my job!