Tell us about your journey to the top
It all started when I was in Year 10 and chose childcare as one of my GCSE options. The same year, I did two weeks work experience in a nursery.
When I left school, I enrolled on to a two-year Level 3 Nursery Educator college course. While studying I did work experience at another nursery, which offered me a full-time position as a nursery nurse once I was qualified. I then became a room leader as a member of staff went on maternity leave. While I was running the room, I trained for my Level 4.
Then I joined Meadow Lane Children’s Nursery, which at the time, had only been open for six months. It is a family run Reggio Emilia Nursery. I’ve now been there for five years, and have worked my way up through the setting, starting as a nursery educator, to becoming an educational co-ordinator (running a room), to now working in the management team as a deputy manager.
I am very fortunate to support the running of such a unique setting (with over 250 children on the register and 40+ staff, animals, kitchen garden and vast outdoor play spaces).
My role in the setting is to support staff and their wellbeing. I’m there to guide and support the staff within the nursery setting to ensure the children receive the best quality of care.
Did you always aspire to work in a managerial role?
If I’m completely honest, no. I’ve always loved working closely with children, but since coming to Meadow Lane my passion for wanting to support staff came through.
Drawing on my own experiences of working in nurseries, I wanted to make changes to ensure that educators feel supported and not stressed.
What challenges have you faced as a young manager and how have you overcome these?
I started as a deputy manager during the Covid pandemic, so this was my first very big challenge. It was our duty of care as a management team to ensure staff and families felt comfortable coming to nursery during that unknown period of time.
I feel as a setting we made positive changes to ensure the safety of everyone, and gave everyone a voice to ensure our educators wellbeing was at the forefront of working during this period of time.
What are the advantages of being a younger manager?
I feel as a young leader I am motivated and enthusiastic about undertaking challenging tasks and completing them. I am eager to make changes, develop and not stay stagnant in my practice and the development of the setting.
What advice would you give someone aspiring to reach the top at a young age?
- You need a passion for working with young children and good communication skills.
- Never delegate things you wouldn’t want to do yourself.
- Smile and have fun!
