
25THE WENDY HOUSE DAY NURSERY |
BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE 2019
for our second generation of children,
welcoming former attendees back as
parents. We believe that quality practice
encompasses the close involvement with
families that we prioritise; our education
regarding child development, behaviour
management, diet, dental care and
school readiness is of paramount
importance for parents and guardians.
We also have a full training programme,
which supports the development of our
staff while offering work experience
placements for local schools and
colleges. We work closely with our
local community and liaise with primary
schools while supporting other charities,
clubs and groups in the area. The nursery
now holds many awards and was a
national finalist in the Outdoor Play
section of
Nursery Management Today
.
Over the years, we have strived to
continually exercise best practice
and have invested significantly in
the nursery itself. We now have five
gardens, all-weather play and climbing
areas, a mud kitchen, builders’ yard,
vegetable garden and even our own
chicken coop. We have regular sessions
led by a drama teacher, and ZooLab
often visit with a variety of animals.
The sector, 30 years on
Now in my 30th year at nursery, I
have witnessed many changes in the
childcare sector as it became and
continues to be at the forefront of
the government’s agenda; in 1998,
we saw the launch of the childcare
strategy, with the Sure Start and
Neighbourhood Nurseries initiatives
being put into place. This allowed the
steady growth of nurseries throughout
the 1990s, helping the country to
reach government targets for early
years education.
With the introduction of substantial
government investment in the sector,
it was important that the welfare of
the child and parental choice were
not compromised. Around this time, I
became involved in the National Day
Nurseries Association to ensure that
parents and the non-maintained sector
retained a voice. I have now been the
chair of the Flintshire network for 23
years, meeting with and representing
the views of nurseries in the county
on a national stage. During this 23-
year period, I have also worked as a
voluntary counsellor with the NSPCC
atChildline; I also spent four years
as a co-opted governor at a local
primaryschool.
The role of a day nursery for
the families who attend is often
underestimated. With years of
experience behind us, we help and
advise families daily. We provide
support through difficult times and
often find ourselves taking on the
role of extended family where there
isnone.
I continue to be involved with the
sector and ensure that we have full
inclusion with the local authority. I sit
on the local childcare development
group – the Foundation Phase
Development Group – and also work
with the Flintshire Task and Finish Isaac watering the
vegetables grown in the
nursery garden
We also have a
full training
programme,
which supports
the
development of
our staff while
offering work
experience
placements for
local schools
and colleges
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