All Hail the Nursery Manager

Walk a mile in my shoes…an interesting idiom for not being judgemental, a song by Elvis Presley, or an overused quote? Whatever your thoughts on the saying the insight reached by experiencing somebody else’s day to day can be revelatory, thought provoking and even awe inspiring. 

Recently I’ve been covering the nursery manager role at one of our relatively new nurseries at FCSS. Of course I’ve been a nursery manager before so I should know exactly what’s involved, but as my career has progressed my role has changed and I’ve become a step removed from the actual activity involved in running a busy nursery. I’ve overseen the writing of job specifications, carried out interviews and set objectives for the manager’s role but it’s a long time since I’ve actually done it, until now.

My experience over recent weeks has generated much reflection, admiration and questioning of a system that undervalues the role played by nursery managers across our sector.

So this post is a homage to nursery managers everywhere, you are all amazing, awe inspiring individuals, and you deserve more recognition and reward.

Here are just some of the tasks and responsibilities I’ve taken on over recent weeks. Let’s start with the children and families, so many people to get to know, children’s personal plans to be prepared with our team, updated as needed, and audited to ensure everyone has the right information to support each child’s individual needs.

Links with other centres, multi agency meetings, seeking funding to support specific individual needs, tracking child protection and the impact of significant events in a child’s life and so much more that takes place behind the scenes in nurseries up and down the country every single day.

Planning for learning, recognising next steps and supporting the team in interaction and engagement.

There’s getting to know each family’s situation, extended family support, kinship carers, siblings, separated families and parental rights to understand and apply fairly. Supporting team members when difficult situations arise and challenging conversations are needed. Supporting parents when they feel anxious about their child, they’ve had a tough day at work or something has happened in their life that has upset them.

There’s all the vast regulatory processes and systems that must be followed, ratios, health and safety, environmental health, medication rules, HR, safer recruitment and so much more. Two simple cases of sickness and diarrhoea last week meant a notification of infectious illness had to be completed and submitted to the regulator. This week a fire drill is due and the accident/incident reports need to be reviewed to monitor for any emerging patterns or areas of risk.

Throw in some self evaluation, observations of practice, team supervision and support and doing everything possible to grow the team. Working with young children, in a sector that is in the midst of a workforce capacity crisis, can be stressful. I’ve had to navigate through spats between colleagues, tears, a few wee strops, a need for more support and challenge, lack of experience, no time to mentor, train and support and not enough opportunities to pause and praise, recognising the positive moments in a busy day. 

And then there are the practicalities. As well as managing the service I’ve had to don multiple caps to keep on top of the day to day running of the service. I’ve cooked the lunches when our lunch assistant was off, cleaned, unblocked toilets, carried out DIY tasks, covered team lunches, strimmed the garden, put up displays, ordered resources, put together flat pack furniture, ordered hygiene consumables…you have no idea how much toilet paper and tissues we go through!!!

I’ve written parent communications, met with other local organisations we hope to work with, completed payroll reporting, filled out the invoicing spreadsheet, and done some marketing and PR.

I’ve picked up donated resources, helped organise room set ups, storage and much more.

I’ve played with the children, sung songs, read stories, wiped runny noses, soothed tears, played in water and sand, got covered in paint…and other unidentified gunk, and had loads of fun.

I’ve reached the end of each week exhausted, happy, concerned, thoughtful and with a whole heap of things still to do as not one single day have I reached the end of my to do list.

For me this is a temporary situation, as one of the most important things I have done is recruit a new management team, but for nursery managers everywhere this is their every day, every week, month and year.

So nursery managers I salute you, I am in awe of what you achieve and will fight for your role to be given the recognition it deserves.

All hail the nursery manager!