When it comes to returning to work after having children, I’m sure you have your questions about how it’s going to work, and that’s perfectly normal. We have parents calling us all the time, trying to juggle the work and childcare balance. So here at Kiddykare we decided to write this blog post to answer some of those questions, but to also let you know that you’re not alone.

When is the best time to return to work?

I think this question has a different answer for everyone. There will never be a time when it will be an easy transition with no hiccups, however, on this one, trust your instinct. Maybe you had a planned amount of time you were going to take off, but that doesn’t work for you anymore; or maybe you want to go back to work sooner than you thought, that’s ok too.

Here at KiddyKare we believe that if you’ve made the right decision for you, there is nothing to worry about.

So, now you’ve decided to return to work; what about childcare?

This is one of the key decisions you must make when returning to work. Should I use a Nursery, a childminder, a family member or a nanny? There are so many options that it can get a little overwhelming. After talking with lots of parents, the top three things you need to do appear to us to be;

1. Explore every option

Weigh up the pro’s and con’s of each option, and then pick the option you feel most happy and comfortable with.

2. Start to think about this sooner rather than later

Whatever you do, don’t leave it until the last minute. As most childcare options get booked up fast, we wouldn’t want you to miss out of your favourite one. This could also help to make it a far less stressful experience.

3. Be sure to have a back-up plan

Have a plan B just in case your chosen option one doesn’t work out for you. We really wouldn’t want you to be left with any option at all.

Next, let’s sort out your work life.

We want to keep the transition as smooth as possible, but also as exciting as possible. We know you’ll miss spending everyday with your child/children but just think how much fun they’ll be having, experiencing new things with their new friends every day.

To make this transition as smooth as possible, we suggest having trial days with your childcare option of choice before you start back to work. This makes it less stressful for you, as by the time you start work, you are happy that your child is settled and happy.

You will also need to think about the hours you’re able to work. You may even be you’re able to work shorter days, or work from home occasionally. Luckily for everyone, the UK is becoming more positive about providing flexible working patterns for people who sometimes need the flexibility in their working week. Also, don’t forget to check out funding options and childcare vouchers that you may be eligible for to help with monthly costs.

Once you’ve sorted out your work pattern and settled with your new childcare option, it’s time to start work. This is probably the scariest part, what if you’ve forgotten everything you ever knew? What if you don’t know anyone anymore? Don’t worry. All these things come with time. Give it a couple of weeks and you’ll be back into the swing of things. Alongside a couple of other new colleagues who were probably feeling the same as you.

Lastly, let’s make sure to keep a good work/life balance.

Remember the first couple of months may be hard while you try to create a schedule and there will be a bit of trial and error. However, once you’ve got into the rhythm of it, you’ll be back into the swing of family time on the weekends. Just remember that doesn’t always have to mean busy days out. Your children will appreciate time with you, whether that’s a day trip to the seaside or a walk around the local park.

Also, please remember that if you ever need any help finding your perfect role, just give us a call on 01628675828. We are always here to help with friendly advice or just a quick chat.

How to make a good impression as a Temporary Nursery Nurse or Assistant

February 25, 2020

A temporary role doesn’t have to remain temporary for ever. Starting as a temporary nursery assistant will allow you prove yourself to the nurseries and may well turn into a permanent role within your favourite setting.

That is why at KiddyKare, we encourage all of our temporary staff to use their daily nursery experience to learn as much as they can whilst working, because the best place to gain real experience and expertise is in a real-world environment.

We pride ourselves on the temporary team we have here at KiddyKare. They may work flexible days and hours but that does not stop them from being the flexible, reliable, helpful and strong members of staff that every nursery team needs.

Ultimately, whether you would like a permanent role or not, it’s still always nice to be remembered as a happy and helpful team member, and the positive impact you made. You never know, you may need that recommendation or reference soon.

So, here are Kiddykare’s top tips for becoming a great Nursery worker:

1. Prepare

The day before you start, make sure you know where the nursery is, how long it will take you to get there. and the route you’ll take. Even looking at things like parking spaces or the closest train station can help you out massively during the morning rush and its one less thing to worry about.

2. Be on-time

Try your hardest to be on time: we all know that sometimes the unlucky traffic jam can make it very hard however time keeping makes a very good impression- Especially in a very busy nursery setting.

3. Keep a positive attitude

We all have bad days, and once people know you, they’ll be able to differentiate between those days. However, when you’re making a first impression with a new nursery team or trying to support a busy nursery team, it’s best to remain positive and helpful in all situations no matter how stressful they may be. The best thing they could receive is a friendly, smiley and positive temporary nursery assistant.

4. Always ask Questions and use your initiative

For us this is top priority, doing things before someone has to ask, is a godsend. Some days you just don’t have five minutes to ask someone to do something, so if you’re able to use initiative before being asked that’s great.

5. Two ears – one mouth: Listen, and take on any feedback you receive in a positive manner. Don’t be offended if someone asks you to do something differently next time; it just means that next time you’ll get it right. Improve on the first time and that will make you look great. So, take on board any feedback and put it straight into practice.

6. Above all, enjoy yourself. Doing something a job you enjoy is very rewarding, so in addition to all our other tips, make sure you enjoy yourself and make your working day a positive experience.

Beat the January blues

January 23, 2020

Yet again another year has flown by. So we thought it would be nice to look at how we can make the most out of a new one.

2020 is here and 2019 feels like it was light-years ago. I don’t know about you, but I always feel like that and once we get into a new year by the time you know it, it’s over. Just like that, in a flash it’s a new year, with new challenges and opportunities.

We all know January is not anyone’s favourite month. Normally for me it’s the month I begin by being very proactive and end with ‘I’ll try that again in February’. I don’t know if you feel the same but after the low of Christmas passing by, the long wait until your next payday and the new year diet, it just becomes the slowest month of the year.

However, this year in the Kiddykare office we are going to try and start the year as we mean to go on. Using our fresh start to take up new challenges, learn new things and try something we wouldn’t have done in 2019.

We would also like to help you, whether you’re new to childcare or someone with many years of experience. We would love to help you find your next challenge in life, to start your new year with a bang.

Kiddykare’s top new year tips

Start with small goals – Keep realistic and make goals you can achieve in certain timescale.
Make yourself a plan – Decide and outline your tasks and how you will overcome any challenge that may arise.
Make the leap – Take a chance, be confident in yourself, keep trying and don’t give up.

Lastly, we would like to give you our new year cv tips, to help you stand out from the crowd and secure your new year challenge.

Kiddykare’s CV tips

Spelling – Always use spell check before submitting anything, even the best, make mistakes sometimes.
Keep it simple e.g. no textboxes – Make sure your cv is clear, simple and professional.
Contact details are a must – This is so important to include so that people can contact you immediately, rather than having to hunt for your details or for you to miss out on the opportunity because you can’t be contacted.
Dates of employment ordered chronologically – This is very important; it helps set out your career history and makes sure your employment history is fully covered.
Small snappy personal statement – Make sure you sell yourself and include something about you personally to make you more memorable to recruiters or employers.

We hope to hear from you about your new year challenge,

The Kiddykare Team

A day in the life of a nursery worker

March 22, 2018

children in nursery copying actions of nursery nurse

I turn up to my shift at 7:30 knowing what time to start as my manager has put up the staff shifts for the week on the previous Friday and let us all know.

I go up to the Baby Room where I am in charge and I greet all my staff members with smiles asking them how they are, I go on to let them know their morning duties working with them we begin to set the room up, choosing different toys to stimulate the children including mathematical, physical and creative as well as imaginative.

The parents start bringing the babies in and we greet them asking how their children are, some babies come over with big smiles whilst others are slightly sensitive and need more comfort, luckily we have a key carer system and all babies have settling in sessions before starting full time so already have made a relationship with their carer.

I already have all the children’s information recorded so I am aware of their likes and dislikes which makes it easier to comfort them and I make sure for every child who comes in upset I get out something they enjoy doing and have comforters at the ready!!

As the day goes on we each do group activities with the children, teaching them through play and recording what they do on observation sheets, this is a simple paragraph on what the child did whilst exploring the toys and a photo taken on the nursery camera and I am responsible for my key children’s observations.

Each baby has a separate routine and I ensure I know my key child when they start knowing what time they go to sleep and how they have their food/bottle this makes it easier for me and when its bedtime I go off with them in to our sleep room, get their stuff out of their baskets and rock or pat them to sleep.

At 12:30 the children have their lunch and I start to send the staff on theirs, they go in to the staff room and all have a good chit chat about their day and weekend, all the staff get along and we are lucky enough to meet up outside of work so have lots to talk about!!

The afternoon is filled with lots of play and messy activities and a trip to the garden, time flies by as we are all having fun and before we know It it’s time for tea!!

The parents start to arrive from 5pm and I feed back to my key children’s parents telling them how their child has been and what they have been up to during the day.

6pm comes and it’s time to tidy up and go home and relax until tomorrow!!

Your guide to EYFS Qualifications

July 13, 2015

The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets out the requirements for staff to child ratios in settings delivering the EYFS and the qualification levels that practitioners must hold.

The National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) defines the full and relevant qualifications that practitioners must hold to be included in the specified ratios at levels 2 and 3 of the EYFS.

The Early Years Qualifications List provides guidance and a search tool to help those delivering the EYFS to identify qualifications that are considered to be full and relevant at levels 2 and 3.

Qualifications started before September 2014

Practitioners who completed or registered for a qualification before 1 September 2014 must hold a qualification that meets the full and relevant criteria to be counted in the specified ratios at levels 2 and 3.

Qualifications started after September 2014

Practitioners who registered for a qualification from 1 September 2014 must hold a qualification that meets the early years educator criteria to be considered full and relevant and to be counted in the level 3 ratios.

To count in the ratios at level 3, staff holding an early years educator qualification must also have achieved GCSEs in English and maths at grade C or above.

A qualification that has ‘early years educator’ in its title or offers an ‘early years educator’ pathway is considered full and relevant.

Hints and tips on preparing for your nursery interview

July 8, 2015

The KiddyKare guide on how to prepare for a successful Nursery interview!

Preparation

1. Decide what to wear.

You should be smart and tidy, no jeans or trainers, we would suggest some dark trousers and a smart top! If you are staying after the interview for a play session ensure you are wearing something comfortable and no high heels!

2. Take a look at the Nursery website for information about the nursery.

It is always looks good if you have researched about the Nursery, take a look at their photos and if you are interested in a senior or management vacancy it is a good idea to take a look at their most recent Ofsted report. If the Nursery is part of a chain, look at where their other Nurseries are – you could mention this in your interview.

3. Take all of your relevant documents with you.

We suggest that you put them into a file with your Current CV as this will look professional. You may also want to take any written references that you have gained or testimonials you may have received from children or parents.

4. Find out exactly where the nursery is.

Know how long it will take to get there, and where you will be able to park. If there is no parking at the Nursery, find out where the nearest car park is and make sure you allow enough to time to park and then get to the Nursery. Print off a map to take with you in case you get lost! www.travelinesoutheast.org.uk or www.maps.google.co.uk Allow plenty of time to get there – if you are running late it may get you flustered and you won’t have a positive interview. Try to arrive on time – not too early as they may not be ready for you in a busy Nursery!

5. Have a look through the possible questions you may be asked.

And think about some answers. Take a look at section A in preparation.

6. Make sure you know exactly what position you are applying for and which room they are recruiting for.

If you are unsure check with KiddyKare beforehand. If you know what age children they are looking to place you with, you can think of some activities appropriate for that age range beforehand.

7. Prepare a list of questions you may ask at the end.

Write these questions down so you don’t forget them, this shows you are interested in the position (see section B).

8. Make sure you refresh your knowledge on the EYFS

Take a look at the Early Years Foundation Stage website to update yourself www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/eyfs

Can you name the 6 areas of learning?

The interview

1. Always arrive on time to the interview

If you are running late just call them and apologise: remember to take the Nursery’s phone number with you and a note of who you will be seeing, so that you can ask for them when you arrive.

2. Try to stay relaxed

I know it’s easier said than done, but keep smiling and try to stay calm!!

3. Be polite and professional

Greet the person interviewing you with a handshake and smile, this will look professional.

Do not smoke before the interview they will smell it on you and it doesn’t look professional.

4. Give detailed answers to questions

When you are asked questions, try to give them a detailed answer not just yes or no – they want to find out more about you and your ideas and the way you would work within their team.

5. Try to keep eye contact

This shows you are confident in what you are saying.

6. Stay for a play session if asked by the Nursery

This is where you will spend some time in the Nursery rooms to give you a chance to see if you would be happy working there. They may also ask the staff for some feedback on what they think of you! Ensure that you interact with both the staff AND the children as you will be assessed on this.

7. Be prepared to ask some questions of your own

They may ask at the end of the interview if you have any further question, this is when you can use your pre-written questions (see section B).

8. Thank them

As they are showing you out, thank them for their time, wish them a good day and again shake hands.

9. Let us know how you got on

Once you have left the interview – call KiddyKare to let us know how you got on!

Section A – Typical Nursery Interview Questions

Below are some questions that you may be asked in a Nursery interview:

They will ask you about your career to date. They may ask which positions you enjoyed the most and why? They may also ask why you left each position?

Q: What do you most enjoy about working with children? What do you enjoy the least?

Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

Q: How would you discipline a 3 year old?

Q: How would you deal with a child who has bumped their head?

Q: If a parent came to collect a child who you didn’t know, what would you do?

Q: What is your understanding of the EYFS? Have you had experience in documenting a child’s development and doing observations?

Q: Can you name the six areas of learning?

Q: Who are OFSTED?

Q: Could you tell me what activities you could prepare for a 2-3 year old?

Q: Could you tell me what are the ratios for 0-1years (1 staff:3 babies), 1-2 years (1 staff:3 children), 2-3 years (1 staff:4children), 3-5 years (1staff:8 children).

Q: Do you have any experience in working with children with special needs?

Q: What training courses have you attended? (Remember first aid, manual handling, music courses, and activity courses). Is there any training that you would like to do in the future?

Q: What are your best attributes or what can you offer the Nursery? This is basically what you are best at in a team.

Q: They may ask if you have any holidays planned – Most employers will honour any previous commitments.

Section B – Questions to ask future employers in your nursery interview

Now some questions that you could ask – Remember to write these down!!

Q: How many children do you currently have in the Nursery/how many are you registered for?

Q: Which room are you recruiting for and how many children can you have in that room?

Q: Does the nursery offer any training?

Q: Are there any chances for promotion in the nursery?

Q: Does the nursery have parent meetings; would I be involved in them?

Q: When is a decision on my application likely to be made?

Call us anytime with any queries or questions you may before or after an interview and remember – keep smiling!!!!

A day in the life of a KiddyKare temporary worker

July 3, 2015

Monday 13th July at 11.30am – I receive a friendly text message from KiddyKare asking for my availability for next week. I text back letting them know that I can work on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. I can’t work on the Thursday as I have a day out shopping planned with my friend to Reading!

Monday 20th July at 7.20am -Wake up by the sound of my phone ringing. I answer it just in time and it’s KiddyKare. How are they so chirpy in the morning? ‘”They need someone ASAP until 5.30’’. I roll out of bed and get ready. KiddyKare have text me through the address of the nursery and I know exactly where I’m going. I put on my KiddyKare uniform and grab a timesheet, my DBS certificate and my ID badge.

8.15am – I arrive at the nursery and show them my ID badge and DBS. The nursery manager is pleased to see me and asks me to sign in. I am shown around the nursery and shown the fire escapes, toilets, staff room, etc. Then I am taken to the ‘Caterpillars Room’. Lots of 2 year olds come up to me and start handing me books to read and toys to play with. I am introduced to the staff in the room and one of them explains to me that they are just about to tidy up for snack time. After snacks there is painting, singing time, garden time and lots of other things going on. The time is flying by! On my lunch break I even discussed last nights Eastenders with the staff. After lunch it’s garden time a visit from a singing lady, tea…. All of a sudden its 5.30!

5.30pm -The room leader says I’m ok to go and I go and get my timesheet. I fill it in and give it to the deputy manager to sign for me. She takes her copy and thanks me for all my hard work today. The children were great and the staff was friendly and welcoming. I hope I can go back to that nursery again!

It is then my responsibility to ensure KiddyKare receive my timesheet no later than Monday at 12.00 I find it easier to email it to the office before the weekend.

World Book Day