Earlier this month NMT partnered with Blossom Educational for a fun, fast paced and informative webinar. 

The theme of the webinar was how nurseries can thrive and grow post Covid-19. There is no doubt that since March, the sector has been under immense pressure. From deciding to stay open or not, to adapting to Government announcements to keeping staff and children safe, it has been a rollercoaster for those working on the frontlines.

For this discussion NMT was joined by:

• Ash Pajpani, co-founder and business growth director, Blossom Educational.
• Rebecca Reeve, sales manager, Blossom Education.

• Carly Garrett, Franchise Operations Manager, Banana Moon HQ, Warwick.
• Kay Patel, Owner, Happy Tree Nursery, Middlesex.
• Laura Leigh Davies, Owner, Childs Play Nursery Group, Newcastle.
• Sandra Copping, Operations Manager, Colourbox Montessori Group, Cambridge.

We had so much to talk about and covered a wide range of topics. We heard about what the panellists were doing in terms of marketing. All of them had witnessed their occupancy levels rising and the critical point for success in a crisis is to keep in constant contact with parents and staff, whether on furlough or not.

Like many, the panellists have embraced digital solutions to help them better track a child’s development and activities which can be shared with parents. This ultimately eased levels of anxiety among parents when bringing their children back to nursery.

What was really wonderful to hear was that the children, throughout lockdown and after, adapted seamlessly to new changes and new environments. To them it was another adventure with new things to explore.

Of course, all our panellists have had to adapt their operations to fit with new Covid-19 safety regulations. Extra deep cleaning and more one-to-one observations continue to maintain a high standard of childcare and safety.

This discussion not only revealed the operators’ successes but openly discussed their challenges which is massively important. Our audience enjoyed the transparency and the informative guidance that each panellist had to give.

Laura Leigh Davies said: ‘Being recognised for our success and resilience was lovely. I thoroughly enjoyed being a panellist member and hope that my participation helped provide support and ideas for other settings who are just starting to reopen in the coming days and weeks.’

Sandra Copping stated: ‘At a time when we can’t meet face to face, networking via webinars is a fantastic alternative.  The NMT and Blossom webinar helped us to remember that we are one huge Early Years Team – all in this together.’

Rebecca Reeve added: ‘It’s fantastic to be part of a sector that is so resilient & determined to recover & thrive. I feel the webinar really highlighted this & our strengths within the industry.’