Alison, nanny - FY7 Fleetwood

I am first and foremost a wife and mother to four very enterprising young adults who my husband are I are extremely proud of. I firmly believe that every child deserves the best possible start in life and as such for 20 years my family have supported me in my role as a professional register accredited childminder, a job I absolutely loved the privilege of doing. Dedication to my work, enjoying the responsibility and challenge of working with children in my care to achieve and fulfill their potential was recognised by Ofsted at our last inspection when they awarded my practice an ‘Outstanding’ grade.

Both professionally and personally I uphold strong morals and values, especially the principle that whatever life puts before me will be a useful experience to make me stronger, wiser and more tolerant. These ideals are underpinned by integrity, doing what is ethically right and good, being compassionate, loving and caring.

I am an independent, self-motivated creative practitioner who also works well as part of a team. I feel I possess good communication skills, empathy and honesty, vital tools when working in partnership with parents.

Experience

Childminder June 1993 – May 2013
At all times the well-being and support of children in my care has been paramount. Consequently following discussions with parents to determine their child’s unique needs and interests, I have planned, implemented, evaluated and created next step learning experiences through play that follow a monthly theme and the EYFS framework. At the end of each month parents are invited to deliberate their child’s progress that I have been monitoring, provide any feedback and detail any activities or experiences they have planned for their child that we can build on together.

I always encourage the children in my care to celebrate and value diversity and to be proud of themselves and their family traditions. I empower children to become confident and secure, to learn that through their experiences and perceptions they will build their own strengths and unique talents, and to utilise strategies to overcome any weaknesses and concerns.

During my years working as a childminder I have ensured that my knowledge and skills have been continually updated through mandatory trainings, specialist trainings to workshops. To consolidate all my learning I completed a Foundation Degree in Professional Practice in Early Years in June 2012 and Level 4 Play Worker June 2014. These qualifications have enhanced my underpinning knowledge that supports children’s learning and development.

Nursery Assistant
Most recently I secured a position as a nursery assistant at Sparklers Nursery which is contained within St Williams School Pilling but run independently. The nursery cares for children aged 2 years 6 months until going to school. We are lucky to have a well resourced classroom and outside environment that has a ‘forest’, dens hidden in trees, mud play areas as well as a hard standing area. Children’s imaginative and creative play flows really well here. I aim to provide a high standard of care for all the children in the nursery, ensuring that their emotional well-being is held paramount, that their physical, social and intellectual learning and development is enhanced within the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. I help the children to access all resources, to develop their imagination, their creativity and moral concepts of playing together in a fun friendly sharing way, having regard to each others opinions, needs and capabilities. I support the nursery manager in the observation, assessment and planning for each child, following their individual unique interests and needs, planning a range of activities and experiences together to further enhance children’s learning and execute their next steps. The daily routines of the nursery, helping the children with their self-care, lunch time and play time are implemented. I liaise with parents welcoming them into the setting, helping them settle their child, discussing any issues and concerns regarding their child in a confidential manner, informing them of their child’s day. All health and safety routines; drop off / collection of child safety measures, risk assessments are followed, cleaning and tidying nursery equipment and resources, accidents and incidents are dealt with and recorded.