Teach-Early-Years-14.1

MEET THE SLT I know that many, if not most, nurseries pride themselves on a “family feel”, but for me and my staff, not to mention the children we look after, Munchkins really is like a second family. Perhaps a lot of that comes from the fact that KATIE GALLAGHER IS MANAGER AT MUNCHKINS DUNTON PARK “Munchkins is like a second family” 14 Teachearlyyears.com From a focus on pedagogy and the needs of parents to exceptional CPD, manager Katie Gallagher explains what makes her Outstanding nursery and its sister settings tick… Munchkins as a business was actually set up by two sisters – Jo Callaghan and Liz Makin. With seven children between them, not to mention decades of experience as an early years practitioner and a primary school Reception teacher respectively, they were able to feed their deep understanding of both parental priorities and pedagogical strategies into the design and development of each of the six Munchkins settings they own today, whether nestled by the woods in Wivenhoe, near the seashore at Brightlingsea, or at the heart of the Dunton Fields estate in Laindon, where the nursery it’s my privilege to manage is located. I love the fact that our setting was built from scratch with the explicit purpose of supporting early childhood education, so everything is laid out exactly as you’d want it to be. As you sign in from the door, you walk into our reception area, with the office directly opposite. Every entry and exit of the nursery is secure, of course, and there is CCTV throughout the inside and outside of the setting. Once you are all signed in, there are two more doors that are locked with a keypad, leading into a wide hallway, with every room clearly labelled: “The Nest”, “The Burrows” and “The Den”. Like all the Munchkins Nurseries, we follow a forest school learning approach – and because every room has direct access to the outdoor areas, we are able to have full free flow at all times. BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS Each Munchkins setting has a different personality, depending on its management team as well as the demographic it serves. At Dunton Park, we are based in a very residential area, so being a part of the community is very important to us. We understand the challenges of working with a young family, and we are here to support parents and carers as much as their children through those important transitions of starting nursery, moving rooms and preparing for school. From that very first inquiry to the moment we open our doors for the showaround visit, we are building a relationship. We pride ourselves on transparent communication; we have a genuine interest in our Munchkins’ lives, and we want to get to know every family as a unit. We have a parent portal on our website, which is an exclusive area where they have access to over 50 business discounts and offers, plus lots of free guides, tips and tricks and information – and on top of this, we work to make sure our families feel comfortable calling up whenever they have a question or if they just want to check in. Jo Callaghan & Liz Makin – Munchkins owners Linsie Dare – Director Libby Houston – Operations manager Sarah Richmond – Area manager