In 1996, as a part time dental nurse I was struggling to manage my own childcare. I enjoyed my job but I was looking for something which would fit in with being a busy working Mum of 2; one at school and one at home. When the opportunity to train in Childcare and purchase a small, part-time pre-school in Parkstone came about I was very excited. My own Mum was a qualified NNEB and I had always loved going to work with her and being around children. First Steps Play Nursery was where I started and my passion for children’s education and care began.
Over the next few years I trained, expanded and also worked for others while running my own small setting; learning new ways of teaching and also how to improve what we were offering to parents, whatever their childcare needs.
In 2001 I opened Buddies after school and holiday club at Branksome Heath Middle school, and in 2006 I opened Sunbeams in Heatherlands First school.
The following year I decided it would work better if all these settings came together and Sunbeams Day Care ltd was born. First Steps, Sunbeams and Buddies all relocated to Heatherlands and the result was the hybrid of Pre-school, nursery and out of school care that it is today.
Over the past 11 years I have striven to ensure we provided education and care of the highest quality whilst trying to stay viable in an ever-changing sector. I have managed to employ an amazing team of staff that all share the same passion as I do, and we have taken Sunbeams to a new level with the implementation of our Forest nursery, Muddy Munchkins.
Hopefully that passion shines through when you visit our setting, whether it is caring and educating your youngest children to become inquisitive and free thinking learners, or entertaining, educating and occupying your oldest children throughout the holidays and after school.
So more than 20 years since I started out, I STILL love my job, am even more passionate about what we do and making sure we do it well; and I am lucky enough to have an unbelievably dedicated team behind me at Sunbeams. Rest assured we have lots more to bring to the table, and are looking forward to continuing this success over the next 11 years and beyond!