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Passionate about childcare
Recognising that nursery care needs to meet the ongoing needs and address the concerns of families - not just children - is an important part of the Zebedee's nursery philosophy. With three nurseries in the Bristol and Bath area consistently running at 90% occupancy or above, the Zebedee's team have obviously hit on a winning formula
Published on Nov 2007, Nursery Management Today

When Zebedee's owners Sylvie Dorman and Jane Carter first worked together in a nursery in the late 1990's, little did they realise that less than a decade later they would be the proud owners of not one but three successful nurseries of their own.

Today their Zebedee's nurseries in Bristol, Bath and Peasedown St John are thriving, busy and all running at full speed.

Despite intense competition in the form of alternative private, public and pre-school childcare options in all three nursery areas, Zebedee's still manage to keep their occupancy levels high - which is of course the key challenge facing any nursery owner. Sylvie gives an insight into their winning approach.

"Investing time in building relationships with children and their families is a key part of how we do things." she comments.

Zebedee's strategy is to place parental interaction very high on the agenda. They hold regular meetings with parents on a bi-monthly basis over a glass of wine.

They have also found a very tangible way of demonstrating their commitment to offering the best in childcare services. Zebedee's were the first in their area to embrace new technology and install parental webcams. These present a modern and easily accessible way for parents to stay in touch with how their child is doing at nursery - by letting them see for themselves via a secure internet link directly into the nursery.

"Installing NurseryCam webcams was another way for us to actively include parents in what we do - and it proved so popular in our Bath nursery that we now have it at all three locations. It gives parents real peace of mind to see for themselves that their little ones are fine with us."

And this open and inclusive approach to doing business doesn't just apply to parents. Keeping staff feeling positive, motivated and loyal to the business is another area that Zebedee's addresses particularly
well.

"We give all our staff the chance to put forward their thoughts and ideas - including our cook and junior nursery nurses. Everyone plays an important part therefore we give everyone an equal chance to give their feedback." explains Sylvie.

Retaining staff is not just about listening to their point of view of course. As a result of their ability to attract new parents, and keep their existing ones happy, Zebedee's has built a solid and sustainable business with high occupancy levels. This gives them the freedom to reward their staff, through good wage rates and continual training - ensuring staff retention is not a problem.

And the children? They enjoy the continuity of familiar, friendly faces every day - and the chance to appear on camera whenever they wish!

If you would like further information about parental webcams, CCTV or security for your nursery, please contact NurseryCam Ltd on 01344 751 688 or email info@nurserycam.co.uk.

Please click here to download the original article (PDF 0.6MB).

NurseryCam Ltd. Email: info@nurserycam.co.uk

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