Southern Enterprise Awards 2021

Southern Enterprise Awards 2021 | 11 Nursery), which will take Tarka Tots nurseries daily capacity to 155 places this Autumn. In addition, new services have been developed to support more families in the community with post-pandemic support. “Some of the new services include baby sensory classes, toddler groups, afterschool and holiday clubs and tums with mums, all vital social opportunities that our youngest members of society have been denied,” Share states. It is an inspiring time for Tarka Tots as it continues to build on its existing services and expand and develop its organisation within the Southwest. Tarka Tots was recently recognised as the Best Early Years Childcare & Education Business 2021 in the Southern Enterprise Awards. We can only imagine what the nursery will accomplish shortly. Contact Name: Sharon Merritt Web Address: www.tarkatots.co.uk Contact Email: [email protected] and the food fairies have kept the meals flowing; we are very blessed to have such an amazing team,” states Sharon. The impact of staff shortages has been complex in this sector as it takes two years to train a level three practitioner trained to supervise children. In addition, with many nursery providers seeing staff layoffs at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, many of the apprentices in training were left to look for alternative work. Doing so has left a large void for a service that will need support post-Covid-19 recovery if people are to return to work. “The childcare sector will be limited by its ability to access well trained and qualified staff, and with the smaller childcare providers so reliant on Early Years Grant funding, they may find that they are faced with sustainability issues,” states Sharon. Additionally, the Southwest has also seen significant growth in families moving within the area to desire a better work-life balance. So, it has certainly been a busy time in some areas for the sector. Tarka Tots has a very collegial approach that requires recruits to contribute, not just participate. “We look for thinkers, not just observers and candidates must demonstrate mutual respect. How we compose ourselves is mirrored in what we model to children, so it is vitally important that our trainee’s value what children have to say,” Sharon explains. “We must allow ourselves to make mistakes and let children see that it’s acceptable because we must teach them resilience and how to try again if at first, we don’t succeed. Our staff too must be resilient as every day has different challenges, so we need them to be independent thinkers and yet still be able to work as part of a team,” states Sharon. Its practitioners join Tarka Tots as professionals, and they have earned the right to be recognised as highly skilled keyworkers once qualified. Recently, Tarka Tots has acquired a third nursery, Holly Oaks Dance School (previously Holly Oaks