Unveiling the Qualifications and Expertise of our Nursery Staff

Nursery staff need to tick a lot of boxes. They need to be kind and patient, as well as inspiring and informative.

Published on March 19, 2024

They need to be understanding of different children’s needs and ways of learning and need to be able to communicate with a group of children at once while respecting their individual natures and personalities. They also need to be fun, but with an eye to health and safety – and they need a balance of experience and qualifications, alongside a range of soft skills and emotions.

Sounds like a lot, right? Well it is – and here at My Ohana, we are exceptionally proud to say that we work with the very best of the best. But what does it take to become a My Ohana nursery practitioner, and what skills and experiences do we value when it comes to recruitment and expanding our team?

In this blog, we’re outlining the skills, qualities, and experiences that we look for when seeking out the very best nursery staff members.

What skills are required to be a nursery practitioner?

A nursery practitioner isn’t just responsible for childcare during nursery hours. They also play a huge part in the early years education of young people, introducing them to both life skills and formal educational and classroom techniques that will help them to settle into their school years.

In order to understand the experience and expertise of our nursery team, and staff members across any nursery in the UK, you need to recognise the difference between and value of both hard and soft skills.

Hard skills are the qualifications that enable an individual to carry out the role they have taken on. In nursery, this includes childcare training, courses that enable them to deliver education to young people, health and safety training, and more.

Soft skills are those areas that facilitate the life skills, emotional experiences, and development of young people as self-aware and patient. This covers everything required to help children communicate, negotiate, manage themselves in different situations, and problem solve.

Both hard and soft skills can be developed and showcased creatively – with My Ohana valuing a blend of both when seeking the best members to join the team.

What qualities do you need to work with children?

If working with children is something you’re keen to learn more about, or you are a parent looking to find out more about the qualities we value in our team members, then this section is for you.

With nursery practitioners and staff members needing to manage everything from fall outs to slips and trips, educational developments, and emotional breakthroughs, it’s safe to say that every day brings its own challenges and unique needs.

Here are some of the qualities we value across our childcare facilities:

·        Patience, especially when facing challenges

·        Communication and an ability to communicate with children, parents, and team members

·        Organisation and a desire to follow a system of working to ensure optimum safety

·        Problem-solving, especially focussed on delivering creative solutions

·        A positive attitude that can be passed onto the children and their parents

How does My Ohana train nursery staff to be the very best?

One of the most exciting things about the My Ohana nurseries is that we put a real emphasis on enabling children to explore and lean into self-expression. We are as committed to giving them support in developing their own personalities as we are to supporting their education and ability to adapt to a school setting. And this is only enhanced by the emphasis we put on each My Ohana team member’s own unique traits and achievements.

Everyone who works for a My Ohana nursery has their own skills and ways of working – and we adapt the nursery to compliment the people both behind the scenes and dealing with the children directly. Every day is different as a result of the child-led ethos and programme that we operate, while every nursery is different still thanks to the diverse range of nursery practitioners we have working with us.

The best way to show children that they can be and do anything they want, is by surrounding them with people who can inspire them and educate through their own experiences. After all, you can have the best and cleanest setting in the world – but it’s the people who bring it to life.

We believe our nursery team are the best of the best – and we hope you agree! To chat directly to members of the team, to learn more about availability and to discover how the sign up and onboarding process works at My Ohana, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

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We’ve been shortlisted for ‘Nursery Group Under 10 Settings’ in the National Day Nursery Awards 2022

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