Congratulations Bliss on your
15-year Hopscotch Anniversary!
What attracted you to work in the childcare sector?
Like many young people, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do but had always been naturally good with children and babies. I started working at another nursery in their pre-school team, where I completed my BTEC and NVQ level 3 qualifications. A friend of mine then told me about this great nursery called ‘Hopscotch Day Nurseries’ that was looking for staff, and after meeting Freya and hearing their ethos of childcare and enrichment activities, I moved over to work at the Hopscotch nursery in Gosport, where I quickly progressed to Room Leader within five months. You spent over 6 years as a Nursery Manager at Hopscotch in Botley. What were the best bits about that role? Initially, I had helped with getting the Botley nursery ready for opening after taking over the site from another nursery that was shutting down. They shut their doors on a Friday, and we opened the following Monday! After around a year of opening the site, I returned from my maternity leave into a hybrid role supporting new settings in their environments and routines. Freya then asked me if I would come across to Botley full-time as Nursery Manager. We started with 12 staff and 22 children, and within the 6 years, we had grown to 50 members of staff and 220 families. In 2014 we received an 'Outstanding' Ofsted rating, a huge accolade for the team's hard work. While leading Botley, I understood how important it was to invest time and energy into your team members to get the best out of them. Our team is our most valuable asset, and they’re the ones that can directly influence the children’s development. I found this area was a real passion for me to enable us as a team to deliver the best standard of childcare to our children and families. This could be lending an ear to listen to someone's worries on a challenging day, through to organizing training sessions for professional development. What came next? I spent 6 years at Botley and became a supporting role at our Gosport nursery before having my second child. After my 9-month maternity leave, I found that I had lost a lot of confidence and didn't believe I could return to a management position, and I felt a bit lost about what to do. I met with Freya to discuss a new opportunity at Hopscotch, and we agreed that I would work in the recruitment department, as I knew the industry and the type of staff we needed very well. Working through the pandemic was a challenge; many of us wore multiple hats to navigate the unprecedented changes that came wave after wave. My role adapted to supporting the managers and team, which led me to move into a more senior role as Operations Lead for the Group. This allowed me to oversee all nursery operations and support the teams at each site. The role has been a great challenge as we continue growing and expanding our nurseries. I am in awe of the people that I work with. The managers do an excellent job for their nurseries, and it’s rewarding to be in a trusted position to support them in their roles. My phone can start ringing at 7 am and not finish until 6:30 pm. I know the challenges that can arise from the day-to-day running of our nurseries, and I am honoured to be the person they can turn to for help, should they need it. |
“I remember Bliss asking me in 2010 where I saw her progressing within the company. I said one day, you will manage a nursery; I just don't have it yet! Now look at her; Operations Lead for 8 Nurseries! Go, Bliss!” Freya Derrick, Managing Director Hopscotch Day Nurseries "We started with 12 staff and 22 children, and within the 6 years, we had grown to 50 members of staff and 220 families..." "Our team is our most valuable asset, and they’re the ones that can directly influence the children’s development..." "The family approach has always been a critical pillar that makes Hopscotch stand out..." |
How have you seen the sector change in the last 15 years?
The sector has changed a lot over the years. The council used to provide a lot of free training and support on childcare practices. Now, you're expected to operate independently in line with the Ofsted statutory guidance. This has allowed us to focus on continuously evolving new training styles and enabling the best range of training opportunities for our staff to access.
The standard of childcare has also improved, and there is more emphasis put on child enrichment and safeguarding, which is fantastic. The enrichment activities we do with our children all have a purpose in helping them to develop and grow into confident learners in preparation for their onward journey to ‘big school.’ When you have a toddler join Hopscotch and see them blossom into a confident pre-schooler, we know we've done an excellent job!
How did you see the pandemic affect the children Hopscotch cared for?
The older pre-schoolers coming back after lockdown adapted well to being back and seem to thrive very quickly. But, we did see some children, mainly babies and toddlers, who were a bit behind in their development with speech and understanding facial expressions. We have focused on ensuring that the new curriculum engages these areas and that the children have access to all they need to make significant progress within our age groups.
In your opinion, what makes Hopscotch stand out from other childcare providers?
The family approach has always been a critical pillar that makes Hopscotch stand out. Freya started Hopscotch because she wasn't happy with the level of childcare offered and 21 years later has 8 nurseries across Hampshire. Our team is always coming up with new ideas and ways to enrich our nurseries for the children, so we never stand still for long. I think this is what makes us stand out. We have a passionate team, who genuinely love what they do, and this comes across in the care our children receive. Our success metric is 'are our children happy and thriving,' which, if we can answer ‘yes,’ means we have done an excellent job.
Lastly, what's next for your career at Hopscotch?
Freya's belief in me and the passion for creating enriching environments for our children to thrive in is what has kept me at Hopscotch all these years. I have always set out to make a difference to all who join us, providing them with the best support and encouragement, which mirrors what I have always received from my line managers at Hopscotch.
I have also realised how passionate I am about helping others develop and grow. I've never been comfortable with the title of ‘Manager’; I much prefer the term ‘Leader.’ We’re all on the Hopscotch journey together. Our staff are so important to us, so I want to focus on continuing to support them in my role as Operations Lead.
The sector has changed a lot over the years. The council used to provide a lot of free training and support on childcare practices. Now, you're expected to operate independently in line with the Ofsted statutory guidance. This has allowed us to focus on continuously evolving new training styles and enabling the best range of training opportunities for our staff to access.
The standard of childcare has also improved, and there is more emphasis put on child enrichment and safeguarding, which is fantastic. The enrichment activities we do with our children all have a purpose in helping them to develop and grow into confident learners in preparation for their onward journey to ‘big school.’ When you have a toddler join Hopscotch and see them blossom into a confident pre-schooler, we know we've done an excellent job!
How did you see the pandemic affect the children Hopscotch cared for?
The older pre-schoolers coming back after lockdown adapted well to being back and seem to thrive very quickly. But, we did see some children, mainly babies and toddlers, who were a bit behind in their development with speech and understanding facial expressions. We have focused on ensuring that the new curriculum engages these areas and that the children have access to all they need to make significant progress within our age groups.
In your opinion, what makes Hopscotch stand out from other childcare providers?
The family approach has always been a critical pillar that makes Hopscotch stand out. Freya started Hopscotch because she wasn't happy with the level of childcare offered and 21 years later has 8 nurseries across Hampshire. Our team is always coming up with new ideas and ways to enrich our nurseries for the children, so we never stand still for long. I think this is what makes us stand out. We have a passionate team, who genuinely love what they do, and this comes across in the care our children receive. Our success metric is 'are our children happy and thriving,' which, if we can answer ‘yes,’ means we have done an excellent job.
Lastly, what's next for your career at Hopscotch?
Freya's belief in me and the passion for creating enriching environments for our children to thrive in is what has kept me at Hopscotch all these years. I have always set out to make a difference to all who join us, providing them with the best support and encouragement, which mirrors what I have always received from my line managers at Hopscotch.
I have also realised how passionate I am about helping others develop and grow. I've never been comfortable with the title of ‘Manager’; I much prefer the term ‘Leader.’ We’re all on the Hopscotch journey together. Our staff are so important to us, so I want to focus on continuing to support them in my role as Operations Lead.
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