Nursery Management: Case Study - Little Hippos nursery - Valuing one another

Little Hippos Nursery in Birmingham provides a vibrant, inclusive environment that supports multiculturalism in all aspects of nursery life. It has steadily expanded since launching in 2007 and is now acquiring the second floor of its existing building, which will boost provision for babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers.

Nursery manager and proprietor Mr Ahmed says, 'When we opened our doors in 2007 we were registered for 47 children. Since that time we have made improvements and enhancements that have enabled us to increase our capacity to 72 daycare places. Our latest development will result in an additional 30 places.'

Refurbishment of the second floor for the use of the nursery is now virtually complete and Mr Ahmed is waiting for the final safety checks to be done before the expanded provision can be officially added to its Ofsted certification.

He reports that demand for baby spaces has always been strong. 'We currently have nine babies in our baby room and there is a long waiting list. The new room will enable us to take a further nine and work is in progress as we speak.'

The new baby room will have mirrors and sensory resources, with rugs, travel cots and its own kitchen area, providing a homely feel.

The pre-school area of the nursery has also been given careful attention.

Mr Ahmed says, 'We felt that the pre-school children needed to be given a sense of ownership and feel that they have moved to the upper part of the nursery. For this reason we have renovated an outdoor classroom, installing toilet facilities and a kitchen area, and equipping it with new resources. We also designed a uniform for the pre-school children to give them a sense of identity and prepare them for full-time nursery education.'

Freshly cooked food with an international flavour is an enjoyable part of nursery life. 'We have a nursery cook who prepares fresh meals on the premises,' says Mr Ahmed. 'We have themed weeks of cuisine - last week we had Spanish food, and we have recently had Caribbean, Asian and Italian food weeks. We cater for children who have halal food and for vegetarians.'

Mr Ahmed reports that staff attend regular continuing professional development sessions and 80 per cent are qualified to Level 3, while the rest are currently undergoing Level 3 training. Mr Ahmed himself is a qualified teacher and a parent.

'As parents ourselves of ethnic heritage, we have come across barriers in the process of bringing up our own children and our aim is to break down those barriers for the children attending our nursery,' he says. 'Early experiences of diversity and appreciation of all races forms a strong foundation for those children growing up in our local, multicultural environment.'

He adds, 'The children are educated to value themselves for who they are and learn to respect one another. This is the nursery ethos and the whole team works hard to evidence it.'