Ask Lorna Bishop, manager at Little Pioneers’ Rose Hill Nursery, part of Coop Childcare, how she feels about her role, and she’ll give you an unambiguous answer: “I love being here – the staff team, the children and the parents,” she says.
“I think if you don’t have that passion, you’re not going to be the best you can be.” As she explains, though, it’s easy to feel passionate at Little Pioneers, a provider whose ethos makes it an ideal employer for anyone who wants to feel that they are making a difference.
“You’re not only supporting children and parents here, you’re also helping the wider community,” Lorna says.
While she and her colleagues are always focused on delivering high-quality early years education and care, they also uphold broader, socially responsible values and undertake ‘community hours’ to help improve their local area.
Their hard work is rewarded too: colleagues are members of the co-operative and receive a share of profits and discounts in Coop stores amongst other benefits Lorna is ideally placed to comment on the Little Pioneers employee experience, having worked her way up from the bottom.
Her progression through the ranks, from Level 3 practitioner to manager (via room leader, third in charge and deputy manager roles), has been a rapid one, which is testament not only to her enthusiasm but also the support and opportunities she has received from the Coop Childcare group.
“The Coop supported me with my career, helping me get my degree – I was given time out to study, and even received a grant to help fund my course,” she tells us.
Opportunities for CPD, we learn, are numerous too, giving all colleagues the chance to develop, whatever their level.
Lorna now feels supporting colleagues make the professional journey she has is a key part of her role – as she puts it, “I can help the children in our care progress by helping my staff to progress too.”
Three reasons to choose a career with Little Pioneers nursery…
1. Build a career
We offer fantastic career progression opportunities at Little Pioneers, with all the support you need to progress to the next level of your childcare dream. From apprenticeships (where we are the highest paying provider in the sector) to developing our future nursery managers.
2. Be rewarded
At Little Pioneers we love rewarding our colleagues’ hard work and commitment! As part of this we offer a competitive benefits package along with a cash bonus for every colleague when an Ofsted ‘outstanding’ inspection is achieved!
3. Feel valued
Our colleagues are incredibly valuable to us, and our salaries reflect just how valuable with annual pay reviews to ensure we are an employer of choice when it comes to choosing the right provider to build a career in early years with.
There’s a feeling you get when you visit Little Pioneers – that dreams are encouraged, that love and care are more than just words, that this is somewhere dedicated to nurturing not just children but colleagues too. You get a feeling of togetherness. To find out more, visit thecooperativechildcare.coop.
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