We may be in lockdown again, but we have been given some great news this week as we found out we have been shortlisted for two awards!

The Nursery World Awards have highlighted the work we do for our very youngest children, shortlisting us for the Working with Babies and Toddlers Initiative. This award reflects our approach to staff training and the environments for the very youngest in our care. From specific under 2s policies, baby room inductions which focus on interactions and communication, our specially created 360-degree environment audit which guides staff through every aspect of the children’s experience and our focus on secure transitions. We are extremely proud to have been shortlisted for this award which recognises our dedication to ensure warm, loving care by all our staff to all our children through training, support and constant reflection.

In the NMT Awards Anna Gent, our Quality and Training Manager, is shortlisted for the Personality of the Year Award in recognition of her innovative and agile response to the changing needs of our children and families during lockdown. You may remember that she worked tirelessly to keep our wider Snapdragons family together and positive, producing timetables, activity ideas and videos so that parents and children could stay in touch with routines and ease the transition for children when normality resumed.

She also launched her Ask Anna service, helping parents in confidence with any questions or struggles they encountered with children’s behaviour, development and routines due to the strange new circumstances we are living in. In her staff training role she has adapted with her usual energy to developing online staff training which she would once have delivered face to face and this has been so successful that it’s a model she will continue to follow. So, congratulations to Anna for being recognised for her innovation, passion and ambition for the best outcomes for all of our Snapdragons children, families and staff.

And massive congratulations to all the teams involved in our success and good luck. The finals are coming up at the end of November and in February, so we’ll keep our fingers and toes crossed and, of course, let you know how we get on!