Blog

Don’t wait for September to start preparing for the term ahead. We understand that with a new term comes a lot of planning and preparation, especially when that term is also the beginning of a new academic year.

Here we discuss important factors to consider when getting ready for a new term.

Manage your workforce more efficiently

Manage your workforce more efficiently with StaffPlan. StaffPlan has been designed to simplify, speed up and enhance the way you manage and assign your workforce. This handy tool was constructed to manage complex staffing requirements from a single, centralised record, in real-time.

StaffPlan can save you both time and money by:

• Intelligently assigning staff based on ratios​.
• Simplifying and centralising staff rotas​.
• Reducing the need for expensive agency staff​, protecting the quality of your provision and decreasing the cost to your business.
• Automating your payroll process.

Book your StaffPlan demo

Support settling in

Starting at a new nursery, transitioning to a new room or even returning from a summer holiday can be a daunting experience for a child. It is important to reflect on how you settle new starters as well as children that are returning from a break.

Provide your practitioners with more time to form trusting relationships with children. Consider using nursery management software, that will minimise paperwork and enable practitioners to focus more of their time on the children.

The introduction of our nursery management software, iConnect can save hours of time, and allow practitioners to produce online learning journals in a second, enabling them to focus on helping the children in their care learn and develop.

iConnect features:

• Save and share key moments instantly.
• Make informed assessments by creating, following and sharing each child’s learning story.
• Online registers, emergency contacts and child records.
• Plan your next steps and enhance provision using available resources.
• Parental communication.
• And much more!

Book your iConnect Demo

Make a plan for engaging parents

Working in partnership with parents and carers is central to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Consulting them about children’s early experiences helps practitioners plan for effective learning in the setting, and helps them support parents in continuing their children’s learning development at home.

Strengthen parent partnerships by giving practitioners the support, time, and tools they need. Engage even the busiest parents with ParentZone. ParentZone is the award-winning childcare app for parents. Parents can access information about their child’s day at a time that suits them best. ParentZone increases partnership with parents by allowing two-way communication between parents and your nursery.

See it for yourself 

Already use our software in your setting?

Ensure your new staff are confident using the software and implement super-users in your setting to train new members. We know how crucial it is to have all the information you need when running a setting smoothly. Nurseries are strapped for time and so when you have someone skilled enough to take on the technology responsibilities, this can really empower a team and make you more efficient as a result.

At Connect, we’re always keen to train people so that you work smarter, not harder. We want to equip you with the tools to embrace their nursery management software and respond positively, and with agility, to stay ahead of tech advancements and updates.

If you would like to refresh your staff members’ knowledge of the software or would like to have a super-user in your setting then why not book an additional training session. 

Find out more!

Maintain your Connect Childcare Database

If you use Connect Childcare there are various checks you can complete on the system to ensure your data is kept up to date. The start of a new academic year is usually a good time to refresh your grant parameters, price changes, term dates, closure dates and child and staff contacts.

Head to this helpdesk article for more advice on how to do this.

Expand Your Connect Childcare Experience!

Throughout July we are running a number of promotions for customers adding additional products or booking training sessions. If you are planning any expansion of your use of our products now is a great time to do so!   

Use code EXP10JULY for 10% off any expansion of our software, including the addition of our Connect Childcare Management System, iConnect, ParentZone, StaffPlan and Additional Training Sessions  

 Quotes must be agreed upon before the end of the day on Friday 29th July.

Don’t miss out!