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Connect Childcare – Staff spotlight

Here at Connect Childcare, each and every one of us is passionate about the Early Years (EY) sector and about developing management software that improves the lives of children, globally.

In order to shine the spotlight on our wonderful team, we’ve created an employee Q&A series, enabling our readers to better get to know the people behind the scenes – finding out more about their role, the Connect technology, and what it’s like to work here.

Next up, we have our digital marketing manager, Lewis Rennison.

• Tell us about your role at Connect Childcare in one paragraph:

I manage all our digital assets and make sure we reach our customers online – whether that’s via the creation of adverts and lead magnets, or sharing articles and downloads to engage users and drive them towards our website and childcare software solutions.

• And what do you enjoy most about your job?

The team – both in a wider sense and the marketing workforce specifically. We’re creative, our campaigns are fresh and contemporary, and we’re always coming up with ways in which to answer the pain-points that customers have.

• Describe the company culture and values at Connect in three words:

Always learning, transparent, and fun… that’s four, is that allowed?

• Which emoji would your colleagues use to sum you up?

🏌️‍♂️– I asked the team, and they suggested the golf emoji because I spend a lot of time playing, simple!

• What’s been your favourite team event to date (physical or virtual)?

I’ve only attended events online due to the current circumstances, but we had a Christmas quiz that was brilliant, and perfectly timed in terms of helping morale and team building. It was a big gathering that everybody needed.

• How would you describe Connect as a workplace to a non-employee?

It’s very creative, there’s a lot of autonomy, and you’re given the tools and support to play to your strengths, and succeed in exactly the things that you want to do.

• What’s your favourite thing about working at Connect? 

Again, it’s the team that I work with – I’m immensely proud to be a part of it and the campaigns that are collaboratively brought to life.

• What’s your favourite feature in Connect’s software suite?

Our new Software-as-a-Service product, foundations. We’ve recently launched it for free and it offers a huge amount of value to help the ‘forgotten childcare sector’ – childminders, smaller nursery settings, and early years professionals who might not have the budgets to buy big, expensive tools. It’s the next generation of software, and we’re building some exciting functionality to answer even more of users’ daily challenges.

• What role does technology play in the future of the EY sector?

It enables stronger and closer relationships with parents, as well as freeing up a practitioner’s time to do what they do best – child development. They’re provided with paperless and carbon-neutral solutions to help them track, learn, and share information – all of which makes their lives a little easier.

• Share an interesting fact about yourself that many people may not know:

I worried with this one as I feel like I’m a bit boring! I do play the drums and have been on tour throughout Europe twice with my band Suburban Symphony, is that interesting enough?

• When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

This one is very easy because I’ve always wanted to be a pilot. To this day, I’m too obsessed with planes as an adult! The dream is still very much alive – I’m hoping I’ve got flying lessons for my birthday in July…

• And as a youngster, what was your favourite children’s book?

I absolutely loved Winnie the Pooh – I had an original book with lots of stories inside it which I pretty much read every day growing up.

• Investing in nursery management software is a big decision for childcare providers – why do you think they choose Connect?

Connect represents an experienced, established partner that understands where the sector’s been, what it needs right now, what is next to come, and how our technology can solve those obstacles before they happen. Someone choosing us is investing in a team that will help them and their setting with their specific needs.

• Finally, what is one of your hopes for Connect over the coming year?

I’m really looking forward to seeing how foundations develops and the traction that it will gain. We’ve got big plans for enhancing its functionality, and making it even easier for customers to manage admin and arrange payments. These next few months will be crucial in how our latest product evolves and I hope people love it as much as I do.

If you’d like to receive more news and updates from the Connect Childcare team, why not head over to our Twitter page or connect with us on LinkedIn?