Meet Vanessa, who joined as the manager of The Orchard Day Nursery Kew Bridge in August of 2022.
Vanessa has a background in psychology and over 6 years of previous experience as a nursery manager. She has also gained two Masters in Higher education and Early Years education.
Continue reading to uncover more details about Vanessa and her role:
Tell us a little bit about your background!
I am from Colombia and moved to England to start my journey as practitioner, moving up to Deputy and now as the Manager at Orchard Kew.
What is something that drew you to this role?
When I discovered ILG, I was keen to be part of a great company with many nurseries and independent schools around England. I was passionate about finding a manager role to help make a positive impact on Early Years children in the UK.
How would your staff describe you?
I believe that staff would describe me as strong, direct, fair, and something who is always striving to improve.
What have you been most proud of in your teaching career?
I am especially proud of overcoming the challenges that came from being in the UK away from my family. I am thrilled to now have the opportunity to utilize my experience in education to create a high-quality experience for our children at Orchard Kew.
What are the qualities of a successful leader?
There are three key things that I have kept in mind during leadership roles: be focused, be disciplined, and planning smart. A good leader must be someone with a clear idea of what they want to do in life, to therefore be a role model for others to follow.
What is something that you’ve found to be unique to Orchard Kew?
Our team is what I’ve found to be especially unique – the people are what make a place special. The practitioners working in the Orchard Day Nursery Kew are a passionate group of people, all of which share the same goal of wanting to make a positive impact on people’s lives.
How do you think a nursery manager can make a real difference to a child’s development?
I believe that the development of a child builds the foundations of their lives. A Nursery manager must have a clear vision of this, and consider childhood as the most crucial stage in someone’s life.
What do you think your biggest challenges are within your role?
A big challenge that I have faced was establishing a clear partnership between parents, staff, and local authority. I am now satisfied and happy to see everything falling into place at our nursery, creating a positive environment for all.
Who/what inspired you to teach?
My godmother Nelly Amparo gave me the opportunity to work alongside completing my degree. She made a significant impact on my life and taught me about childcare through her school that she owned. Her passion for teaching touch me deeply and brought me to where I am today.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
A big dream of mine was to become a university or college’s Head department of Education.
