Paediatric first aid training comes to the rescue for baby Brodie

Hayley and Brodie

All our childcare staff at Snapdragons are trained in Paediatric First Aid and even staff with non-childcare roles are welcomed on the training. In fact, three of our nurseries are now proud holders of Millie’s Mark Accreditation which means that ALL members of staff, from childcare practitioners and lunchtime assistants through to chefs, the maintenance team and office staff are trained in Paediatric First Aid. Snapdragons Weston completed Millie’s Mark last year and they’ve now been joined by our settings in Atworth and Grosvenor as we roll the programme out across our other sites.

Our colleague Hayley, the Admin at Snapdragons Broadwood, could never have imagined that her decision to attend Paediatric First Aid training at work would end up saving her own baby’s life. Hayley was on maternity leave after baby Brodie was born prematurely in the summer. After a stay in NICU at the RUH in Bath, Brodie was finally home and Hayley felt ready to take him on his first outing. Together they popped to the vet’s to pick up some medication for the family pet and, as they left, Brodie suddenly started crying uncontrollably then went limp.

As she told an ITV news reporter “He just stopped and went floppy. He was white, blue, black – a horrible colour”. She rushed him back into the vet’s shouting for help, then her training kicked in and she started to perform the specialist CPR for young babies that she had learned on the Paediatric First Aid course at the nursery. Her quick action kept Brodie alive until the ambulance arrived and the paramedics took over.

Hayley is so relieved she opted to do the training and has now launched a petition calling on the government to make paediatric first aid mandatory for new parents. "I just think it's better to have the knowledge than not, which is why I opted to have the training - and I am so relieved that I did it."

“I’m appealing for the government to introduce mandatory paediatric first aid for all new parents. Approx. 5% to 10% of the newly born population require some degree of active resuscitation at birth and SIDS is the leading cause of death among infants. More than 5 million deaths occur worldwide each year. We can help prevent this by providing new parents with the tools they need to save their baby just like I did.”

After Hayley and Brodie’s traumatic experience we all share in the family’s relief and joy that this terrifying incident had a happy outcome, and we are so glad that Hayley made the choice to take paediatric first aid training.

If you would like to support Hayley’s call for first aid training for new parents, sign her petition at Change.org.

As part of our Millie’s Mark Accreditation we offer Paediatric First Aid training to parents so look out for your invitation to attend.

Snapdragons Redland Sizzles for Ofsted on Hottest Day

As temperatures soared close to 40 degrees on the hottest day in July, the team at Snapdragons Redland shone brightly for their first Ofsted inspection. Despite the intense heat, they kept their cool and were judged to be Outstanding in all areas in their recent Ofsted inspection …. and the inspectors were full of praise.

The report, published in August, describes the inspirational leadership and management, skillful and sensitive staff, and excellent partnership with parents. The inspectors went on to praise the “brilliantly created curriculum” which was described as exceptionally and uniquely well-sequenced.

The report opened:

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make exceptional progress in this beautiful and inspiring setting. Babies gladly reach out for their key person as their parents drop them off. Toddlers and pre-school children rush with eager anticipation to enter their rooms. They excitedly explore the activities staff have expertly provided for them. The curriculum is exceptionally and uniquely well-sequenced. This ensures all children succeed from the day they start.

Megan Day, Head of Early Years Practice and the Acting Manager and at Snapdragons Redland, was absolutely delighted with the outcome:

“I am incredibly proud of the team at Redland for achieving an Outstanding rating, in our first inspection, in the middle of a record-breaking heatwave!

Having worked so hard to support our children and families through the pandemic, we are thrilled to have come out the other side and been able to showcase the wonderful curriculum and care that the children receive here at Snapdragons.

The inspectors rightly recognised that while our beautiful building provides an impressive backdrop, it’s the staff and children who fill the rooms which make Redland such a special place to be. I can't wait to see what we keep achieving together!”

We’re so proud of the team and happy for everyone at Redland. It’s wonderful to get such a positive report, especially regarding our curriculum and opportunities for learning which are universal across the group.

Wonderful Wendy Bows out of Broadwood

After 16 years with Snapdragons, our inspirational and truly wonderful colleague, Wendy Crowe, is putting her feet up for her well-earned retirement. Wendy has been an amazing teacher and colleague at Snapdragons Broadwood and will be deeply missed by the staff, parents and, of course, the children. Her calm, caring and knowledgeable teaching has enabled literally hundreds of children to grow and learn in our Pre-School. They leave her care ready for school with the confidence and skills they need to thrive.

Now it’s Wendy’s turn to graduate from Snapdragons and we wish her all the best for a long and happy retirement. She’s promised to come back and do some of her legendary storytelling sessions and we’ll make sure we hold her to that! In the meantime, we will be celebrating with Wendy at Snapdragons Broadwood on Wednesday 31 August, 6-7pm, and we would love to see you there. Children, parents, colleagues both current and past, please come along and show Wendy what a wonderful legacy she has left and just how much she means to us.

Wendy gets a special (and tearful) mention at the Snapdragons Broadwood Graduation,.this summer.

Jojo Chuong Shortlisted for the Nursery World Awards 2022

We are delighted to share the news that our wonderful Jojo Chuong has been shortlisted in the Nursery Practitioner category at the prestigious Nursery World Awards 2022. These prestigious Nursery World Awards “shine a light on best practice” from across the sector.

“Honestly, just being nominated is enough to make me feel like a winner!”

With a little help from a friend in the Baby Pod, Jojo soaks up the news of her nomination for Nursery Practitioner at the Nursery World Awards 2022.

Jess Dunmall, Events Executive at the Nursery World Awards, says, “This is a tremendous achievement against extremely tough competition. This year we received an astounding number of entries from across the country, so being shortlisted is an incredible feat. Judges from across the early years sector spent a day of debate, discussion and deliberation to decide which of our entries for the Nursery World Awards 2022 should go through to the shortlist.”

“A tremendous achievement”

Jojo was nominated while working at Snapdragons Redland as the Unit Coordinator in the Baby Pod where her kind, supportive and knowledgeable approach drew praise from colleagues and parents. Two years ago, during the beginnings of the Covid pandemic, Jojo’s implementation of our specific under 2s policies and specialised baby room inductions, led the team to a Nursery World Award for Baby and Toddler Initiative.

Jojo’s nomination was supported by colleagues like Nicky at Snapdragons Redland, who said, “I love working with JoJo, she has such a fantastic positive energy. She clearly cares so strongly for the well being of everybody she works with, both the children and her colleagues. She champions fairness and equality so well and builds brilliant team spirit.”

Parents, too, were keen to endorse the work that Jojo does, with one commenting, “My son has grown into a happy, confident, little person who loves his time at nursery. I consider this remarkable given the pandemic and its documented impacts on babies and young children. What makes this even more special is that when I’ve spoken about Jojo to other parents at Snapdragons Redland - every single one of them has said the same. In normal times this would be commendable, but in the chaos of the past couple of years, it is the mark of someone truly exceptional.”

Jojo has now taken a step up in her career and has accepted the role of Head of Early Years Practice at Snapdragons Horfield. There she is bringing her enthusiasm, nurturing and knowledge to a new audience. On hearing of her nomination, she said, “Honestly, just being nominated is enough to make me feel like a winner!” We wonder how she feels now that she’s on a shortlist of four amazing practitioners from around the UK!

The 2022 awards ceremony takes place on Saturday 24th September 2022 at The Brewery, London and we’ll keep you posted on how Jojo does!

Snapdragons and Sunflowers - Fundraising for Ukraine

Seeds of hope

Spring planting at Snapdragons Atworth takes on a new significance as we plant our namesake Snapdragons alongside Sunflowers, Ukraine’s national flower. We’ll be planting sunflowers across the nurseries and offering packs for sale so you can share the love at home.

No one can be unmoved by the stories coming from the horrific war in Ukraine and we feel we cannot stand by and watch without trying to help in any way we can. We have decided that the best way is to support Unicef UK in its Fundraise for Ukraine appeal. Unicef helps children across the world – children caught up in wars, in disasters, in poverty and without education. At the moment, we would like to support the children of Ukraine, displaced by conflict, torn from their homes, their schools, their friends and extended families, or worse, trapped in a deteriorating war situation and unable to get away.

Compassion pours in

We launched our appeal just this week and we are so very proud of the response from our teams and our wonderful, generous parents. After just one event at Snapdragons Corsham we have already raised over £600 in donations. And Snapdragons has pledged to match all the donations received before the end of March* too!

Corsham cooks for Ukraine

So how did Corsham do it? They got baking! The children made Yabluchnyk (apple sponge) and Osyne Gnizdo (sweet buns, or “wasps’ nest buns”) and for lunch they tried Borscht (beetroot & cabbage stew) with Pampushky (garlic buns). And, as you can see, they all wore blue and yellow, the colours of Ukraine’s national flag.

What next?

Our appeal is ongoing so look out for more events from bake sales and plant sales to singing and dancing, all with a Ukrainian theme. We will approach any activities involving the children at nursery in the way that we normally celebrate other countries and cultures, through food, colours, stories and pictures. Because of the age of our children we won’t touch on any upsetting concepts or explanations of the current conflict.

How can you help?

We have set up a Justgiving page for any donations you kindly make and Snapdragons is pledging to match any contributions received before the end of March up to £5000.

We plan to continue supporting Unicef UK as one of our primary charities into the future to support their work across the world

“For Every Child in Danger”.