In the last 12 months, Jam Berry has in started working closely with several Childcare Consultants in Australia. Nicole Wrattan from Leading Edge Childcare Solutions was the first consultant to reach out to us as a linen supplier. At Jam Berry, we deal with Directors daily, so we were curious about her consultancy role in the childcare industry. We witnessed some outstanding results. This is Nicole’s story.
Nicole’s business Leading Edge Childcare Solutions is growing rapidly at the moment. She is currently working on some new builds including Childcare Centre projects called ‘Kids on Millers’ and Little Harvard Early Learning Campus Holland Park’ in QLD, plus various other projects throughout NSW, QLD and VIC. Nicole’s business also supports 9 childcare centre Approved Providers, Directors and Educators in the day to day management of childcare centres.
EDUCATION BACKGROUND Nicole started out with a Diploma of Children’s Services from Tafe, then added a Diploma of Business Management from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, and followed this with an Advanced Diploma of Children’s Services at Charlton Brown.
CAREER EXPERIENCE With 17 years’ experience in the roles as Child Care Director, Program Facilitator/Co-ordinator of Children's Services, Certificate III of Children's Services Trainer and Assessor for Mission Australia, and a Child Care Consultant she is well rounded for the role we find her in today, heading up her consultancy business.
HOW THE ROLE OF THE CONSULTANT HAS EVOLVED The wider community are expecting higher and higher standards in care and creativity for the next generation. The centre Director often carries this burden, and that’s where Consultancy can help.
Childcare Directors are essentially running a business. They manage a team, and ensure all aspects of compliancy to the National Quality Framework and legislation are met. Directors are responsible for developmental outcomes of the children in care, they are required to manage communication with families, manage budgets and at the end of the day perform tasks that attract new business. Are there enough hours in the day?
The Leading-Edge team have worked with over 30 Directors throughout New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland assisting with new centre set ups, open days, phone support, recruitment, policies, and forms, NQF support/mock assessment (to ensure that your centre meets NQF requirements), debtor management and improving your cash flow, improving your centres occupancy, wage/roster management, and programming. Locally, Nicole states ‘we project management new builds and renovations of existing services and playgrounds’.
Working with so many centres gives great insight to the things that work well in big or small centres ‘we know how to make changes that give great results in enrolments without costing the centre a fortune’. Nicole says that most of all she ‘loves working closely with Directors to achieve fantastic business outcomes, as well as training and supporting the Educators in the National Quality Framework’.
Jam Berry has worked with a few wonderful consultants in the past year. We have seen enormous growth in established centres, under the guidance of Consultants. Centres that once had vacancies can now barely keep up with demand.
www.leadingedgechildcare.com.au
nicole@leadingedgechildcare.com.au