Tops Day Nurseries is delighted to announce the purchase of the First Steps nursery at the Roko Health Club and Football Training Ground in Copnor, Portsmouth.
Cheryl Hadland, founder and MD of the group says, “We like the friendly and welcoming atmosphere in the nursery as it now, and are keen to enable Jenny to continue to lead and manage her team of 15 wonderful colleagues just as she for the last decade. Over the summer holidays a few changes are likely to be introduced, such as our easier to access tablet software so parents can see photos and videos and development observations on their children, which also avoids duplicating data giving the staff more time with the children, but beyond that it will depend on what the parents and staff would like and in line with the quality and sustainability ethos of the Tops family of day nurseries. We will endeavour to reduce any use of one-use plastic, and reducing waste in general, increasing plants inside and outside but also parents might like us to start Tops Forest School, yoga and cooking school, and we might give it a fresh coat of eco paint. We aim to change the name to Tops Copnor in September, together with the signs and uniform. Interestingly the colours (pink and lime green) are the same in both businesses and there is a strong focus on doing the best possible for the children also in both.
The nursery and creche occupies the corner of the ground floor of Roko Health Club, although it is open to all, not just to club members. It has three distinct areas for babies, toddlers and pre-school; kitchen and sleep room. It also has a secure outside space that wraps around the nursery providing creative zones where the children love the exercise and explore, such as Bugton Hotel, the sandy beach, the mud kitchen and the climbing frame. Staff have discounted access to the Health Club and car parking and dropping children off and collecting is tremendously convenient for parents.”
Tops Day Nurseries is a group of 30 day nurseries across the South coast of the UK, from West Sussex in the East to Plymouth in the West, but each nursery is unique even though they share policies and procedures, due to operating in different communities and with a diverse group of staff running each one. Quite a few are in hospitals, like Tops in the Queen Alexandra Hospital, some in business areas such as Tops Lakeside which is only a mile away, some are in converted pubs, one is MOD and this is the first one in a leisure club.