There's no doubt that the situation out there is changing day by day at the moment. And people are focusing more on remaining suitably agile to respond to the latest government announcement, rather than making long term investment decisions. However, for those who are being forced to twiddle their thumbs at home, now could be the ideal time to carry out some research! And let's face it, if you've recently started your nursery, when things get back to normal you're going to want to hit the ground running. So consider this... Up to this point, your nursery has proven its worth, its financial robustness, and its staying power. Now it’s time to work out how to up your game, eh?
Getting nursery management software to help you run your nursery more effectively and efficiently is often the first step a nursery takes after getting itself going. The investment was initially deemed an unnecessary expense in the early days. With numbers starting small and growing, doing everything manually seemed a pragmatic option. But now, however, with the need to be able to spend more time managing your nursery and not pushing paper around… how do you choose the right supplier to work with?
Let’s have a quick recap of the headline benefits good nursery management software offers. It:
- Significantly reduces time spent on admin
- Provides you with instant access to reports on many aspects of your nursery e.g. cashflow, attendance etc.
- Improves planning and preparation efficiency
So how do you tap into all that great stuff? This is what we suggest you start considering…
Choose a respected and established supplier
First things first, you need to pick a supplier that: has a good track record, is well-established, has a good credit rating (you don’t want them suddenly disappearing and leaving your software unsupported), and properly understands your needs.
But of course there is a bit more to it than that. Your prospective supplier should also be able to demonstrate a good knowledge of current legislation, what changes it foresees on the horizon, and a full appreciation of industry best practice. Knowing how your data is stored, for example, is critical. Is it on the cloud? Is it stored on their servers somewhere else? Or is it kept locally? And in each instance, can you meet your GDPR responsibilities quickly and easily?
Be mindful of Ofsted
Good nursery management software will make life so much easier for you to evidence that:
- Your nursery always meets safeguarding expectations and requirements
- You are tracking individual child development
- Your staff training programme is meeting individual and nursery needs
… To name but a few examples. But make sure your prospective supplier can talk you through these, and many more, features.
Check the support a supplier offers during the transition
However well-organised you are, shifting from a paper-based system to a digital one is hard work. Check that your supplier allocates a dedicated account manager to a project. And quiz them about their response times to queries, questions, and start-up stumbles. You want to make sure your staff will get the training and help they need to start using the new system.
Ensure upgrades and updates are available
With legislation changing all the time, updates to your nursery management software are critical. So make sure your supplier is constantly working on updates and will implement them swiftly and effectively.
Of course, with the digital arena moving so quickly, upgrades are also important to budget and schedule in too. Knowing that your supplier will a) be there in the future when you need to upgrade, and b) understands how to translate digital enhancements into upgrades for your system is very important.
Some Red Fish top tips to finish off.
- Ask around and seek out recommendations
- Have a clear understanding of your requirements
- Remember there will be many beneficiaries here: you, your staff, your children, their parents, your suppliers – ensure your supplier can cater for each ‘stakeholder’
- Don’t underestimate the value of good training and support
- Work out in advance how you’d like to access the software, e.g. PCs, tablets, mobile phones etc.
- Ask to see a demo!
Please do call us if you’d like to find out more about how nursery management software could make a difference to your organisation. We’d be delighted to talk through your needs in more detail.