1 The need for continuous improvement Customer care needs to remain a top priority. Only by continuously improving your service will customers remain loyal, return to the service when needed and recommend you to others. You will have to provide customers with high quality in the care and education of their children, excellent customer service and value for money.
2 Total quality management (TQM) TQM means not being content to meet minimum inspection requirements but to push for ever higher quality, and making this attitude part of the culture of your setting. Make staff aware that they each have two roles: doing their job well, and finding ways of improving what they do. Encourage staff to show initiative.
3 Leading the team Lead by example. In so doing, you can spread the message of good customer care and coach staff members in how to provide a better service.
4 Pulling down barriers Remove barriers - particularly bureaucratic ones - that prevent customers accessing a high level of service at all times.
Always have someone available who can deal with customer queries and problems in a satisfactory way.
5 External quality targets The National Standards for childcare are only the minimum, so raise standards further through an accreditation scheme, which helps managers and staff identify weaknesses and set goals. The Government has set a target for 40 per cent of settings to become accredited by 2004, and Investors in Children, a star rating scheme to indicate quality of provision in early years settings, takes account of accreditation. To find out about the schemes available, contact your Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership or your professional association.
6 Internal quality targets Prioritise your goals and set targets for each.
Targets should be achievable, have a time limit and be measurable through, for example, customer feedback, inspection reports and staff appraisals.
7 Setting staff targets Set short-, medium-or long-term performance targets for individual staff members (through the appraisal system) and the staff team and review them regularly. Link individuals' goals to those of the team. Team goals usually involve having a vision for the setting and inspiring staff to work towards that aim.
8 Motivating staff Nurseries are limited in the financial bonuses that they can offer staff, so devise other ways to motivate them and show that they are valued. Never be complacent in finding ways to motivate staff. Provide training opportunities and give them greater responsibility through special team projects.
9 Using the planning cycle The planning cycle at its simplest is plan-do-review. Staff often feel vulnerable when they have to evaluate their work or have others do it. Evaluations are less threatening if they are a regular part of management process. The planning cycle should encourage reflective practice.
10 Being innovative Be a listening organisation in which people - staff, parents and children, volunteers and students - feel free to express their views and suggest ideas for improvement. Make it clear that critical attitudes are unacceptable.
