remaining open, says Karen Faux
There was no such thing as a festive break for partners Rachel Strong and Paul Taylor, who used the holiday period to oversee a good chunk of the refurbishment work being carried out on their newly acquired second nursery, Broomfield Private Day Nursery in Clayton, near Bradford.
It has been all systems go to improve and extend Broomfield since the new owners moved in on 5 November. The nursery has remained open throughout, by dint of careful logistical planning involving moving children around into new rooms as they are completed.
All of the rooms are being redecorated and a significant expansion is taking place to create space for 30 more children, which will mean the nursery can take 68 in total.
'We are a family business,' says Ms Strong, whose sister is also involved in the running of the two nurseries. 'My Dad has been in painting at the weekends, and my Mum has been making curtains and bedding. It's been a case of if you've got a free half an hour, you've got a job!'
Ms Strong qualified in childcare in 1995 and acquired her first nursery, the Ark Day Nursery, in Bradford, in 2009. Since then she has increased its registration from 31 children to 65 and reports that she currently has a waiting list of 110 families on her books.
The Ark is just a ten-minute drive away from the new nursery and the two will work together to offer places.
When what was Broomfield Pre-School came up for sale last year, Ms Strong and her partners decided it was too good an opportunity to miss. The purchase was made possible by funding from Santander Corporate and Commercial.
'Broomfield had a fantastic reputation based on the quality of its staff, most of whom are mature and very experienced,' she says. 'It is also an area which is very popular with young families and there are a lot of new housing estates going up in the village of Clayton to support this.
'The site is based in stables and is quite different from the Ark, which is in a house. We recognised huge potential in the building and we are creating two new rooms for two-year-olds out of the upper floor, which was formerly storage and living accommodation. There will also be a new two-to-threes room and a pre-school. The nursery will offer beforeand after-school care.'
Once the interior work on Broomfield is complete, work will begin on developing the large garden.
Ms Strong says she and her partners have no immediate plans to acquire a third nursery. 'The business is very rewarding but very hard work, and we want to focus on ensuring that our existing nurseries are providing the very best service to local families.'
