Willow Tree Nursery gets the thumbs up from families

Children and staff are settling in well at the new Council-run Willow Tree Nursery, with families sharing their positive experiences.

The new facility opened its doors for children from six months to three years last month (August) addressing some of the county’s childcare needs.

Housed within the former Papdale Halls of Residence following refurbishment works to meet latest Care Inspectorate requirements, the nursery is open all year except for Council public holidays.

The Council’s Early Learning and Childcare Manager Shaun Tulloch said: “Children and staff have now settled into their routines and the new premises are working well for us, providing an environment where children can play and learn.

“Staff are building strong relationships with children and their families and the children who joined us first are now really settled into their new nursery.  Staff have worked closely with families to tune in to each child's needs and through the child's individual care plan, they are delivering tailored support to help each one grow, develop and achieve.

“Many families are now accessing childcare to allow them to work, and others are accessing a space at the nursery to provide social opportunities for their young child.  Many families recognising that these young children have had very different experiences due to COVID-19 and may not have socialised with others in the same way as before.” 

“We would encourage anyone who wants to use the facility in the future to see our website www.willowtreeorkney.co.uk for more information and the registration link.”

Samara and Colin Nisbet are parents to Ramsay, born August 2020, and Samara had always intended to return to paid employment at the start of the new academic year in 2021.

However, they found themselves running out of options due to the lack of full-time childcare in the county.

Samara explained: “I started contacting childminders in Jan/Feb but couldn’t get him a full time space anywhere. All that seemed to be on offer was one day here and there. We knew that there were plans for the Willow Tree to be open but we were also aware there may not be enough space to meet demand. We don’t have family living in Orkney so this really was our last hope. It was a bit of an anxious wait but luckily we found out we had secured Ramsay a full time place at the start of July.

“Due to being born during lockdown, and the subsequent restrictions which followed at Christmas, we were both conscious that Ramsay hadn’t had many opportunities to socialise with bairns his age. His attendance at Willow Tree is certainly helping with this and he is getting more confident.

“We were very impressed with the team at Willow Tree and their organisation around the induction visits. As first-time parents their warm welcome and enthusiasm helped put us both at ease, especially the first time he stayed to play on his own. There is a wide variety of resources and Ramsay has recently been enjoying water and sensory play.

“Communication from key workers and the wider team has been regular and informative. We enjoy getting our daily picture updates via Seesaw.”

Emma Stevenson says their son, Stanley, also a “lockdown” child, is able to enjoy the “best of both worlds” spending time at home and the nursery.

“It was such a lovely welcoming team of staff and it was obvious from the start that Stanley enjoyed his days there. After spending the first year of his life in lockdown we were slightly nervous how he would adjust going into a childcare setting. After two taster sessions it was so nice to see how well equipped the facility is and how all the staff were so child centred. They learnt daily routines and each child’s personal plans to ensure that they could keep up any routines formed at home.

“We knew it was the right move for our family to get Stanley into a larger setting and socialising with children his own age. If it wasn’t for the Willow Tree Nursery, I wouldn’t have been able to return to work and we wouldn’t have been able to regain some sort of normality. Stanley spends four days at home with his family and then three days at the nursery. He is an outside boy, and the nursery are so good allowing him to spend most of him time in the garden doing activities he loves. I feel we have been able to achieve a good balance for Stanley where he gets the best of both worlds.”

Kendall Pyke, mum to a little boy Kammy, had been trying to source childcare without success for some time.

She explained: “All childminders were full and it was clear that a return to work in January was going to be really difficult, so a decision was made by me and my husband Steven, to use all my accrued annual leave and return to work the end of March.

“At this point we still did not have childcare or confirmation of a place at Willow Tree so after a long discussion with parents and two other mums in our area who were in the same position, we managed to juggle the childcare of our kids between us to allow us to go back to work. For me this was initially three days per week working from home.

“When the Willow Tree Nursery offered the first orientation days, I was nervous as to how Kammy would settle with not being around many people, but he took it all in his stride. After meeting all the staff and seeing what Kammy would be up to on a day-to-day basis, Steven and I were quickly reassured that this was the best move for him.

“He has settled in so well and enjoying his days surrounded by caring staff and interacting with other children. Kammy goes to the nursery three full days with the opportunity of adhoc sessions if required, which has allowed me to increase my hours, have the flexibility to work more if needed but more importantly giving him the social interaction he missed during COVID.

“Although things were tough prior to the nursery opening, seeing how fantastic the place and staff are with the kids and us parents; getting Kammy a place there was certainly worth the wait and I can’t recommend it enough.”

Diane Johnston had been at home full-time with their almost two-year-old daughter, Aubrey, until the Willow Tree opened.

With a full-time working husband, Diane was looking to return to work flexibly and also for Aubrey to gain some social interaction with other children of a similar age.

She said: “Also, I wanted her to grow in confidence and be comfortable being away from myself and my husband for periods of time, something she’d had no exposure to at all during COVID. 

“Until Willow Tree opened, we didn’t have any means to do this through a nursery setting. As a family, we preferred this option to childminding and didn’t feel it was fair to rely on family members to provide regular care. So, we were delighted to learn that Willow Tree was opening. 

 “The whole process from application to settling in has been seamless and very well organised. As first-time parents, we were naturally nervous about the setting itself and how our daughter would settle in, given she’s never been away from us before. The familiarisation visit put our minds immediately at ease and we were very impressed with the set up and array of activities for the children. All the staff we have met have been extremely helpful and supportive and again put our minds at rest from the very start. 

“Our daughter has settled in very well and in fact asks to go every day! She loves all the staff and it’s clear to see the care and attention the children are given. The Seesaw app is also fantastic and a great way to feel connected to what’s happening when she’s at nursery. We’ve had an extremely positive experience so far and are very grateful that the nursery opened and allowed me to return to work knowing our daughter is very well cared for, having fun and learning along the way!”