Guest Blog: Love-Based Management Approach

Written by Victoria McAvoy

My name is Victoria, and I am the nursery Principal for Belmont Farm Nursery School in Mill Hill. We hold 110 children a day and have a large staff team to match. I have a passion for childcare, and truly believe that the first 5 years of a child’s life are the most important and believe we are so lucky as nursery workers to be a part of that.

Having your staff team all following the same ethos can be challenging but is essential for the learning outcomes of the children to be delivered. I follow the ‘love-based’ management approach, put simply this is all about respecting your staff and understanding that they have a life outside of the setting. I have personally found the ‘love-based’ management approach allows your staff team to feel appreciated, respected and listen to. I have then found the same is then given back to myself and my deputies.

Ways in which I use the love-based approach are:

- Showing appreciation

This could be a thank you note, a kind word or walking through the classroom and finding three positive things to mention. We also have a rewards app we use to send recognitions and provide ‘perks.

- Offer encouragement

If I notice someone is struggling, I will always lend a hand and support them through that situation, to help them gain confidence and self-belief. Saying well done for how something is handled or hearing that you are proud will give the pride needed to continue the good practice. If we don’t encourage or guide good practice, how do we expect staff to know what they are doing is the right way for the setting.

- Open door policy

I have an open-door policy for my office space, the door is only closed for confidential meetings. Having a safe space for the staff to be able to come and chat about anything that is on their mind is improving mental health within the setting and actually allowing for some great changes.

- Gaining opinions of the staff team

The staff team on the floor are the ones trying out all the managers ideas, gaining feedback on what works and what doesn’t is a great way for the team to feel listen to and respected. If I am coming up with new ideas, I will hold a senior meeting (room managers, 3rd in charge and deputies) where the idea will be put out to them, for them to share their opinion on if it will work on the floor. If they feel it won’t work, I ask for other ways we can reach this goal/an alternative they think could be a good idea. We also hand out regular staff questionnaires and then share the feedback with a ‘what you said, what we have changed’ this is another great way for staff to see you are listening to them and making the changes you can make.

- All members of management to be on the same page

This may be the most important part, I have regular meetings with my deputies, third in charge and room managers. My goals, targets and ethos need to match my senior teams’ views of the nursery and what it can achieve. Without my senior team on the same page as me, following the same ‘love-based’ approach the nursery would not run as well as it does.

- Getting the team on the same page

This becomes a lot easier once the senior team are believing in the vision and following the same management style! A similar approach by gaining ideas from everyone, asking questions, and gaining feedback. I get the staff to review the curriculum regularly and ask what they do well and what they can improve/add on from it. Giving staff members the space to come up with ideas for their classroom based on the ethos of the nursery gives the staff the time to understand the ethos and how it can reflect into the classrooms. I also spend a lot of time in the classrooms, as does my deputy so we can show how we understand the day to day of a room, and that we can practice what we preach. If the staff are not seeing your practice, it can cause friction when something isn’t working or not established enough yet as they will feel you do not understand. Staying connected to the children helps to remind me what I got into childcare for in the first place.

I truly believe if we show our staff that they are cared for and thought of in the day to day running of the setting, as well as thought of in terms of their life outside of the setting it supports the atmosphere around the nursery to be a positive place to work. Working in a positive environment not only makes the staff happy to be at work, it makes the children’s day more enjoyable and the learning opportunities greater. If the staff care about the nursery as much as you do, the possibilities are endless.