“It was awful having to close our doors, especially so soon after we had just opened” recalls Karen Clince, CEO and founder of Tigers Childcare “but everyone was in the same boat and we just had to deal with it.”
“We’re so happy to be back. Although we do understand that it’s still a very worrying time; so we’ve got stringent measures in place to give parents confidence” says Karen, adding “It’s wonderful seeing the children again, especially the older ones as they remember being here before and they are so excited to return.”
“We’ve tried to keep everything as normal as possible for the sake of the children, whilst making sure everyone is safe” she explains.
“Cleaning and handwashing have always been important, but all of our staff have undergone extra training now and we have numerous, additional measures in place, such as taking everyone’s temperature twice a day.”
Tigers Childcare already has 13 centres in and around Dublin but this is their first in the UK.
Building the business has very much been a labour of love for Karen, who started working in a school soon after her daughter was born (18 years ago) and saw the need for good quality childcare for working parents. She now runs the company with her mum, Mary Fitzpatrick as Financial Director and her older sister, Susan, who’s the Managing Director.
these are the years that shape us into the people we become
“I wanted Tigers in Elephant and Castle to be the perfect childcare space so I did a lot of research” says Karen.
She went on a trip to Reggio Emilia, in northern Italy, a region famous for its pioneering approach to early years education. She also looked at how nurseries are run in Australia and New Zealand.
“I grew up in Australia and they’re quite advanced when it comes to childcare” Karen explains. “We provide holistic, child-centred and individualised care for every child. Each child is allocated a key worker who’s responsible for the their developmental path. We also provide the parents with daily updates on their child’s progress.”
Karen worked with the award-winning, Irish architects, Sketch to turn the 7,000 sq ft space, housed in the Energy Centre at Elephant Park, into a state-of-the-art centre where “learning is fun and memorable.”
Different rooms cater for different age groups; from a Discovery room for babies to a Breakfast Cub room for local school-age children. Tigers also incudes two partially covered outdoor play areas, as well as an arts centre, chill-out zone, sensory rooms and sleeping pods.
“We wanted to provide something that’s unique in the UK when it comes to childcare quality and family experience. From the design of the centre to the staff qualifications, we hope to set a new benchmark for childcare provision” says Karen.
And it seems to be going down well with local parents, already.
“It’s such a beautiful, light-filled space and we haven’t had anyone come in and look around who hasn’t signed up” says Karen.
The new centre can cater for up to 120 children aged from 4 months to 12 years.
“As we take on more children, we will recruit more staff” says Karen “anyone interested in working here should visit the jobs section of our website.”
Under the Government’s free pre-school scheme, local parents of three-year-olds (and some two-year-olds) are entitled to 15 hours of free childcare a week at Tigers.
“As we’re new to the area, a lot of parents don’t know that this is an option, so we’re trying to spread the word” says Karen. They also offer a five per cent discount to NHS staff.
Karen believes that Tigers Childcare has an important role to play in the future of Elephant and Castle.
“When you have an area that’s undergoing regeneration you want the different communities to mix and a nursery is a great place to bring everyone together.
It can be a real catalyst for change. We’re open for children from all backgrounds and – with 90 per cent of brain development taking place within the first five years of life – these are the years that shape us into the people we become.”
Tigers Childcare
Bodley Way
London SE17 IFN
Open Monday-Friday, 7am-7pm
www.tigerschildcare.co.uk
020 3795 7685
Return to the home page for the Elephant Magazine, Summer 2020