Nurseries Are the Best Start for the Future of Children - Essay Example

Nurseries are a best start for the future of children Getting the child into better education would mean better education in the future. One of the strategies proliferating in the country side is putting up of nurseries in strategic places which are believed to be beneficial to the working parents and the child as well. It is believed that children can be shaped during their early years. Educational foundation and learning the basics are best learned because children have the high memory of doing things and can learn better during their younger years. Laying down the foundation from birth to age 14 makes a big difference to the lives of the children. It is the formative years which often times neglected by the parents because they are busy with the different kinds of businesses. One strategy that has been successful until now is setting up of nurseries. This is an in demand market for children's education especially with the working parents who would want to bring their children in this kind of institution. Thousands of children have been benefiting in these kind of set up wherein babies, toddlers and children are developed into better persons in the aspect of social, physical, emotional and spiritual needs (Way, 1995). Scotland's educational system is different from other countries especially with United Kingdom. Traditionally, it has emphasized the range of subjects rather than the in depth education given to different levels. Children enter a school as soon as they are able in attending schools and as soon as they are 3 years old from their last birthday. The proliferation of schools especially of the nursery schools are expanding in the northern and southern part of Scotland. The increase of the career women is a factor why there are many nursery schools are present in the countryside. Parents believe that their children can be best attended with these kind of schools. Even though this is seen as additional bill for the family but this is the only way of getting their work done and keeping themselves busy to get income for he family. Parents would depend on the staff who would attend to their children risking their kids to the staff rather than risking the lives of the whole family. The flexible hours offered to the parents with just minimal fees is attractive to the parents working. In the last 10 years, Scotland has fluctuating birth rates which means there is the decrease and increase in the number of children being born in the every year. East Ayrshire is one of the top 15 areas with the highest number of population totalling to 119,720. There had been nursery school set up in the area. At present there are 10 nursery schools that have been operating since in the 1990s (Eurostats, 2006). Partnership Nurseries Ltd. has been in the business since 1989. It has developed two big nurseries in Cowglen and Hillington and expanded its area. It is a popular nursery school in Scotland because of its experiences and facilities available for the kids who are enrolled in the school. The nursery schools are open during Mondays through Fridays and offer minimal fees to the parents. The Partnership Nurseries Ltd is attempting to put up another nursery school in Kilmarnock which the management believed it will prosper because of the factors identified during the conduct of research and business plan. The increasing number of mothers returning to work created a stir to the business environment of creating nursery schools. This meant that more and more nursery schools are needed to have their kids tended while they are away from home. Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire is located between Glasgow and Ayr. It has a total population of 43,588 in 2005 from the facts and figures of Scotland statistics. Based on the 2005 statistics of Scotland, East Ayrshire where Kilmarnock is located, has a population of 119, 720. Children below 16 years old are about 18% of the total population of East Ayrshire. Compared with other areas in Scotland it has higher percentage of children below 16 years old which believed to be the potential customers of the nursery school. Kilmarnock is considered as one of the populated areas in the countryside so putting up a nursery school would be an advantage for the management. One of the considerations also is the fertility rate recorded in Scotland which would be a meaningful data in identifying if this project will be profitable or not. Based on data gathered, Scotland has a fertility rate of 10.6 per thousand population in 2004 though much lower compared to UK but still will compensate to the need of the parents in bringing their kids in nursery schools (GRO & Eurosat, 2006). In Kilmarnock, there are about 10 nurseries existing with different numbers of population of kids enrolled. The biggest nursery school in the area is the Beechwood House Nursery which has 120 populations of kids and 40 staff tending the kids. This is quite big so there is really a need for another nursery school in the area. The nursery school is packed with facilities that are useful to the children and will make the parents confident to bring their kids in this kind of establishment. Every nursery school has these kinds of facilities in the area but the population involved varies depending on the size of the population of the area. While there are quite a number of nursery schools present in Kilmarnock it was still seen that there should be another school to be put up based on the facts and figures presented above pertaining to the fertility rates and birth rates in Scotland especially in Kilmarnock. The new nursery being put up is offering the parents with an environment suited for their kids. There is a 1:3 ratio of child to staff and more staff for the babies. Location, based on the business plan, is well managed and maintained wherein the kids are allowed to roam around the area and play. This is located near the working areas and near to establishments of the parents. In this way, the parents can check their kids from time to time. Flexible hours will be implemented so that this will not turn out as a strict school rules rather than a learning environment for the kids who are discovering their skills and talents. Staff who will be employed are not just teachers but have passion and compassion in their work. Teachers are big factors in shaping the lives of the kids so that Partnership Nurseries will see to it that this is taken cared of. Qualified staff shall be screened carefully before giving them assignments to particular kids. Meals and other facilities will be available to the children because a food is also important while the kids are in school. Medical facilities shall also be employed so that in times of emergency they will be treated first aid (Daily post, 2007). On Nursery School's Finances Meanwhile it is worth noting that finance management is one of the most important aspects of managing a business - however big or small the enterprise may be. It is in this regard that there are number strategies that each and every company managers used. But it is worth noting that finance management approaches have one common denominator, and that is the fact that it is also dependent on the type of enterprise that the manager is administering. In a nursery school or daycare center, managing of finances will revolve on various aspects, which may include: Wages of staffs (teachers, cleaners and/or caregivers) Maintenance of supplies (such as study materials for the children, foods and other needs of the children like nappies, sleeping things and toys) Payment for utility bills like electricity, water, and telephone Payment of the parents for (as their kids' tuition fees) When managing the finances of the nursery school or daycare center, the very first questions that the finance manager or owners/managers must address are: how to go about it, how to receive and monitor payments online, how to produce the invoices for the customers, and of course, how to ensure that the customers are credible and are able to pay in the most convenient way possible. In today's time, there are highly developed approaches that 'experienced' daycare centers follow in order to maintain a smooth flow in their paying and invoicing methods. Electronic Fund Transfer Remittance Data via E-mail Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Invoice & Remittance Credit cards Others One way of payment and invoicing, which is normally used in the day care centers, is through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). Other business with existing accounts with the center can automate their payments through this method. To initiate this, the daycare center just need to communicate with their banks regarding the payment (where, how much, and to whom a payment should be sent). The bank will then electronically send the payment to the center's bank. This method offers a number of benefits including reduction of time consumption, reduction of check-processing costs and simplification of remittance and payment processing ("Manage Invoice and Payments", 1995). Remittance Data via Email is a remittance system commonly used by small and medium-sized businesses, thus very useful among daycare center finance managers or owners. In this method, the parents will email the remittance data to the day care center's designated email address in a text or spreadsheet file containing the check number or electronic Transaction Control Number (TCN), code number of the day care center service and the payment amount. The email may or may not also include special instructions such as if paying by Electronic Funds Transfer, or the check number if paying by check. This method assures a great reduction in implementation costs. More so, this does not require any programming and can be integrated with the company's current spreadsheets used to processing payables ("Manage Invoice and Payments", 1995). The benefits of using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) are maximized by most large connected business with established accounts payables with the company. They integrate the seller's invoice data via electronic methods. Large companies with multiple transactions can also enhance and simplify their invoicing process by using EDI. This method helps the buyers and the seller (the company) consolidates invoices for every transaction into a weekly or daily EDI invoice file. It also reduces paperwork and data entry work, check-processing costs and keying errors ("Manage Invoice and Payments", 1995). Meanwhile, new students or parents, with or without existing account with the day care center can also pay through their credit cards. There are three possible ways a parent can use his/her credit card. He/she can either bill the transaction directly to the credit card, or he/she can write the credit card number on the transaction number or use the credit card when he/she went personally with the day care center ("Manage Invoice and Payments", 1995). There is a two-way benefit by using the credit card. The parents can then maximize the benefits of their credit cards while the daycare center manager is assured of the ability (thru the credit limit) of the buyer to pay for the item. Other possible means that nursery school or daycare center managers use to send the invoice of the services rendered for children is thru automatic debit from the customer's (or parent's bank account (wherein the customer will be arranging to the bank for the automatic debit of the customer's invoices). Another possible mean is thru mail wherein the daycare center can send the paper invoices to the customer's address and in return the customer will send the checks via mail. The last method that daycare center managers now use is payment transaction via telephone. The customer can give the daycare center permission over the phone to debit the payment to his/her bank account ("Manage Invoice and Payments", 1995). Many of the finance managers revealed that the above-stated invoicing methods are designed to help the company or daycare center in managing invoice processing resulting to printing and storing invoices in a more convenient and timely manner. Based on two nursery school or daycare center, managing the finances of a daycare center is not easy, but they would not want to call the task hard either. "A nursery school or daycare center is just like a home, only with good numbers of children almost the same age, and a number of mothers present everyday. This is what makes my job as a manager more especial. I am not much concerned on how much earnings I would be getting in a day, but on how much learning my school is able to impart on the children" (Sarah Welsh, Owner/Manager). Miffy Evans, on the other hand revealed that managing the finances of today's daycare centers is made much easier because of the advent of internet and other technology. "Before, I have to collect the parents' payment one-by-one, accept their actual money and manually check on my ledger. Now, parents need not see me personally just to pay because they can just do online or internet banking" (Miffy Evans, Owner/Manager) Hence, it can be concluded that in managing the finances of a certain company - such as a daycare center - the amount of money being handled is not the foremost concern of the manager, but the approaches that can be effective in not only ensuring that the money comes in, but also in guaranteeing that the customers are convenient in the way they pay and receive invoices. Conclusion Working with children is a fulfilling task especially of the teachers. Teaching them in every step of the way emphasising on the earlier stages of their life is a challenging experience. Thousands of children are needing this kind of schools. This is one way of creating and developing their skills. It is an important role what the nursery schools are doing especially if the teachers are into it. Putting the children in a nursery school would not turn them away from their children but making them learn and relate with other children with diverse culture and beliefs. This will develop kids social responsibility and learning skills which they will bring throughout their lives. References Children's Business. 2004. Small talk. : A study of successful business marketing of Elegant Baby. Buyers Guide. Cook, Gretchen. 2002. Baby-Talking to New Moms: A Too-Sugary Formula; Maternity Marketing Strategies Strike Some Buyers as Infantile -- And Offensive. The Washington Post. Coventry Evening Telegraph February 23, 2004. Nursery expands with pre-school; Owners given grant to start marketing campaign. Daily Post 2007. The difficult nursery decision; How can you choose a nursery school that sets your child on the right path (Liverpool, England). Guide to Setting up a Nursery in Barking & Dagenham. 2006. www.barking-dagenham.gov.uk Garrison,Michelle M. & Dimitri, Christakis 2005. A teacher in the living room KaiserFamily Foundation, Educational Media for Babaies, toddlers and preschoolers. Child Health Institute Department of Pediatrics, University Washington. Khanna, Samiha. 2002. Birth of a business. The News & Record (Piedmont Triad, NC)Wilson, Bo. 2007. Unborn babies signed up for nursery places. Evening Standard - London ''Manage Invoice and Payments' 1995, FedEx, "Nursery" 2006. [online] Http://www.scotland.gov.uk/publications/2006/20135022/16 The Daily Mail (2006. So Are Nurses Bad for Children London, England). Way, Frances. 1995. Counting the cost of nursery school. The Independent - London Interviews: Evans, Miffy - Nursery or Daycare Center Owner/Manager Welsh, Sarah - Nursery or Daycare Center Owner/Manager Read More