About Siblings Nursery
Our indoor and outdoor play areas are carefully planned to make learning fun, allowing freedom to play and explore whilst remaining safe and secure at all times.
Our staff come to us with a variety of backgrounds in childcare, but they all have at least one thing in common – a love of working with children and a passion for teaching and watching them grow into competent learners. Our team of practitioners provide exciting opportunities for children to explore and investigate and they use nearly every activity as opportunities to teach.
How easy was it to get started with Blossom?
The simplicity of the implementation process is one of the reasons we chose Blossom. Myself and a senior staff member trialed a few other softwares but we didn’t really click with any of them. Until we had a demo with Blossom. It was fairly new back then and we had just heard about it. After the demo, both myself and my senior staff member looked at each other and said ‘Right, that’s the one!’ It really suits our needs.
It was very easy to set up. I gave my logo to Blossom and that was it! It’s so easy to find your way around the platform too. I am not ICT literate and loved having pen and paper – but Blossom has been amazing.
Did you explore other solutions prior to Blossom that did not work out?
A long time ago we did have a software solution but it was very basic. Then we just become more paper because of this. We also tried quite a few other popular childcare software solutions but they just didn’t tick the boxes for me! During demos, every other provider we had spoken to didn’t have the answers to our questions. But Blossom did. So we were pleasantly surprised by this.
Did Blossom’s customer service meet your expectations?
I would describe Blossom’s customer service as exceptional. The helpline is fantastic. It is reliable and consistent. People on the other end of the phone are knowledgeable. They provide the support you want. The staff are always very polite and they take time to listen to you. They walk you through the issue and you never feel like you’re being rushed.
I love how they can take control of your App so that you can sit back and watch how they do it if you get stuck. I often come off the phone speaking with the helpline thinking ‘I should have known that’ because it is that simple to use. I actually just love giving them a ring because they are so nice and calming!
Is there a particular aspect of the product that you rely on most?
There are so many features that we benefit from that it’s difficult to pinpoint just one. As the nursery manager, I particularly like how easy it is for me to track the invoicing- especially because we have to provide evidence for the local authority as we get funding. When they conduct audits, it’s so easy to pick up Blossom and be able to show them all the information instantly. Another aspect is the staff and parent communication. I use these functions a lot, for example if I just want to send out a quick message to the team.
The practitioners love that with one click you can record all information. Especially for the babies because they can’t go home and tell their parents about their day at our nursery of course! We are able to let parents know about the sleeps they had, what meals they ate, what activities they have done, and more.
When we were paper-based previously, we would send books home with this information but they would disappear and that was the breakdown of parent-nursery communication. Whereas with Blossom, there is no issue with this. The staff really do love the platform because it leaves them with more time to play with the children and that’s what they came into the job to do.
How did your parents react to the change to Blossom’s software?
When we changed from being a paper-based nursery to using Blossom, we received a lot of feedback from our parents saying that it was amazing and they loved it. Parents love that they can check at any time of the day what their child has been up to. Especially if you have a situation where one parent isn’t picking up the child from nursery as it could be a grandparent or another parent. Previously only the person fetching the child would get the sheet of information from the day, whereas now with Blossom, anyone with permissions can get that information. Parents have commented how easy it is to use and that they like how Siblings Nursery is able to communicate directly to them via the App.
We had some potential parents viewing our nursery and they had already heard about Blossom - so our parents were showing other parents the Blossom App and saying ‘this is what I get when we go to Siblings Nursery’ which is great.
How does Blossom make your business more productive?
Blossom reduces costs in quite a lot of ways. One way in particular was from the Learning Journeys. Previously we were printing photographs out, we were buying books to stick the photographs into, so all of those printing and stationery costs have been removed. Also we no longer have to spend time or money printing out lunch charts, sleep charts, registers, and daily diaries.
The biggest saving is staff time. Previously when recording a child’s development to be EYFS compliant, and to complete and print reports, we would have to give practitioners time away from the children to actually do this. Now with Blossom this is so quick and simple.
The senior staff members also save a lot of time as they do not have to gather all documents to review and approve. With Blossom, they can quickly look through what they need to on their laptop or iPad. A lot of time was previously spent looking through each area, whereas now senior staff members can look through the entire day on pretty much one screen.
Also by using Blossom the staff are more knowledgeable and confident in their knowledge of the EYFS and their key children. I think that’s the case because all the information is at their fingertips. Whereas previously registration forms are in files, files are in filing cabinets, filing cabinets are in offices away from the children so it wasn’t so accessible. It’s so user-friendly and well-designed which the staff love. I found that it has also made staff more confident when talking to Ofsted, because they know they have this software with all information ready and waiting to back them up. They don’t have to sift through piles of paper to find information and get flustered! This confidence has also translated into parents evenings as well.
How would you describe Blossom from your own experience?
Having Blossom in our settings has streamlined the business more. I have two nurseries and I can see both of them in one place. The App allows me to see anything I want at any time. I no longer have to carry the filing cabinet with me. Blossom also listens. They listen to how they can improve with features you would like to see on the platform, and how to best serve your nursery business’s needs. I wouldn’t go anywhere else. I would totally and unreservedly recommend them to any nursery setting.
