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I must admit Im not :( ...just lost my enthusiasm and get up and go (even tho had a week off) ...not sure if its the responsibility of being manager...only having 2 of us as staff team, meaning theres soooo much to do....being in a packaway setting and renting a hall where they want everything away ...fighting to get things done during the session..paperwork...frustration at not being able to support SEN children as I would like and feeling responsible.....time of the m onth..weather..dark nights etc etc!

 

We are a morning pre-school and the committee are looking at doing afternoons (couple of days per week) as there is a demand for it from parents. I do not want to do anymore hours as already come home and work on the admin, calls, finances, staff meetings and obs etc so def not an option for me to manage the afternoons. My staff also do not want to do more so not sure how this is going to work??? Would they have to recruit another manager for the afternoons...how hard is that going to be?

 

I'm tempted to take a step back and look for assistant work. Just so that I can go back to enjoying it more...

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This is just a thought - if you were to manage the afternoons you could do your admin work then if there is a separate room for you to use, the committee would then pay you properly (I'm assuming you do some unpaid work at home). The committee would then have to employ 2 new staff to run the group in the main room, this may even give you back up. Staff for the mornings if one of you are sick or need to do training.

 

I understand the responsibility of what you already do is onerous it can pull the best of us down, maybe somebody on the committee could take on some of the extra tasks you do.

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I must admit Im not :( ...just lost my enthusiasm and get up and go (even tho had a week off) ...not sure if its the responsibility of being manager...only having 2 of us as staff team, meaning theres soooo much to do....being in a packaway setting and renting a hall where they want everything away ...fighting to get things done during the session..paperwork...frustration at not being able to support SEN children as I would like and feeling responsible.....time of the m onth..weather..dark nights etc etc!

 

I'm tempted to take a step back and look for assistant work. Just so that I can go back to enjoying it more...

Neither am I .. recognise everything you say.

Not sure what to say about expansion, it is something that we have thought about but the money doesn't add up for us, plus our hall is rented out by other users most afternoons - my staff wouldn't want to increase hours either

What Panders says is true though could be paperwork time that is actually paid - as long as you do, do the paperwork not end up dragged into session

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Marley ...if they want to expand i would suggest they get an admin person in then you can do what you are paid for ....concentrating on the children and their development.......or maybe you like doing the paperwork and so need to employ someone to be hands on in the setting. You can't do everything!

We expanded some time ago...thought the same way as you but actually now i'm there it's not too bad! (still hanging on to holidays though!)

The numbers do have to add up though...do the research (or the committee need to) is there real demand...or 1 or 2 people? do a swot analysis.....look at it as a business decision not a flight of fancy

Having said all of that it does seem to have been a really tricky year for all of us....something in the air?????

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I'm in with you too... :(

As for afternoons, we do two a week and I hate them :o

We are pack away, with no proper outdoor area - and to be honest some day's are so hectic (I would even say most at the moment due to SEN, S+E very young, nappy changes, behaviour issues .....) that we don't stand a hope-in-h*** of getting outside. :(:(:(.

The poor children end-up stuck indoors for six hours and it's not fair on them (or us :D )

We have got a big hall, so plenty of room for physical play etc, and to be fair sometimes loads more learning goes on indoors than on a 'mass walk' anyway.

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I'm in with you too... :(

As for afternoons, we do two a week and I hate them :o

We are pack away, with no proper outdoor area - and to be honest some day's are so hectic (I would even say most at the moment due to SEN, S+E very young, nappy changes, behaviour issues .....) that we don't stand a hope-in-h*** of getting outside. :(:(:(.

The poor children end-up stuck indoors for six hours and it's not fair on them (or us :D )

We have got a big hall, so plenty of room for physical play etc, and to be fair sometimes loads more learning goes on indoors than on a 'mass walk' anyway.

 

hectic days are the norm......not really sure i am achieving anything.....committee are going to do surveys etc to see about demand. Parents have said the reason why they dont use us at the moment is that we cant offer full days. However hall is used by others, do parents need before and after pre-0school really too then so more like a day nursery?? Lots to look at.

I do get paid for some of the admin but have to have it approved before doing it so do more than i claim for. Unfortunately nowhere for us to use as sep office (hall and kitchen) and all the paperwork has to be kept at home as no storage...will have to see what the committee decide.

Edited by marley
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Hi Marley

Can I ask how many children do you have in your session? Sounds like you need an extra member of staff now to cope. As others have said it's all got to add up not only with figures, but on a practical side too. Would you sit and eat with the children, in which case you're not getting a break from them? Where would you store lunch bags? How would you find time to change over activities. We have done this with 3 staff/12 children and it was quite tiring . Some am children stayed and brought lunch, some went home, then others came for afternoon session and also brought lunch. It was quite tricky maneuvering parents in and out of the building all at the same time. We dont do it now due to change of venue-O dear what a shame -never mind! YEA! I know we have to be flexible for parents-but sometimes we have to think of our sanity! :blink:

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Even if you open for an afternoon session you will probably still get parents who say it's not long enough and that they want before & after hours clubs too!

We are the same as you, no office for any paperwork to be stored or completed so all admin is done at home - keyworkers are the same too; so to expand their hours and still expect the admin to be done after work is asking a lot of people.

As a packaway setting it is very physically tiring, we are on ours knees by the end of the week

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We extended hours too we now do 7 out of a possible 10 which incorporates 2 lunch clubs we can have in up to 42 children in one session. I have done this since January last year and in end I went to board and said I need non-contact or I'm going as I couldn't cope any longer working in ratio all time and doing work at home Ontop of session times. You must think of your sanity and what you can give! Otherwise like me you'll end up ready to walk. A good start would be to write down EXACTLY how much work you do at home currently and produce this to board and explain additional children/staff/hours means extra work. I bet they will be astonished to see what you actually do compared to what your paid for and stick to your guns in what you feel you can do!! Gould luck with it all

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