Nursery Administrator / Secretary

[Lucy P]

Hi, more questions i'm afraid!!

 

Does anyone have an administrator working at their setting? If so what does their job entail, what hours do they work, any idea of pay rates?

 

I have just had the brainwave that if i employed someone to deal with the paperwork side of things i could actually get 'back on the floor' with the children and staff to properly monitor what is going on and maybe teach them a few things too!

 

Feeling a little more positive now, there is light at the end of the tunnel!!

 

Many Thanks

[Guest Teddy Togs]

Hi Lucy, your question rang my bell. I have worked in the same all day care playgroup for working parents, for nearly thirty years, and when I started the only paperwork we did was the register. I have always stayed 'on the front line' to be with the children and their parents, all day long, and in the last 3 years have stayed on after the children had left to do the paperwork, unpaid. The reason being that when I speak to parents about their children's progress I can inform them from my own first hand observations and teachings. I know every child as if they were my own, and they respond to me as a friend they can come to at any time throughout the day, with their complaints, their questions and their emotions. This is the job I love, and am not too proud to mop up the loos, and talk to the children while I'm doing it. Get admin help if you can afford it, or lose contact with the best part of the job. Teddy Togs.

[Guest]

I have a Nursery Administrator and it is fantastic! She deals with most of the bookings and changes to bookings ( we have some shift workers) she deals with the post, answers the phone (which rings a lot), does all the banking and cash books, types out Newsletters ( we do one for staff and one for parents each month) takes minutes at staff meetings ( which we have once a month) is generally an all round Angel!!

 

I have just joined the company and am acting as covering Manager for Maternity leave, I have never had an administrator before and believe for large Nurseries especially ( this one is registered for 98 children) they are essential so that the Manager can get out of the office and be involved in the Nursery.

 

She works 9 - 3 3 days a week and I don't know how I would cope if she left.

 

Teri

[Guest]

We have an administrator, we are a pre-school. she deals with funding, invoices, pays bills and wages. she does 10 hours a week.

[Deb]

We have had a paid administrator for the past two years - me! I do 8 hours a week, let me rephrase that, I get paid for 8 hours per week, term time. We are a committee run pre-school. It works really well, have saved lots of money with changes in practice, claiming grants, getting bank charges refunded etc. It does help that I am also a deputy supervisor so my finger is on the pulse so to speak. I'm paid £6.20 an hour.

 

I have grown into the role, according to my strengths (the worrying thing is that I'm not confident with numbers, thank goodness for calculators, just have good attention to detail). My duties include:

 

wages

book keeping

banking

invoices

cash flow forecast

newsletter

marketing

policies update

SEN funding forms

maintaining waiting list/contacting parents

order stocks of materials and uniform

[Guest toddleo]

do you do the planning too/ or maintaining the files for each child Deb? because it seems to me that that creates HUGE volumes of admin paperwork on its own??

[Deb]

Hi Toddleo

 

Keyworkers maintain their children's files, and we are all beginning to be involved in planning to a greater degree but not in my admin capacity.

 

I complete the funding forms for our SEN children.

 

Is that what you mean?

[Deb]

I do have a job description for an administrator that you could adapt if you are interested.

[Lucy P]

Thanks so much for all your responses.

 

I'm feeling quite excited about the prospect, so much so that i locked my office door this morning when i arrived, dressed up as a pirate and became Captain Lucy for the day!

 

I haven't had so much fun in ages, the children, staff and parents loved it, i just can't believe how much i have missed out on over the past 5 years. I am finally back doing what i trained to do!

 

Deb, it would be great if you could attach your job description.

 

Thank you all

[Lucy P]

I posted a job advert today and have had 3 responses so far.

All 3 sounded really nice and appeared to have experience in the duties that the position entails.

 

As i am used to interviewing for childcare positions i am unsure of what questions i should ask in the interviews.

All i really know is that i want someone with integrety, who will keep confidentiality and basically someone i can trust completley.

 

I have sent out application packs which will show their written/presentation skills but past that i'm not sure.

 

Does anyone have any advice of what questions i could ask or anything else i should do?

 

Many Thanks

[Deb]

Hi Lucy

Your post reminded me that you asked to see the job description for an administrator. So sorry I got sidetracked. Have you got the information you need or would you still like to see the JD.

 

Will your applicant need to be computer literate? If so, could you ask them to complete a short letter or spreadsheet to check for accuracy? I would presume attention to detail would be quite important.

 

Do you have a particular administrative difficulty, could you ask them what they would do?

 

Obviously a lot depends on what exactly you want them to do but as you say integrety, honesty, ability to maintian confidentiality, ability to understand and apply your policies, equality of opportunity, ability to get on well with people.

[Lucy P]

Thanks Deb

 

I have cobbled together a job description - of sorts! i would still really like to see your one if thats ok

[Deb]

My apologies for forgetting. Here's the job description we were given and adapted to include the items previously mentioned above.

Administrator_Job_Description_and_Person_Specification.doc

[Guest]

We also have an administrator, in addition to most of the roles that Deb states she also performs the Risk Assesments, maintains registers, makes name labels, sorts out the insurance, produces enrollment forms, the prospectus, parent rota, and about a zillion other things. As we are also a pre-school and the committee can change annually, she is the named contact for a lot of things and ensures continuity from year to year. We asked for our applications to apply via CV rather than application form, as this showed how computer literate they were. We marked down any CVs with mistakes in. We were flooded with applicants, and were able to be extremely fussy. Knowledge of working in a pre-school, nursery or school was an advantage.

[Deb]

Risk Assesments, maintains registers, makes name labels, sorts out the insurance, produces enrollment forms, the prospectus, parent rota, and about a zillion other things. As we are also a pre-school and the committee can change annually, she is the named contact for a lot of things and ensures continuity from year to year.

 

Yep, I do all that too. One day I'll do a definitive list!

[louby loo]

Just glanced through this post - so not read all fully - but what I would like to add is to try and ensure the admin applicants have experince in working with parents in the early years. I've just taken over a role and thought I would be glad to a admin person - and for the most part I am - BUT although the appointed person (not chosen by me) has a wealth of admin exp, has worked for lots of clubs etc.... she hasn't got a clue about how we need to work in partnership with parents... this has caused us a few problems with some of our parents.

 

Were as we accept that many parents can seem 'demanding' after all the're leaving their children with us - the admin lady just says the parents are rude - and sometimes not being the most diplomatic of people- just comes straight out and tells them!! touble is one parent said she felt so demoralised by the admin lady she wanted to make a complaint. Luckly we're a strong team a we can laugh it of with the parents now.

 

one example being when a parent asked her about 'settling in' she just told "do you want the place or not?? she (child) can start .... date what more do you want?

 

Apart from that prob - she's a good send!!! She doesn't come into the setting we never see her... we just pick up the pieces -re parent issues!!!!!!

[Deb]

Totally agree, your administrator will probably be the first point of contact for prospective parents and as such needs to be totally customer focussed. Sometimes we have to be fair but firm when parents try it on a bit but always polite and above all friendly.