Staff Spotlight with Emma
My name is Emma Nolan.
I live here in Leixlip Co. Kildare. It’s a really nice area and I grew up here. I’ve lived here my whole life. And it’s a fabulous area to live in. I live in proximity to the creche, about a ten minute drive away, I actually live right next door to the Captains Hill branch!
What motivated me to get into childcare was that I’ve always had a passion for working with children. I always thought it was amazing to witness how children develop and how they are basically just like blank slates! It’s amazing what they come out with… Their little personalities… What they bounce back to you with! Even their little conversations. Their little quirks… Everything that comes back to you… I just find it amazing seeing them grow from teeny tiny babies, then onto school. And just being able to see and be a part of that brings a smile to my face.
I’ve been with Little Harvard for five years. A typical day in Little Harvard… It’s a bit chaotic! But a fun chaotic! You never know what’s going to happen on a given day. You can have ideas in your head, like “okay today we’re doing this, we’ll have lunch at this time. But it’s the kids that make the day”. They’ll just come in like, “Omg I found these amazing conkers today on my walk with mam and dad” and you’re like “okay then let's go out and explore the garden! We’ll find more conkers together and build something… let's get pinecones, sticks and… insects…” Which are an absolute delight when kids show up with them unannounced! But yeah, a typical day is a good chaotic kind of day!
What I enjoy most about working here is that I enjoy working with the kids! But there’s different element of the job I enjoy as well. There’s a strong bond between the staff that work here, and making great relationships with them is a big part of it. I’m a real people person, I’m very sociable, so like… Being social with the kids, social with the staff and the overall social aspect of the job is really good.
I consider BEECH PARK like my family because I’ve been here for so long. And there’s always a good dynamic here, it’s always very easy to get on with everyone, there’s a relaxed atmosphere among staff and we work well together as part of a system. For a couple of weeks I went over to the Captains Hill branch and it’s like another little family! It’s a smaller creche than here, and as a result it feels a bit more intimate. I used to work in the Captains Hill branch so it was fab getting a chance to see all my old friends and the kids I used to look after!