Mienna is an Early Years educator, a nursery owner, and an Early Years consultant with 34 years of experience. She very proudly holds an NNEB, and says her “personal mission is to help parents and caregivers shift their expectations; meeting children where they are developmentally, rather than where we assume they should be.” Mienna is an advocate of an unplugged childhood, outdoor play, and supporting one another as leaders and educators for the betterment of the sector.
For those new to working with children, and even for some veterans, nursery management can involve unexpected responsibilities. Mienna remarks on the significant mathematical work, the resilience required, and the ability to pivot constantly as situations change second by second.
For those thinking of buying or opening Early Years settings, Mienna describes nursery ownership as the toughest business to run due to heavy guidance from the DFE, Ofsted, and the government. For leaders in Early Years childcare, this can result in making it feel less like your business is your own.
To support setting owners and managers with these demands, Mienna advocates for creating a community among nursery owners rather than gatekeeping, noting that the first two years involve cutting your teeth and building a strong team, while experiencing a roller coaster of emotions from self-doubt to confidence.
What happens when parents and carers don't agree with the way you do things? For Mienna, that means the setting just isn't for them.
Mienna shares a story of a family who left Happycrew after four weeks because they didn't align with the outdoor sleeping policy. She says that she won't bend core ethos or rules for one person and explains the science behind outdoor sleeping, citing research showing that young children who sleep outside have better immune systems and are more cognitively advanced than children who sleep indoors.
Navigating government funding is the biggest challenge facing all nursery owners, according to Mienna. She notes that the significant unpaid administrative burden and rigid requirements make owners feel like they're working for the government rather than themselves.
But it's not just managers of private, voluntary, and independent settings who are frustrated.
Mienna says that parents, too, have been sold a pipe dream that funding is completely free, creating frustration when they discover the reality. Nurseries and Early Years practitioners end up on the front line for parent anger that should be directed at the government.
Mienna identifies investing in her team as her biggest priority, pouring nurture and love into staff to make them feel valued, heard, safe, unique, and cherished, which then filters down to children and out to parents.
Mienna maintains a collaborative team culture by being willing to do any task, including taking out bins, while still maintaining necessary hierarchy and leadership responsibility. She believes that staff retention is achieved through:
Mienna advises that running a nursery requires strong business acumen beyond knowledge of child development and passion. Mienna describes her setting's rapid growth from 20 to 105 families and from two classrooms to five. She attributes success to self-belief and taking risks even when not knowing exactly how to do certain things.
Outsourcing tasks like social media, marketing, and financial management is essential for gaining back leadership time. Managers and owners should explore strategic outsourcing, focusing on roles that are easier to fill, such as admin staff and housekeepers, rather than teachers or early years educators with a full and relevant qualification.
Mienna believes that every team member should have a specific responsibility, based on their interests and strengths, creating a sense of ownership and making them feel integral to the team's success. However, self-care must be the biggest priority for leaders, as they cannot effectively teach their team to look after themselves if they are burnt out.
Mienna says that high-quality leadership comes from the heart and is instinctive, while management can be learned through education and training. This, she believes, makes them fundamentally different skills.
Mienna advises placing yourself in rooms where you're not the smartest person, seeking mentors, and constantly learning from business leaders through various platforms, including social media. Feeling imposter syndrome indicates you're doing something right as a business owner, as even the most successful leaders experience self-doubt and uncertainty.
Work intensity comes in waves, says Mienna, so it's important to understand that challenging periods are temporary. She recommends maintaining the perspective that "this too shall pass."
Mienna explains Happycrew's unique settling process, including free stay-and-play sessions before enrollment and a non-negotiable two-week formal settle period. She emphasises that success comes from building continuity of drop-offs and collections, so children learn their parents will return.
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