One of the highlights of our calendar at Daisy has always been the annual Childcare and Education Expo. We gather a group of colleagues together from across our settings and take a road trip up to Coventry to connect with fellow early years professionals and take part in engaging workshops and seminars on a range of topics.
One of our aims at Daisy is to always remain informed and up to date on the latest developments in early years education and innovation. The expo is a great way for us to do just that. Walking the exhibition floor alone gives insight into some of the leading resource providers in the early years world, and to see specialist knowledge and expertise being shared between providers in real time.
The day started with our director, Vicky, and Operations and Education Manager, Ceris, arriving early for a Breakfast Summit for nursery owners. This talk included analysis from the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) which will inform our strategic decisions over the coming terms as a nursery group. The nursery owners gathered also discussed their present challenges, many of which were the same from small, localised nursery groups to bigger, nationwide chains. Vicky and Ceris shared that the Summit, “was a valuable opportunity to network with key professionals and leaders from across the early years sector. We listened to insightful panel discussions exploring current challenges, emerging trends and the future of early years education. It was particularly interesting to hear different perspectives from across the sector and to be part of wider conversations about the opportunities and challenges facing early years providers.”.
As the main expo hall opened so ten Daisy team members, from head office to nursery managers to our fantastic educators, arrived to make the most of the day’s events. We had a walk around the exhibitors, always keeping an eye out for some exciting, new resources we could get for our nurseries before the schedule of workshops and seminars began. The team joined sessions in team building, outdoor environments, leadership and more – coming away with plenty of notes and insights to share with our colleagues back in Hampshire.
Before the close of the expo, we went around the stalls to purchase some new resources for our nurseries before saying our goodbyes to our industry friends. We headed home with lots of discussions about what we had heard and seen on the drive back. It was a fantastic day of learning and celebrating what it means to be a part of the early years world, and we’re already looking forward to next year’s expo!