OUR STAFF
We have a dedicated team of childcare professionals, fully qualified with a vast amount of experience of working with children with a range of needs.
Our staff to child ratio is one to five.
THE STAFF
Debbie Burch: Preschool Manager and SENCo.
Marie Rohd-Thomsen: Preschool Assistant Manager and SENCo.
Jitka Bartonkova, Elaine Walker & Kirsten Williams: Preschool Assistants
All staff at Belmont Village Pre-School are qualified to NVQ Level 3 or equivalent. We continually invest heavily in the ongoing training of our staff to ensure that they are attuned to the latest developments in childcare and teaching, ensuring your child receives a high quality of care and education.
We operate a key person system, which means that each member of staff has a small group of children allocated for whom they are particularly responsible. Your child’s key person will liaise with you to ensure that the preschool meets your child’s particular needs and interests, helping them to settle in, being responsible for collating information and observations to be included in their records of achievements.
As you would expect, all staff, helpers and volunteers have Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks and appropriate references.
DEBBIE BURCH
Manager
I have worked with children for the past 15 years and can honestly say that I truly enjoy going to work every day. When a child brings you a playdough cake with a lolly stick for a birthday candle and a cup of tea from the Home Corner, and says "Here's your breakfast Debbie", it makes my day.
Being a mum of two I know the challenges that parents face, and one of the most important and hardest decisions is to let their little one fledge and start their educational journey at preschool.
Helping both parents and children on this journey, and watching the little ones achieve their full potential becoming independent, self confident and ready to start their adventure at 'Big School' is the most rewarding part of my job.
MARIE ROHD-THOMSEN
Assistant Manager
I have worked with children for the past 30 years. I have met some amazing little people and have been lucky to have been a part of their learning journey. Nothing is better that seeing the tiny two year olds develop into amazing confident four year olds, super ready for 'Big School', and knowing you helped achieve that.
KIRSTEN WILLIAMS
Preschool Assistant
My name is Kirsten, I have been working with children for 11 years, and I have 2 daughters myself. I love working with children as I feel it is extremely rewarding, I love seeing how far children come, from when they first join us, to when they leave to go on their next adventures at big school, and I feel proud to be a part of that. I also love how unpredictable working with children can be, no working day is the same, and the children can certainly keep us on our toes, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I admire children’s honesty (even if they are a little too honest at times), endless energy, creativity and how inquisitive they can be, these are some of the many reasons I love working with children.
JITKA BARTONKOVA
Preschool Assistant
I enjoy working with children and helping them develop into a happy and confident child that can make great friendships with their peers.
ELAINE WALKER
Preschool Assistant
I have three children of my own and I love that I am able to use what I have learnt through being a mum and helping in playgroups.
I enjoy bringing out the best in the children by being creative and showing them what they can achieve. It’s great seeing how amazed and proud they are when they make or do something new that they didn’t realise was possible.
THE MANAGEMENT OF
BELMONT VILLAGE PRESCHOOL
Belmont Village Preschool is a parent run committee whose members are elected by the current parents of the children attending the preschool, elections take place at the preschool’s Annual General Meeting.
The committee is responsible for:
• Employing and managing the staff
• Ensuring that the preschool works in partnership with the children’s parents
• Ensuring that the preschool has, and works to, policies which help it to provide a high quality of service; and
• Managing the preschool’s finances
The Annual General Meeting is held in June/July and is open to the parents of children attending the preschool. It is the forum for reviewing the previous year’s activities and planning for the future. The AGM also coincides with one of the preschool’s parents evening.