PURPLE POST September 2021

A warm welcome to the September edition of Purple Post

We hope you have all had a good week and are looking forward to Halloween month ahead!

In this month's Purple Post, we have the recording of our recent nutrition webinar which was incredibly insightful, all the information you need to know about the company's LLP scheme, winter well-being tips, a CPD reminder and new and improved documents on the intranet.

Read through to get all the latest company information and see what our Parenta family have been doing over the month!

'Nutrition for early years' webinar

In September, our focus was how we can give children the best start to life with nutrition. We were joined with our fantastic guest speaker Katherine Tate, The Food Teacher, and Kyla and Gill from Watermead nursery gave us so many tips as to what they do in their nursery, including 'cold cooking'! In this webinar, we covered growing children's developing brains, fussy eaters, educating parents food activities and much more. Watch it here!

Please don’t forget to use the staff intranet – it’s packed with resources to help us, our learners and our settings

A reminder that all Parenta resources to help ourselves, our learners and settings can be found here on our intranet, all in one handy place.

We publish additional industry expert advice, news articles and crafts in our free magazine and on our blog .

Here are this month’s How to Guides and new additions to the staff intranet:

All you need to know about Parenta's LLP scheme

Hello from the People Team! We wanted to take this opportunity to remind you that once you pass your probation you are invited to join Parenta Partners Limited Liability Partnership.

The Parenta Partners LLP (Limited Liability Partnership) was formed to create a culture of partnership and participation. It offers you a unique opportunity to share in the success of the business and will allow you to have a direct impact on the company’s growth and development.

Being a part of the Parenta LLP will provide you with greater visibility of the business and its performance. Where the business’ profit targets are met and exceeded, we aim to provide you with a profit share, which will be in addition to your salary or any commission or bonus that you earn (if relevant to your role). In the LLP, we are building an inclusive culture, where there is less hierarchy and more collaboration across all areas of the business, and to ensure that everyone wins when the business is more successful.

It’s no secret that adding the LLP structure into our company has led to a number of advantages and cost savings. By introducing the LLP, Parenta has been able to boost overall earnings, reinvest profits into its daily operations AND support our wonderful members by paying out a profit share when we have exceeded our targets.

Becoming a member of the LLP will support the business in reducing overall costs and will benefit you with a 13^th month payment if the business achieves its objective.

If you have any questions or would like to join, please send us your request to hrsupport@parenta.com.

Winter Well-being

With dropping temperatures and shorter days, we might feel the need to sleep for longer, notice a change in our appetite, or find that things we normally do like going to the gym of socialising with friends are a struggle.

Many of us will not have gained immunity for cold’s and viruses last year and experts are worried about how we will be more susceptible to illnesses this winter. It is important to us that you look after your balance of physical and mental well-being by doing small things like:

Keep physically fit by walking, swimming, cycling
Keep washing hands
Ensure that you have well ventilated areas
Wear a face mask if you are near other people
Feed your body good nutrition
Get plenty of sleep

As we continue through winter, it’s a good idea to think about the simple things we can do to look after our mental health, and how to spot the signs that we need some additional support. Here is some expert advice from mental health charity Mind.

What should I do?

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is just one way in which your mental health can be affected in winter. Mind’s self-care tips can help your cope with whatever you’re feeling.

1. Make the most of natural light

We know that being outdoors throughout the winter doesn’t cure SAD because people who work outside also experience SAD symptoms. However, it is still worth taking the opportunity to be exposed to natural light when possible.
2. Avoid stress

Many people find that they are more likely to experience stress in winter. If you find this time of year difficult, try to plan ahead to reduce your number of stressful or difficult activities during this time. Plan the more stressful events for other times of the year where possible, particularly major ones such as changing jobs or moving home.

Take advantage of the times when you feel well to prepare for the winter – for example, by buying Christmas presents or stocking up your kitchen cupboards.

If you can, try to make more spare time to rest, relax or do pleasant activities in the winter. Perhaps pamper yourself physically with a massage, or learn a relaxation technique to help you unwind. Our section in the intranet has examples of how to manage stress.
3. Connect with people

Sometimes, the last thing we feel like doing is talking to people. You might be feeling anxious, or overwhelmed, or just not very sociable - but connecting with other people has lots of benefits for your mental health. Talking through things that are worrying you can be really helpful, just sharing whatever it is can help you feel supported and listened to. Christmas can also be a really good time to get in touch with people you might not speak to regularly - and you never know who might need a listening ear.
4. Exercise and eat well

Try to keep physically active during the winter. While you may not feel like it at the time, physical activity can be very effective in lifting your mood and increasing your energy levels. It doesn’t have to be anything particularly strenuous – doing housework, gardening or going for a gentle walk, if you are able to, can all help. Doing something physical outside in a green space, such as the park or the countryside, has been shown to be especially helpful.

A healthy diet is also important, and you should try to balance the common SAD craving for carbohydrates, such as pasta and potatoes, with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Some people find that taking extra vitamin B12 or a Vitamin D supplement is also helpful. (Please check with your GP before taking additional dietary supplements)

For more information about a range of mental health problems, where to go for support and tips for everyday living, visit Mind’s information and support pages.

The People Team will be posting a series of hints and tips in the well-being section of the intranet and on our Facebook Page.

I-Hasco Mandatory CPD

There are still a large number of mandatory CPD courses to be completed by people. If you have not completed your Mandatory CPD please speak to your line managers, and they will support you in the planning of your schedule so that you are able to complete this.

Spotlight on… Anca Asavei

This month, we caught up with Anca who was the Kudos winner for August! Click below to listen to her audio clip.

Entice new customers with the power of testimonials!

We have received some amazing testimonials from our CX team this month - well done everyone!

The positive endorsements that we receive from our existing customers are not only a great way for giving praise to the individuals or teams concerned, but are used as a valuable marketing tool to attract new customers!

Please ensure that after every positive interaction you have with a customer you ask them if they would be willing to send in a short testimonial and then follow up with the usual link https://www.parenta.com/testimonial/

Amy was as always lovey to speak with and very ready to help me with all my queries!

Bright Futures

Super helpful, efficicient, polite and friendly - thanks again!

Rachel Cartwright

Hannah was very helpful with the query and support I needed, and responded quickly.

Sheila Tong

Hi Amie, Thank you so much for your time and help today you were really patient with me.

Just to say excellent service thanks again

Helena's Nursery

Keep those high fives coming!

Thanks to all those who have been giving kudos throughout the month – please keep it going, it’s important now more than ever to give each other a deserved ‘pat on the back’. Our winner for September is Kylie Knight! Congratulations Kylie!

Don't forget you can start voting for our October employee of the month already. Keep that Kudos coming and please give recognition for all the hard work our colleagues are doing.

Welcome to:

Ildo Barros - Quality Assurance Test Analyst
Emma Harris - Functional Skills and Additional Learning Support Manager
Faaiza Esat - Early Years Tutor
Marianne Holmes - Trainee Early Years Tutor
Sally Rix - Trainee Early Years Tutor
Dedre Ackermann - Early Years Tutor
Jenny Stanislas - Early Years Tutor
Meghan Diggines - MIS Administrator
Julie Holt - Early Years Tutor
Mandy Skinner - Early Years Tutor
Clare Bedford - Sales Executive
Chloe Brown - Sales Administrator
Tonni Linton - Williams - Trainee Tutor
Donna Hunt - Sales Administrator
Nicholas Nartey - Accounts Assistant

Goodbye to:

Sharon Aplin
Susan Russell
Mandy Ladher
Sheetal Patel
Jackie Flanagan
Steve Griffin
Claire Sharpe

Did you know?

The Big Draw festival runs throughout October.

It's the world’s largest drawing festival with the goal of promoting visual literacy and art education.

The organisations that hold the event include museums, schools, galleries, community centres, or simply people who are enthusiastic about drawing. We challenge you and any little Parenta helpers to get creative. From a 10 minute doodle to a masterpiece, channel your inner Picasso and have fun!

Parenta Magazine

Our free monthly magazine is packed with news articles and advice pieces - all of which are written to help nursery managers with the efficient running of their settings and to promote the health, happiness and well-being of the children in their care. Please do read it and send the magazine link to your contacts.

Read our magazine

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