Montrose nursery accredited for high standard of care

The Little Beehive Nursery in the town is one of five in the Little Beehive group to receive the endorsement, which recognises childcare providers that go above and beyond minimum requirements by having 100% of practising staff trained in paediatric first aid, and also ensuring that everything learned during the course is kept alive and in the forefront of practitioners' minds so that they are confident, ready and capable.

Megan Burness, manager, said: “Receiving this recognition is a huge accomplishment for the Little Beehive Montrose team, and we are sure the service we provide as a result has improved.

"This has not only given the team a better understanding of how to deal with possible first aid situations that might arise, but also improved their general understanding of first aid.

“At Little Beehive, we believe in the best, and part of that is making sure that we have the best safety standards possible – to achieve that, we feel this is a required step for us .”

The Millie’s Mark pledge means that Little Beehive will guarantee all current and future staff will have the relevant paediatric first aid training while working at a Little Beehive Branch.

The organisation offers a pathway and support for nurseries who are interested in making the pledge and are encouraging nurseries from Scotland to sign up.Carol Craig, Little Beehive director, said: “We’ve always felt the current guidance in Scotland falls short of what it could be, we would love to see this more formally addressed by policymakers and perhaps make it part of mandatory training.”

The Montrose nursery was visited recently by Angus North MSP Mairi Gougeon, who congratulated the staff on their accreditation.She said: "Not only was it great to see the children enjoying themselves whilst learning valuable skills in a fun environment, it was great getting the opportunity to meet the brilliant, dedicated team who are clearly passionate about what they do and the support they provide. The team at Little Beehive go above and beyond for the children in their care and this accreditation should give parents that reassurance that their little ones are in great hands.”