Head of Operations Carly in the Moonlight

In the moonlight is a chance for us to shine a light on the people who make up Banana Moon.

This week we spoke with one of our Head of Operations Carly, who is celebrating her 15 year birthday at Banana Moon Franchise.

Starting In Early Years

“I always wanted to work with children, specifically in early years. In 2000 I qualified with my NNEB (now level 3 CACHE diploma) and began working for a small independent nursery. Throughout my seven years at this nursery, I developed my skills quickly and completed my management level 3, while working my way up to Nursery Manager. I had a great repour with the owner and, when the opportunity to open a second site became available, I jumped at the chance to be a part of this. It was brilliant to experience the whole process of opening a nursery and seeing it develop over time.

While I loved the nursery, I spotted an opportunity for a nursery manager position to help open a new nursery locally to where I lived and applied! The nursery was for children aged 6 months to 5 years old whereas my previous was just pre-school, giving me a chance to grow. The nursery began to grow rapidly. Our team was amazing and the great service we provided was loved by parents. During this time I was busy studying part-time for my Foundation Degree and then my BA Hons qualifications. The model we had in this nursery was so good that the owners, Mark and Mike, decided to franchise, and so the Banana Moon Franchise was born. Natural progression led me to mentor the new nurseries. They shadowed me through daily activities, and I guided them through processes such as Ofsted registrations and eventually I became team leader to our internal team.”

Franchising

“Over the years I have seen the franchise develop. We have joined social media, redesigned the brand, and started using state-of-the-art software to manage daily life in the nursery. It is strange to look back and see the photo of the branded Banana Moon Franchise car (which I loved) and see how much has changed from then. It is also amazing to see the growth of the nurseries. I get to mentor the next generation of staff and franchisees in a sector I am incredibly passionate about, which is so rewarding.

Every day is a new exciting challenge, and it keeps me on my toes. However, the biggest challenge to date was becoming director of two nurseries. We were either going to lose both or save them by having myself as the nominated person. It has taught me a lot about being on the other side of the franchise. It has also brought me a lot of pride knowing I have taken two nurseries from near closure and growing them with their teams into the nurseries they are today.”

A Parents perspective

“In 2013 I welcomed my beautiful born chocoholic daughter into the world and gained the new perspective of a parent. It was the final viewpoint that makes me appreciate the service our nurseries provide and how important that service is. Now, as Head of Operations, I can look at how we develop Banana Moon Franchise from all angles, and it gives me a lot of pride knowing that in my role I am guiding the next generation of early years professionals to deliver outstanding care for children.

My favourite way to relax is watching a series on Netflix, spend quality time with my daughter and our two fur babies, while tucking into our favourite food, chocolate!”