Jennifer Lewis
Having decided as a teenager that I wanted to be an accountant, I started work as a trainee accountant at 18 years old. A year later, I made the decision to go to university before re-entering the profession. After graduating, I started to work for Total Oil as trainee accountant, until the company made the decision to move their operations to Aberdeen and I was made redundant.
This was the turning point in my life as I used my redundancy payment to open up my first setting Smarty Pants Day Nursery in Plaistow with my sister in 1995.
Eight years later, after securing funding through the Neighbourhood Nursery Initiative and the local Regeneration Project, work started on building Clever Cloggs Day Nursery and we opened in 2005.
In 2008, we secured the bid to open a setting in a children’s centre. Smarty Pants Abbey Lane opened in 2009.
During my time as a nursery owner, I have been involved in the pilots for the 15 hours 2 year old funding and the pilot scheme for the 15 and 30 hours funding for 3 and 4 year olds.
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30-Nov-2024Main StageRecruitment and retention: What does the future hold?
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30-Nov-2024Main StageThe CEO Story