Inverness nursery to exceed Scottish Government staff ratios and provide nurturing space for families
A new nursery in Inverness is offering a nurturing and creative environment for children.
Wee Buttons Childcare is the brainchild of Caitlin MacKintosh (26), who, alongside her father Ronnie and boyfriend Lewis Mitchell, transformed the former care home in Ballifeary Road into a colourful hub for families.
Together, alongside friends and family, they worked 15-hour days, seven days a week, for nine months to see the vision come to life.
They now have a room for babies, tweenies (1-2 year olds) and pre-school, alongside a dining hall, art room and community room.
There are also two gardens to allow outdoor play.
Caitlin said: “We rotate the resources every week to keep it really fresh, new and exciting.
“We've got our dress up, we've got our imaginative play, we've got our story corner. We obviously loved the building, so we've kept all the original features like the fireplaces.
“We want it to be like a little house.”
The nursery also has an on-site cook, preparing breakfast, lunch and snacks for the children. All of the food is sourced from local businesses and gives children the chance to explore new flavours.
Wee Buttons Nursery has 13 staff and Caitlin is passionate about them going over and above Scottish Government ratios, to ensure children receive the best care.
She said: “We are trying to break the mould for ratios.
“The government says that there should be a set number of adults with a set number of children.
“But we don't agree with that because if someone goes to the toilet, an adult goes with them, you've lost a member of staff.
“Then someone needs to go for a nap, you've lost a member of staff. We just don't think that's safe.
“So, for every single playroom, we have two extra staff members on top of the government requirement.
“We just think the children's interactions are better. The safeguarding is better. And the staff are happier, too.”
Caitlin and her family received no funding to start up the nursery - despite the lack of childcare in the Highlands.
They invested everything they had and sold all they could to invest it in the venture.
The dream was made possible due to hard graft and the time and talent of many people.
They now have a plaque in the hallway of the nursery which displays the names of all those who helped make Wee Buttons happen.
Caitlin added: “We’ve got the names of all these people who volunteered. They were amazing.
“They cleaned, brought food, did work and just kept us all going. None of it would have been possible without them.”
Wee Buttons Nursery has now just received funding to offer Scottish Government places.
There are no minimum days required for the nursery.
Those wanting to enrol their children can contact Caitlin on Facebook or email: weebuttonschildcare@gmail.com