AS a working mother, company director Tina Beales was well aware of a gap in the market for good-quality nursery facilities.
Initially the former air hostess began running a small childcare business with the help of two staff at her home in Cove. But ion 1991 she obtained premises at Glasgow Airport and set up Babes at Work Ltd to cater for the children of airport staff, police, hospital staff - anyone, in fact, involved in shift work.
The nursery, which caters for children between the ages of six weeks and eight years old, is open seven days a week from early morning to 10 at night.
Says Tina: ''Just over three years ago we obtained certification for BS5750/ISO9001, making us the first company in Britain to go forward and set the standards for quality childcare in Britain.
''The company operates with total quality awareness. I believe no other organisation has our experience or reputation.''
Many of the parents who use the facility work for the airport. However, there are a number of others who are employed in hospitals and other large organisations. The Glasgow Airport nursery has 17 staff - 11 full-time, three part-time and three skillseekers - with additional staff to cover holidays and sickness. The nursery is registered to look after 70 children at any one time and currently serves about 90 families, with a growing waiting list. The company also operates a Nanny Agency and Sick Child Facility, providing staff to fill childcare positions, temporary or permanent, part or full-time.
All the nannies registered with it are screened by the local authority, says Tina. ''We also give a full back-up service to the nannies by providing a three-way link among the parent, the nanny and the agency.''
Other services offered include overnight and weekend childcare, after-school care, holiday play-schemes, and even foreign language tuition.
Tina says 95% of her staff are qualified SNNEBs. Further training is undertaken in management skills, computers and foreign languages for children, as well as in-house training which includes child development.
In October 1996, the company won the Converted Business Excellence Award for Quality & Service, sponsored by J & B Rare whisky. It was also highly commended for Best Professional Service at the Dunbartonshire Enterprise Awards ceremony. Babes at Work is registered under Renfrewshire Council's Education Department Pre-5 Unit.
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