Despite opening their doors just days before the first national lockdown, a mother and daughter from Mitcham have defied the odds and made their dream home business into a reality. 

Romana, 45, and Ramisha, 22, have seen their home-based “micro nursery” Petite Childcare, go from strength to strength in its first year.

During the spring and summer, the duo transformed the ground floor and garden of their family home into a nursery space, sourcing all the materials online and completing the installation by hand.

They are currently equipped and certified to deliver pre-school education and care in their home setting for up to twelve children, and the duo have ambitious expansion plans in the pipeline for 2021.

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“I’ve spent many years of my professional life in the education sector, but being in charge of my own home-nursery together with my daughter has been the most challenging and the most rewarding experience yet," said Romana.

With Romana’s 17-years of Special Educational Needs teaching experience and Ramisha’s student midwifery training, embarking on a childminding business was the perfect choice.

The pair completed online Early Years and Foundation Stage training with Ofsted-registered childminding specialists tiney, and launched Petite Childcare in March 2020. 

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“When the first lockdown hit, it was heartbreaking to have to close our doors so soon after welcoming our first children," said Romana.

"However, we were able to use the time to install enhanced safety features in our home, as well as reaching out to local families to let them know that we’d be there for them as soon as we could re-open."

As part of their daily activities, the children learn how to keep themselves safe from covid - including how to use their own colour-coded utensils, cups, plates and blankets, and how to properly wash their hands and play appropriately with other children.

“Staying open during the pandemic has not always been easy; we spend hours each week deep-cleaning every single item in the nursery, restocking hand sanitiser and washing toys and blankets," Romana added.

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"However, it’s all been worth it to be able to play our part in supporting key workers and struggling families, and to offer a joyful, safe haven for children to during their crucial learning and development stages.” 

Romana and Ramisha say they are committed to focusing on the mental wellbeing of every child in their care, with their consistent routine and joyful play-based teaching methods providing a much-needed dose of normality and structure.

Daughter Ramisha said: “I love exploring and creating new activities with an educational twist, and after a few requests from parents I started uploading our nursery daily activities onto Instagram.

"It’s been really rewarding to see other families using my ideas, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

"With spring on the horizon, I’m excited to start sharing some outdoor crafts and seasonal games to help young children develop fine motor skills and coordination”.

For more information visit Petite Childcare here.