Childcare Sector: Abacus Ark Nursery

About the nursery

The nursery opened in September 2013. The nursery is continuously growing and has already opened 3 branches in London. More than 160 children are registered and the nursery caters for around 60 children on a daily basis.

Biometrics has made life much easier

Before having the fingerprint scanner system installed, we were using the bell and a key to the door so that parents can ring when they require access. Now it’s much easier. Staff do not need a key. They just need their finger to open the door during the timeframe when they have access. In this nursery, we chose not to enroll the parents but we might do so in future like other nurseries. Only the employees are registered on the system. Management is allowed to enter at any time, other members of staff between 8 am and 6 pm. We also grant access over the weekend as we run a crèche on Saturdays.

The main benefit for us is of course security. Only authorised people can access the nursery. Moreover, you can track staff activity, see at what time they arrive in the morning and check they are on time. The parents like the system, it gives an image of quality and security. The first thing they think of is security, their children are safe at this nursery.

And the service from Almas?

We are very happy with the company itself. For example a couple of days ago, we wanted to register a new member of staff and enroll her on the system so I called Gareth who was helping us with the software at Almas Industries. He said “Ok I will visit the premises” and on the next day, he fixed the problem straight away. Gareth was brilliant. I call him, I just have to say “I need help with this or that” and he always sorts it out. We really like the service, if you have any problem, you know it’s going to be fixed.”