By the Amber Family Team, September 2023.

It’s that time of year again, the supermarket uniform stock is dwindling, the Halloween decorations are creeping in and in some stores, there is a faint hint of colder days ahead and dare we say it, Christmas!  Some parents are breathing a sigh of relief that school is back, and the nightmare of cobbling together summer holiday childcare is over, whilst others will be dreading the morning battles and the homework pressures. Regardless of how we all feel about it, it’s BACK TO SCHOOL WEEK. Over the next few days, our social media feeds will be flooded with pictures of children standing to attention in front of doors, in their shiny new uniforms, ready for first days, new starts and big changes for some children starting their primary and secondary school education. Behind each picture is a proud parent or carer with their own worries, their own stories and excitement about new experiences for their children.

At Amber Family, this is also the time we think about our own ‘Amber Family’. We reflect on the ages of the children who have been accommodated in our settings over the years. Our first “resident baby” will be going into Year 5 this time!!! Others will be starting high school or embarking on their first day in reception. We are lucky enough to receive pictures and email updates from many past families who share these special milestones with us. We absolutely love seeing and hearing updates from our past families and enjoy sharing these with the staff team. It’s a great privilege to know that we have been in the thoughts of many past parents at such a special time.

We want to take this opportunity to wish all our ‘Amber children’ lots of luck this September. We want to let all the families that have resided with us over the past 9 years know that we are thinking of them all. We know that there are also parents who are struggling at this time of year, as they are not part of their child’s back-to-school journey. We appreciate how hard this must be for them. We want them to know that our thoughts are with them too.

The Amber Family Team