Budding Entrepreneur is SENTA of attention in USA
A successful businesswoman has returned from Boston, USA, after her visit representing Yorkshire and Humberside as a New Entrepreneur Scholarships (NES) ambassador.
Maria Van Den Berg - who owns and manages The Toddle Inn, a private day care nursery in Doncaster - visited Babson College, Boston, as part of the New Entrepreneur Transatlantic Scholarships programme (NETS UK), which is an initiative run by the National Federation of Enterprise Agencies (NFEA).
Maria joined nineteen other NES scholars at Babson, one of the world’s most foremost colleges for budding entrepreneurs, and was given the opportunity to learn the ‘American way’ of starting and running a business. She also expanded her entrepreneurial skills and shared her experiences as a businesswoman in the UK.
Sheffield Enterprise Agency (SENTA) runs the NES programme at a regional level. The New Entrepreneur Scholarships (NES) is delivered by a partnership between NFEA, the Prince’s Trust and the Association of Business Schools and aims to help disadvantaged persons living in specific deprived wards to develop their business skills and turn their business idea into reality.
Maria said: “When I joined the NES scheme I never imagined my involvement would take me to America. I was so proud to be representing not only Yorkshire and Humberside, but the UK as well.
“My visit has been a great learning experience for me. Meeting American business people who worked in my field was really inspiring and they offered me lots of advice and knowledge.”
The Toddle Inn nursery was established by Maria in August 2004 and has been fully operational for just over a year. The nursery has an open door policy and caters for children from birth to age five, specialising in development and education through play.
The Toddle Inn is a haven of fun for children who enjoy the multi sensory delights of the nursery whilst parents are reassured that their children are being cared for in a safe and comforting environment.
The nursery provides children with home cooked, nutritional meals and snacks and informs parents of their child’s development on a daily basis. Special dietary requirements are also catered for. All religious festivals are celebrated which helps children to learn about other cultures from a young age.
Situated inside a renovated 18th century lodge the nursery has an acre of grounds, which are used as a children’s play area. A music room and a quiet room have also been incorporated into the nursery. Maria is qualified to Level Three in Childcare and Education and the Toddle Inn provides an educational programme to prepare the children who attend the nursery for mainstream school.
Maria added: “The NES programme has really helped me to develop the nursery and the skills I have learnt have helped me maintain excellent standards in childcare. I have already guided several people to the NES programme who have gone on to be successful in their own right.”
SENTA enterprise director Sandra Edwards said: “This is amazing feedback from Maria - her experiences from both the NES programme and from the USA will no doubt continue to influence The Toddle Inn and her growth as a businesswoman. And that, after all, is what the programme is all about.”
Sheffield Enterprise Agency (SENTA) is part of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and provides fully integrated support to new business start-ups and businesses up to two years old.
The NES programme includes part-time management education to give scholars the skills to develop a workable business plan and to see it through. The scholarships also provide support for various categories of start-up cost, to a maximum of £1,500, and a programme of on-going business mentoring access to support and advice at all times. The idea for NES came from the Treasury and was developed by the DfES through the Learning and Skills Council.
The National Federation of Enterprise Agencies (NFEA) is a network of independent, not-for-profit, Local Enterprise Agencies committed to responding to the needs of small and growing businesses by providing an appropriate range of quality services, particularly, but not exclusively, targeting pre-start, start-up and micro businesses and assisting in building their ability to survive, sustain themselves and grow.