It is Kabouterland's high standards that precede their name and set them apart from other schools. “We have always maintained a high standard and strive to give the best to our children, our parents and our community,” says owner Sunita de Beer. “Despite our pride, we are always willing to learn from our mistakes. When a parent brings something to our attention, we will immediately make an attempt to rectify and resolve the issue. This is one of the many ways in which we strive to improve our services. We have always had an open-door relationship with our clients. Furthermore, we always seem to rise above our circumstances. We received a terrible blow earlier the year when the adjacent wall between us and our neighbour collapsed due to a massive rain storm. An entire play area and several classes were damaged. Yet we managed to make plans and were able to keep our children accommodated and safe, despite the disaster. As yet the wall is in process of being built and we look forward to erecting our new play area.”
The personnel at Kabouterland are well educated and experienced, each according to the needs of their own age group. “Our personnel are always well groomed and sparkly eyed; always keen to be of assistance. I pride myself therein that they are all content and satisfied in their jobs, and as a result are always willing to go the extra mile,” De Beer smiled. Many of their staff have been employed by Kabouterland for over 10 years, and many more for over five years. This in its own is a sign of the good nature and loyalty of both the employees and employers.
“We have a very well-balanced give-and-take relationship with all our staff. All their hard work is recognised and praised accordingly. We also maintain a strict relationship regarding work ethics. Although all the staff get along very well, we realise that there is a time for work and a time for play, and that the two should not interfere with each other. We work as a team, and as team members we are able to support each other in personal crises so as to avoid these from prohibiting exceptional work performance.”
Management is also, however, strict and can enforce discipline, should the need arise. Kabouterland is about a home away from home. It is a place where children should feel safe and nurtured. “Parents should feel relaxed and content when they entrust their children in our care.”
Children should be allowed and encouraged to express themselves and enjoy their freedom under competent supervision and guidance. They receive exceptional age-appropriate stimulation right from three months all the way to six years. Kabouterland also serves as a platform for several extramural activities which, although are not compulsory, are all beneficial learning aids.
“We would like to make use of the opportunity firstly to thank our parents for their loyal support. Without your faith in us, we would not be allowed the opportunity to prove ourselves. Not to mention the community which is always more than willing to help with fund-raisers and support at our major annual functions. Our staff are each an individual gem who together make a perfect necklace. Together we shine and glisten. But most of all our little kabouters. Teaching is a calling, and each of our teachers and assistants are here for the purpose of nurturing them. It is a love and passion for God's little people that guide us into wanting to teach more and more each day. The prize giving was a major surprise for us as we never knew we were even nominated. The revelation of this is that we could not convince our parents or the public to vote for us. The Best of Nelspruit award is thus to us, an honest and unbiased indication of the opinion of our community,” De Beer concludes.
