About

About us

First Steps seeks ‘To make a positive and meaningful impact for children, families and community, through excellent childcare, staffing and support services. Children are at the heart of all we do.’

Our staffing services provide quality workers in services run by children’s centres and others, for children aged under 5 and their families, for schools and other organsiations. Our aim is that these staff add value to the vital work undertaken by children’s centres, schools and other organisations through our staffing solutions service.

Our footprints@ childcare settings place child and family at the heart of all they do. We currently operate three footprints@ nurseries, in Netherton, Ainsdale and Hatton Hill in Litherland, and Kings Kids After School Club in Ainsdale.

Our Paths to Prosperity service offers help to those looking to take next steps towards employment

We strive to provide a quality, competitive service which meets the needs of centres and others and work within the Early Years Stage Foundation.

We are committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity organisation. We offer our services without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, or age.

We also provide programme management, and consultancy, learning and other associated services.

Mission, Vision and Values

At First Steps, our mission, vision and values are the core aspect of what drives our work and our service delivery

Mission Statement

To make a positive and meaningful impact for children, families and community, through excellent childcare, staffing and support services. Children are at heart of all we do.

Vision:

In five years’ time, First Steps Enterprise Limited will increase its recruitment agency services five-fold and operate new nurseries in new key strategic locations. It will continue to provide employability services. Its overall net profit will increase each year. Furthermore, it will be known for these three services being of a high-quality value, placing children and families at the very heart of its services

Values:

1. Impact.

Our service must have a strong positive impact on children, families, schools, children’s centres, candidates, and employability clients.
Our service must be effective, reflective, and flexible, with strong communication at its core.  Children’s learning, development, welfare and wonder must be central to our childcare services.  Our staffing and employability services must be strongly reflective of both client and candidate requirements.

2. Quality

Our service must maintain high professional and quality standards to ensure that our impact is consistently positive and effective.  Quality in our childcare comes from a real desire from the whole company to see children grow, learn, develop and have fun.

3. Inclusive

Our service must be open to all and be active in ensuring any barriers to access are removed, ensuring our impact is far reaching.

4. Integrity

Our service seeks to uphold the highest professional and ethical standards through a consistent approach, ensuring integrity and maximising impact.

5. Sustainability

Our service must take its environmental responsibilities seriously and minimise its carbon footprint

6. Nurture

Our service must be a safe place for children, families, candidates, employability clients, and staff — a place where each individual is seen and nurtured, enabling them to fully fulfil their potential.

7. Profit.

Our service must be profitable in order to continue having a positive impact

8. Investment

Our services must receive regular investment in resources, training, and development to support progression and maintain high-quality standards.

(July 2025)

Who Runs First Steps Enterprise?

The First Steps Team - including office staff and our footprints@ childcare teams

Ian is the Managing Director of First Steps Enterprise.  He has worked for providers of childcare services for over twenty years. As Managing Director of First Steps, he has seen it successful grow over its ten years of operation, supplying children and families staffing services, three childcare settings and learning projects across Merseyside. He works closely with a number of services in Sefton and Liverpool. Ian is the nominated person for our three Ofsted-registered services in Netherton, Hatton Hill (Litherland) and Kings Kids (Ainsdale) on both the Early Years and Childcare Registers.  He is also the organisation’s Designated Senior Safeguarding Officer.

Sarah is the Deputy Manager of First Steps Enterprise, and oversees quality assurance of our footprints@ nursery and childcare provision.  She is a qualified Early Years professional. She has worked in children’s centres for over four years. As a School Readiness Worker, Sarah has supported vulnerable families, worked in partnership with other professionals, and has acted as lead practitioner on team around the family (TAF) cases for families on the threshold of social care. Sarah has developed and delivered universal and targeted groups that promote all areas of the EYFS, empowering families in supporting and understanding the early learning goals for their children and in being ‘school ready’.  She played a key role in the development and running of two nursery settings that support vulnerable children on the 2-year-old offer. Sarah has also worked in a local primary school as a Support Advisor for parents.

Jennifer  is the other director of First Steps Enterprise alongside Ian and is our Curriculum Lead in our footprints@hattonhill nursery.  She has taught in primary schools for over eighteen years. Jennifer also spent five years working for a community organisation in an outreach and school assembly role, working with children up to the age of 11 and their families.  She also works for First Steps Enterprise one day per week in a job share with Ann.

Ann is our Administrator with over 20 years’ experience.  She has worked in a variety of organisations, including children’s centres, training providers, social enterprises, and local businesses.  Ann undertakes HR and company administration.

Nataliia is our Finance Officer with over 15 years experience in finance.  She has worked in a variety of medium and large organisations in Ukraine, providing finance services to them.  Nataliia undertakes all the finance functions of the company.

Loukia is our Recruitment & Employability Consultant for both the agency part of the business and our Paths to Prosperity programme.  Loukia has experience working in education, health services and providing support to people at university seeking work.  Loukia interviews many of our candidates and prepares them for interview.  She also assists those who are economically inactive in their journey towards finding employment across all sectors.

Charmaine is our Recruitment Support Officer and Social Media Support.  Charmaine has worked for a number of organsiations previously supplying this service.  In the agency part of First Steps, Charmaine helps us find candidates, assists Ian with business development and provides administrative support and keeps our social media on track.