In 1983, at a time when my sons were toddlers, my family moved to Essex. I quickly discovered that the local pre-school provision did not include the sort of high quality nursery care that I envisaged for my sons. I set about realising my dream, and after much research and endless months of hard work, I found our current site (40 Eastwood Road in Rayleigh) and Rainbow Nursery was born in October 1984. We have since welcomed thousands of children, many of whom have gone on to become university students or successful business people. One former pupil recently notified us that she has been offered a place at Cambridge University. Her parents generously added that they felt sure that their daughter's success could partly be attributed to the very good start she had here at Rainbow.

From the outset, our aim has been to create the atmosphere of a home from home. We purchased a large, old house with an enormous garden, both of which have been completely and extensively refurbished over the years, with the addition of a purpose-built baby unit in October 2000. We have established excellent links with the local schools and our standing in the community is very high. Our long-term aim is to ensure that we stay abreast of the changes in "early years" care and education, to ensure that our children have the best possible start in life. Our standards of care are continuously monitored to maintain excellence. In 1990, we were invited to purchase the Southbourne Grove site and both nurseries are now managed by full time, highly qualified and experienced nursery managers. I myself have become an NVQ assessor in childcare and education and am a former OfSTED nursery inspector. My time is now divided between the nurseries. I now sit on the Essex Early Years Development and Child Care Partnership and have been an EDNA (Essex Day Nurseries Association) committee member for over 10 years. My qualifications and experience have enabled us to stay at the forefront of local nursery provision. We hope that you will enjoy browsing our site and we look forward to welcoming you soon.

Myra Argentieri B.A(Hons),DPP, Qualified NVQ Assessor, former OfSTED Nursery Inspector