The babies’ day is very similar to how it is at home:
* A lot of individual care and attention to physical and emotional needs. We recognise the importance of a key person to a young child and have a dedicated baby carer. We only accommodate a maximum of three babies, under 12 months, at any one time in the nursery.
* Sleep times according to individual routines
* Plenty of stimulation during waking hours to aid physical, emotional and cognitive development.
* Your baby will spend some time in the fresh air on fine days.
* When possible, we take babies out for walks – as you would at home.
You are welcome to come in and spend time and/or feed your baby if your work schedule permits this. Please feel free to ring as many times a day as you wish to reassure yourself that your baby is happy.
The Toddlers
Toddlers will spend most of their day experiencing the world around them through:
Exploration and learning from first hand experiences
Your toddler may often come home from a day at nursery with no picture to show you. First hand experiences are important for a small child. Making a product, such as a picture, is not. They are ‘What is it?’ people. They like to suck it, bang it, throw it, carry it around, hide it and retrieve it build it or, more likely knock it down. This play is the means by which they make sense of the world they live in.
Above all, Toddlers will have a lot of fun in their play and a lot of personal attention to their physical needs. Toilet training usually takes place during these years and we will work closely with you to continue the routine which you start at home to ensure smooth continuity in this area
The Pre-schoolers
When it is the right time for your child, he or she will move into the room next to the toddler’s room where the older children are based. As with the younger children, the pre-schoolers ‘education’ programme is based around six areas of learning and development:
* Personal, social and emotional development
* Communication, language and literacy
* Mathematical development
* Knowledge and understanding of the world
* Physical development
* Creative development
The curriculum is followed with the use of themes, and each theme is explored indoors and outdoors through:
* Play * Experimentation * First hand experiences.
During this time, children also:
* build on skills learned in the toddler room to develop pre-writing, and pre-reading skills.
* develop a love of books and stories and teach children to realise that books are also good for reference.
* learn to count and recognise numbers – many will be able to write them too and to solve simple mathematical problems when they leave us.
* acquire and develop social skills and encourage a sense of responsibility in the older children.
* learn to be independent in personal hygiene.
* are taught, by example, how to care about other people.
* are taught about the world they live in and the wider world as the seasons change.
* keep and care for animals and plants, grow things and observe how and why things change.
* are encouraged to experiment with and explore the potential of all types of creative media appropriate to their age.
* develop co-ordination, muscle strength and control both in small and large movements through physical play.
Children in our care are allowed to develop and learn according to their ability and readiness. All children develop at different rates and in different ways – please do not compare your child to older siblings, or their friends.
All children at this age are working towards Early Learning Goals.
It is hoped they will achieve these by the age of six many will be achieved earlier than this.
When your child leaves our care they will have a first class start to their education.
They will also have had a great deal of fun, love and care. They will have made friendships, some of which may last for life.
