Stepping Stones Nursery, Aberdare

Stepping Stones is a purpose built Day Nursery based in South Wales near Aberdare town centre and just a short walk from the local bus and train station. Yes.

About Stepping Stones Nursery

Stepping Stones pride ourselves on the commitment and dedication of our staff. Stepping Stones Nursery have been established for over 12 years. With an average five and a half year service record from employees. Stepping Stones Nursery consider ourselves to be the leading childcare provider in the Aberdare area. We are proud to say that over 80% of our intake is from

returning families and recommendations. We are inspected annually by the CSSIW and receive exceptional results year after year. Stepping Stones Nursery follow all new and existing guidelines set by the Governing Bodies. Ensuring we provide the best possible child care. Stepping Stones feel that most parents want their child to be given a ‘home from home’ experience when at Nursery. Although learning is very much apart of everyday life at Stepping Stones, we do feel that our priority with this age of children is care, attention and fun. The facility is state of the art and has a dedicated management team that are happy to answer any of your questions. Frequently Asked Questions

At Stepping Stones Nursery we are asked many of the same questions time and time again. Please feel free to ask us anything that you do not see below. You can guarantee that some parent has felt the same as you or has had that niggling question at the back of their mind. We are here to put you mind at ease and to help you feel comfortable in leaving your precious child in our care:

Frequently Asked Questions:
•What time do you open? We are open Monday to Friday from 7:30am until 18:00.

•When does the nursery close for holidays? we are closed all bank holidays and Christmas week. There is no charge for these holidays.

•Do I have to pay when my child is on holidays? Yes, if you provide us with one month’s notice prior to your holiday, the charge will be half of what you usually pay, however – failure to provide one month’s notice will result in full charge.

•I am a teacher and I do not need my child to attend through school holidays – will I still be charged? Amendments may be made to our policies for special circumstances – this will be discussed with a manager prior to your child starting nursery.

•What do I need to bring with me? Whilst your child is on formula milk you can either bring in your bottles made up every day or provide us with a carton of formula and we will make it up as and when needed. Children go onto nursery diet at roughly 1 year old as we follow specific guidelines – you will need to provide baby food/jars up to the age of 1 year old. You will also need to bring in nappies, creams, comforters and any medication your child needs.

•How will you settle my child into nursery? We recommend settling in sessions – We start the child at one hour, see how they are and go from there – sometimes the child is ready to start after the first hour while other children need a few more hourly sessions to adjust to their new surroundings. Staff discuss settling in periods with the parents and together they come up with a plan for each individual child – parents are not permitted to stay with the child during settling in sessions due to health and safety regulations.

•What happens if my child is taken ill at nursery? We will contact you immediately if your child is taken ill. Sometimes we will ask for permission to give Calpol etc, other times we will ask you to come and collect your child if they are not well enough to be in nursery or have a contagious illness. In the interests of all children it is important that your child is well before returning to nursery.

•What happens if my child is ill and cannot attend nursery? We ask parents to ring and let us know if their child will not be in nursery. Unfortunately, no refund can be made if your child doesn’t attend nursery owing to illness.

•Does the nursery accept childcare vouchers? We are registered with the main childcare voucher providers, however, if your employer uses one we are not registered with, we can register with them. We are happy to accept childcare vouchers from both parents, even if they are from different voucher providers.

•How many staff will look after my child? We work on Ofsted guidelines for adult : child ratios

Under 2s – 1 adult to every 3 children
2 to 3s – 1 adult to every 4 children
3 – 5s – 1 adult to every 8 children

•What qualifications do your staff have? Our Management staff hold a level 5, Over 80% of our staff hold a Level 3 in childcare (or equivalent) – the remainder have either NVQ Level 2 or are Trainees working towards their Level 3. The majority of our staff have been trained in Paediatric First Aid and also Safeguarding (child protection). How do I know my child is safe in nursery? All rooms to the nursery are locked and only staff who have the codes may enter. No access to the rooms is permitted to anyone who is unknown to us. We follow a strict visitor policy throughout the nursery. There is also CCTV surveillance outside nursery, the play area is enclosed and gates are padlocked while the children are playing in the outside areas. All staff have Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check – until this is received they are never left unsupervised in the rooms.

•Are staff allowed mobile phones in the rooms? No, we follow a strict no mobile phones policy.

•Will I know what my child has done throughout the day at nursery? Every day you will be given verbal daily feedback. Each unit completes daily record sheets, which states what your child has eaten, when they have slept and when they had nappy changes.

•My child has a food allergy, are you able to cater for them? We have a lot of experience in dealing with children with different dietary requirements. When your child starts nursery you will be asked to complete a Registration Form, which will include details of any allergies. We may ask you to provide certain foods for your child e.g. gluten free bread, goats milk.

•What happens if I can’t get to pick my child up? If you know that someone different will be picking your child up then give us a description of the person and a password. Once we know these people a password isn’t necessary but please inform us that they will be picking up your child.

•What happens if I am delayed collecting my child? We understand that occasionally there are traffic problems or problems at work – please ring us as soon as you know you will be late to pick your child up so that we can make arrangements for staff to stay behind. Extra charges may be incurred.

•Does the nursery have a full set of policies and procedures? Yes, we have policies and procedures covering all aspects of child welfare, staffing etc. They are available to view in all rooms and also reception area. We review our policies once a year, or more often should there be a need e.g. a change in regulations/legislation

13/01/2026

* JOB OPPORTUNITY **
** PLEASE SHARE **

We are excited to announce that we have 2 further fantastic career opportunities available in the nursery due to the continued expansion of Flying Start and the need for our services for families and children.

We are seeking to employ 2 friendly and passionate Early Years Practitioners to join our team in the Flying Start unit.
The need for our services is in constant demand, so we feel its important to have a strong, dedicated team of staff to help over see the increase of our provision and offer support for both children and the senior management within the rooms.
All our staff and children love to explore, love to get messy, love to dance and hold exercise classes and love singing their favourite songs and reading their favourite stories at circle time. Our principles as a setting are to encourage a child-led approach to learning and for them to gain experiences and challenges in a well maintained and enhanced environment.

Position: Early Years Practitioners
Hours: 16 hours p/w
Rate of pay: £12.50 per hour (increase following successful completion of the probation period)
Days/Times: Monday to Friday 715-600.
Flexibility is essential.
Start date: February 2026

Essential:
• Flexibility to work between 715-600 Mon-Fri
• Must be Level 2 qualified and be willing to work towards Level 3

Desirable:
• Experience working with young children and working in a very busy nursery
• Knowledge of the Curriculum for Wales
• Welsh speaking
* Flying Start experience - understanding of the principles of Flying Start, the assessment and observation expectations or a willingness to undertake any necessary training

What can we offer as a nursery:
• Supportive team - we have a very supportive management team and excellent unit teams in place who all encourage and guide each other to ensure everyone feels valued within their role.
• On site parking
• Holidays - 29 days standard plus additional days based on length of service
• Professional opportunities - We are very supportive and encouraging to staff who wish to progress within the professional development. We offer lots of opportunities for training and learning and will support you in developing your knowledge through your studies.

How to apply:
Please email Rachal for further details on:
[email protected]

Applications will be subject to an enhanced DBS check.

Closing date: Monday 26th January 2026
Short listing: Monday 26th January 2026

Interview dates: TBC (likely to be the w/c 26th January following shortlisting)

08/12/2025

Such a worthy cause, if you can spare something small, you can make someones christmas so special 🥰

Our Christmas Shoe Box Appeal has had a wonderful boost, with 22 boxes kindly donated by Stepping Stones Nursery in Aberdare.
We’re so grateful for their generosity and can’t wait to deliver these thoughtful gifts before Christmas.
The appeal runs until Wednesday, so there’s still time to get involved. Find out how you can help here… https://www.ageconnectsmorgannwg.org.uk/support-our-christmas-shoe-box-appeal

28/11/2025

* JOB OPPORTUNITY **
** PLEASE SHARE **

We are excited to announce that we have further fantastic career opportunities available in the nursery due to the continued expansion of Flying Start and the need for our services for families and children.

We are seeking to employ a friendly and passionate Early Years Practitioner to join our team in the Flying Start unit.

The need for our services is in constant demand, so we feel its important to have a strong, dedicated team of staff to help over see the increase of our provision and offer support for both children and the senior management within the rooms.
All our staff and children love to explore, love to get messy, love to dance and hold exercise classes and love singing their favourite songs and reading their favourite stories at circle time. Our principles as a setting are to encourage a child-led approach to learning and for them to gain experiences and challenges in a well maintained and enhanced environment.

Position: Early Years Practitioners
Hours: 16 hours p/w and 30+ hours p/w
Rate of pay: £12.50 per hour (increase following successful completion of the probation period)
Days/Times: Monday to Friday 715-600.
Flexibility is essential.
Start date: 5th January 2026

Essential:
• Flexibility to work between 715-600 Mon-Fri
• Must be Level 2 qualified and be willing to work towards Level 3

Desirable:
• Experience working with young children and working in a very busy nursery
• Knowledge of the Curriculum for Wales
• Welsh speaking
* Flying Start experience - understanding of the principles of Flying Start, the assessment and observation expectations or a willingness to undertake any necessary training

What can we offer as a nursery:
• Supportive team - we have a very supportive management team and excellent unit teams in place who all encourage and guide each other to ensure everyone feels valued within their role.
• On site parking
• Holidays - 29 days standard plus additional days based on length of service
• Professional opportunities - We are very supportive and encouraging to staff who wish to progress within the professional development. We offer lots of opportunities for training and learning and will support you in developing your knowledge through your studies.

How to apply:
Please email Rachal for further details on:
[email protected]

Applications will be subject to an enhanced DBS check.

Closing date: Monday 15th December @ 12pm
Short listing: Monday 15th December
Interview dates: TBC (likely to be the w/c 15th December following shortlisting)

Photos from Stepping Stones Nursery, Aberdare's post

24/10/2025

BAKE A WISH day

Thank you so much to everyone who attended our Make a Wish bake sale this morning. It was an amazing success and it was so wonderful to see members of the community and the care home visit the nursery to purchase our delicious treats ❤️

Thank you to all our incredible staff for baking and contributing to the bake sale and well done to our little ones for making such delicious cakes and biscuits.

As your all aware, our colleague Carrieann Chappell is running the 2026 london marathon on behalf of the charity so our two events this week (parent engagement morning and bake sale) were to raise awareness and money to help the Make a Wish Foundation.

Between these 2 events we have raised a fantastic £375.00.

Its incredible how a community comes together for such a worthwhile cause.

Well done everyone ❤️

24/10/2025

Stepping Stones “Bake a Wish” bake sale

On friday 24th October 10:00am to 12:30pm, we are hosting a bake sale to raise funds for the Make a Wish foundation and support our wonderful colleague Carrieann who is running the 2026 London Marathon on behalf of the charity.

We would love your support so please pop along and purchase one (or more) of our delicious sweet treats and help support such an amazing cause.

Help us to “sprinkle some hope for the wish children”

22/10/2025

We had a wonderful parent engagement morning in the nursery today where the children and their families were able to spend together in the setting and participate in some wonderfully planned activities all related to our charity fundraiser events for the Make a Wish Foundation.

The children and their families designed a Make a Wish poster, created Make a Wish wands to make their wishes for the children who need them, decorated a Make a Wish star, decorated a Make a Wish biscuit and explored the environment.

We love our parent engagement morning as it provides opportunities for parents/carers/guardians to engage with staff, engage in fun activities with their children and explore the setting to see why their children love it so much.

Thank you to all those who could make it today ❤️

** Photo permission was granted by all parents/carers/guardians before uploading

** More photos to follow

16/10/2025

**PLEASE SHARE**

Just a little reminder that we are holding a community event at the nursery for the Make a Wish Foundation to raise money for a fantastic charity. Our colleague Carrieann Chappell is running the 2026 London Marathon on behalf of the Make a Wish foundation so we are hosting a 'Bake a Wish' sale and all monies raised will go to the charity.

The Bake a Wish sale is on Friday 24th October between 10am and 1230pm.

So please, pop along, buy some of our yummy sweet treats and meet some of the staff. We look forward to seeing you all soon.

07/08/2025

STAFF SHOUT OUT!!

As a nursery, we are always so proud of our staff accomplishments.

So, we would like to give a massive shout out to our very own Assistant Manager Cassie Lane, who has just successfully passed her degree as a FIRST CLASS HONOUR. We are so incredibly proud of you and knew you could do it 🥰

Since Cassie joined the nursery she has been such an asset and we knew she would work her way up from Early Years Practitioner to Assistant Manager in a blink of an eye. Cassie is kind, caring and she is so passionate about her job that she signed up for her degree whilst working full time and being pregnant. Thats commitment for you.

Well done Cassie 🩷

Enjoy celebrating your well deserved success from all the staff in Stepping Stones xx

06/08/2025

DIOLCH YN FAWR IAWN PAWB ❤️

As a nursery we wanted to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to you all for choosing our nursery for your little ones. We cannot express enough in words how grateful we are that you put your trust in us to look after the most precious person in your life.

As you can tell from the tears shed tonight, that the staff and myself love your children as much as you do and saying goodbye to them is the hardest thing we have to do. We know they are ready for “Big School” but we wish we could hold onto them forever ❤️

You have allowed us to create just as many memories with your children as they have with us ☺️

We would also like to say a huge thank you for an incredible turn out tonight. We are so proud of our Lions and Stars for being brave and putting on a performance to remember for you all. We hope you enjoyed as much we all did ❤️😊

05/08/2025

** JOB OPPORTUNITY **
** PLEASE SHARE **

We are excited to announce that we have a further fantastic career opportunity available in the nursery due to the expansion of Flying Start and the extensive intake of new children at the nursery in September 2025.

We are seeking to employ a friendly and passionate Early Years Practitioner to join our team

The need for our services is in constant demand, so we feel its important to have a strong, dedicated team of staff to help over see the increase of our provision and offer support for both children and the senior management within the rooms.

All our staff and children love to explore, love to get messy, love to dance and hold exercise classes and love singing their favourite songs and reading their favourite stories at circle time. Our principles as a setting are to encourage a child-led approach to learning and for them to gain experiences and challenges in a well maintained and enhanced environment.

Position: Early Years Practitioners
Hours: 16 hours p/w
Rate of pay: £12.50 per hour
Days/Times: Monday to Friday 715-600.
Flexibility is essential.
Start date: 1st September 2025

Essential:
• Flexibility to work between 715-600 Mon-Fri
• Must be Level 2 qualified (or equivalent to) and be willing to consider working towards a higher qualification if required

Desirable:
• Experience working with young children and working in a very busy nursery
• Knowledge of the Curriculum for Wales
• Welsh speaking
* Flying Start experience - understanding of the principles of Flying Start, the assessment and observation expectations or a willingness to undertake any necessary training

What can we offer as a nursery:
• Supportive team - we have a very supportive management team and excellent unit teams in place who all encourage and guide each other to ensure everyone feels valued within their role.
• On site parking
• Holidays - 29 days standard plus additional days based on length of service
• Professional opportunities - We are very supportive and encouraging to staff who wish to progress within the professional development. We offer lots of opportunities for training and learning and will support you in developing your knowledge through your studies.

How to apply:
Please email Rachal for further details on:
[email protected]

Applications will be subject to an enhanced DBS check.

Closing date: Monday 18th August 2025 @ 12pm
Short listing: Monday 18th August
Interview dates: TBC (likely to be the w/c 18th August following shortlisting)

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Location

Aberdare

Contact the school

Click here to send a message to the school

Website

http://www.steppingstonesnursery.net/

Address

Aberdare
CF448YY

Opening Hours

Monday	7:30am - 6pm
Tuesday	7:30am - 6pm
Wednesday	7:30am - 6pm
Thursday	7:30am - 6pm
Friday	7:30am - 6pm