Kiddywinks Neighbourhood Nursery and Pre School

Our Story

Kiddywinks prides its self in providing all children with free choice and independence. We promote integration within the whole nursery and allow all children to access all resources and activities. All children will have unlimited opportunity’s to use the garden whenever practicable, come rain or shine! The immediate area, local facilities and community are visited as much as possible. We have a huge emphasis on outdoor play and independence, and feel that letting children have these experiences will contribute highly to them having a fantastic childhood, thus building wonderfully enriched imaginations and excellent self confidence to enable them to have strong foundations allowing them the best possible to start to a fully enriched future.
We provide ‘education through play’ and believe strongly that any child will learn a great deal more when they are having fun and enjoying themselves without any pressure on them to perform.

OUR MAIN AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
• Flexible opening hours from 8am – 6pm, Open 52 weeks per year
• Competitively priced affordable childcare, priced on an hourly basis, to give maximum flexibility.
• Child/Staff ratios above national requirements
• Freshly prepared hot meals from a rolling 2 week menu, with recipes from around the world.
• We aim to provide hassle free childcare including; daily equipment (Cups, Wipes and food, bibs etc.)
Kiddywinks will provide buggies and outdoor road safety equipment.
• All permanent staff experienced and suitably qualified. Staff will have continual training opportunities to keep abreast of developments within the childcare field.
• Kiddywinks encourages students and volunteers to come along and train here as much as possible.
• Schemas will be incorporated in to the planning of many activities and general day-to-day running. A Schema information pack for parents is available.
• For the under twos (mainly 0-12months) we will have a strong focus on baby signing. This will promote pre-verbal communication.
• We have no formal planning, we have detailed evaluation.
• All children will be introduced to a new ‘opportunity of the week’, from floating and sinking to Squishing and Squashing.
• ICT will be promoted through the use of nursery computers daily. Again for all children.
• Heuristic play and treasure baskets will be incorporated throughout the whole nursery.
• A SENCO (special educational needs coordinator) is available at all time to assist and advise all families and staff.
• Each child will have their own development file which will regularly updated with observations and children’s work, this will be available for parents to view at all times. Also all children have a scrap book, containing many photos, a treasure for parents to keep.
• Children are provided with a diary that is written in regularly, to aid communication for parents.
• We have a child friendly booklet about Kiddywinks for the children to take home. It contains photos of the nursery and staff along with a description of the setting and daily routines.
• To promote people back to work by offering high quality, affordable childcare. To encourage lone parents to return to work by the promotion of the new Tax Credits. Both of which would help to reduce the unemployment rates in the local area.
• We provide the local community with links to government departments, health care officials and local schools through our strong links with the local family centre at Victoria House; all services provided there will be available to all parents and families of the children that attend Kiddywinks.
• Equal opportunities will be paramount in the running of our nursery and we will not discriminate against any person in any way, be that staff or children.
• As a developing nursery we will welcome any suggestions from parents or staff concerning the services we provide.

I hope that Kiddywinks meets all of its aims and objectives, and can offer all of the above things to children, parents and their families with knowledge and confidence.
I feel strongly that the nursery is a part of all the children and families that come here and want nothing more than for them to have an input into its development and day to day running, I continually welcome suggestions and ideas.
We have many children that are in receipt of Early Years Funding (3-4 yr olds) and also many others that are in receipt of 2gether funding (2 yr olds).