Caterpillar Childcare

28/08/2026

💛🐛 To our lovely families who are leaving us… 🦋💛

We’re not quite sure what’s been going on since July, but it has felt suspiciously like Christmas at Caterpillar Childcare! 🎁😂

We have been absolutely spoilt with the most thoughtful and generous gifts, beautiful cards and some truly lovely words. A few of the messages have genuinely reduced us to tears — which is very inconvenient when you’re trying to look professional! 🥹😂

And of course, some of our most treasured gifts haven’t come wrapped at all…

They’ve been carefully selected twigs, leaves, stones and other very important outdoor treasures, proudly handed over by little people who clearly believe we deserve only the finest things nature has to offer. 🌿😂

And honestly, we know just how special that is. When a child gives you one of their precious treasures, you know you’ve made it. ❤️

We have quite a few children leaving us this summer. Most are heading off to big school, and we’re still not entirely sure how that happened because, in our heads, some of them were only babies about five minutes ago!

Knowing they won’t be walking through our doors again in September feels very strange and very sad. We’ve watched them grow from tiny little people into confident, funny, clever, wonderfully individual children — and although we would quite happily keep them forever, we know they are ready for their next big adventure. 🥹🦋

A few of our families are leaving because circumstances have changed too, and that feels just as strange. When you’ve shared so much of a child’s early years, it really does feel a little bit like part of your extended family moving away.

Every child brings something completely different to Caterpillar Childcare.

The loud ones.
The quiet ones.
The cheeky ones.
The cuddly ones.
The ones with endless questions.
The ones who make us laugh every single day.
And the ones who somehow manage to leave a trail of crumbs, paint and mysterious objects wherever they go. 😂

They all leave their own little mark on us.

So to every family moving on, we really do wish you all the luck in the world for whatever comes next.

And most importantly, thank you for trusting us with your pride and joy.

Thank you for letting us share the milestones, the firsts, the funny moments, the tricky days, the cuddles, the celebrations and all the little everyday moments in between.

It is such a privilege to be trusted with such an important part of your child’s life.

We know that in September the door will open, new little faces will arrive, routines will carry on and Caterpillar Childcare will be busy again…

…but there will still be little gaps where your children used to be. 💛

We’ll miss the voices, the funny sayings, the familiar footsteps, the favourite toys, the little routines and all those tiny things you don’t realise you’ll miss until they’re gone.

So yes, we are incredibly proud of them.

Yes, we know they are ready.

And yes… we are still going to be a little bit heartbroken when September comes. 🥹

Go and spread your wings, little Caterpillars. 🐛🦋

Once a Caterpillar, always part of the Caterpillar family.

28/08/2026

🧡💙 Well… that’s one way to finish the summer holidays! 💙🧡

This morning we had a very special visitor at Caterpillar Childcare… Blippi came to see us! 😂 (a huge Thankyou to The Comic Book Childrens Party Entertainer, class as always!!)

Our Caterpillars had the best time exploring, dancing, laughing and getting fully involved in our Blippi-inspired morning. We also created our own construction zone with sand, diggers and lots of very important building work, plus a water tray and our very own Blippi Laboratory for some hands-on investigating and experimenting. 🧪🚧💦

There was digging, pouring, scooping, building, experimenting… and probably at least one child who now feels fully qualified to operate heavy machinery. 😂

It felt like the perfect way to end our summer holiday adventures. We’ve packed SO much into these weeks, made lots of memories and finished on a suitably loud, colourful and slightly chaotic high. 🧡💙

A huge thank you to our little Caterpillars for throwing themselves into every bonkers idea we come up with… and to our brilliant team for somehow helping turn “shall we do something Blippi-themed?” into an actual construction site and laboratory, all before breakfast. 😂 always supportive of my crazy ideas 🤪

Summer holidays 2026… COMPLETE! ☀️✅

Now somebody please remove the sand from absolutely everywhere. 😂

26/08/2026

🇮🇹✈️ Caterpillar Airways: Destination Italy! ✈️🇮🇹

Today was all about going fully immersive… because apparently just talking about Italy wasn’t enough for us. 😂

Our little Caterpillars arrived ready for their trip and had the full airport experience: bags checked, boarding passes inspected, passports stamped and security completed before boarding our extremely reliable, suspiciously punctual Caterpillar Airways jet. ✈️

Once on board, the children could peer through their aeroplane windows at famous Italian landmarks, giving them a little taste of where they were “flying” to before we landed and got stuck into a whole day of Italian-inspired learning.

It really was a whole team effort. Our Caterpillars helped make Italian flags, created their own chef hats, explored our gelato stand, investigated the Amalfi lemon sensory tray and even used lasagne sheets for mark making before placing them on the light box to explore their patterns and creations. 🍋🍨🍝✨

And of course… we couldn’t possibly visit Italy without making pizza. 🍕 There was lots of choosing, sprinkling, spreading and very serious topping decisions involved!

Days like this are exactly why we love immersive learning. The children weren’t just “doing activities” — they were part of a whole experience, using their imaginations, building confidence, developing language, practising independence and exploring through all of their senses.

A huge success for Caterpillar Airways. No delays. No lost luggage. No one questioned why our pilots were under five. 😂✈️🇮🇹

20/08/2026

🍫 Today at Caterpillar Childcare… we broke ALL the rules! 🍫😂

We decided that summer holidays are far too short to behave ourselves all the time, so today we threw a CHOCOLATE PARTY to say goodbye to some of our very special friends. 🐛💛

Our caterpillars learnt the dance to “Choco Choco Chocolate” — and it’s safe to say we now have a room full of tiny chocolate-themed dance professionals. 💃🕺🍫 There was lots of wiggling, giggling and some very enthusiastic moves that definitely weren’t part of the official routine! 😂

And yes… there may also have been a few cheeky chocolate-dipped treats involved. 👀🍓🍫

Thankfully, our wonderful families had packed plenty of yummy, nutritious food to balance everything out, so we’re calling it a perfectly respectable EYFS learning experience. 😉😂

After all, today we practised:
✨ Listening and following instructions
✨ Copying movements and remembering a sequence
✨ Moving our bodies to music
✨ Confidence and self-expression
✨ Sharing a special experience with our friends
✨ And, most importantly… discovering just how quickly chocolate disappears when placed in front of a group of caterpillars. 🤣

Another lovely little summer holiday memory made. 🥰

Sometimes childhood should be about muddy knees, silly dancing, chocolatey fingers and having far too much fun with your friends. 🐛🍫

14/08/2026

Our Pony Visit 🐴🌸

We’ve had a very exciting end to the week here at Caterpillar Childcare, with a very special visit from a real-life pony! 🐴💕

A massive thank you to my husband and daughter, who got up incredibly early to make this magical experience happen for the children. Their little faces were an absolute picture! 🥰

It was wonderful to see some of the children feeling a little unsure at first, but gradually building their confidence as they approached, stroked and spent time around the pony. For some of our children, this was a real testament to how much their confidence has grown throughout their time at the setting. Others were much happier observing from a safe distance, and that was absolutely fine too. We encouraged every child to take part at their own pace and respected their individual choices. ❤️

The visit provided so many opportunities for learning through real-life experiences. We talked about ponies, learned some fun facts, looked at their features and colours, and enjoyed colouring pony pictures together. The children were able to develop their communication and language, confidence, social skills and understanding of the world through a meaningful, hands-on experience. The children were amazed to discover that ponies and horses have to have their toenails clipped too!

This also linked beautifully with the EYFS, particularly Understanding the World, as the children experienced and learned about a real animal, as well as Personal, Social and Emotional Development as they managed new experiences, developed confidence and showed care and respect towards the pony.

We can’t always get out and about to experience everything the world has to offer, but sometimes we can bring those experiences to the children. 🌎✨

What a magical way to finish the week — making memories, building confidence and giving our little caterpillars experiences they may remember for years to come. 🐛🦋💕

Making the holidays magical, one little experience at a time! 🌸🐴

12/08/2026

🌞🌙 Solar Eclipse Fun! 🌙🌞

We’ve been getting solar eclipse ready at Caterpillar Childcare! 🐛✨

Our little scientists have been busy making their very own pinhole viewers so we can learn about how to observe the eclipse safely. 🔭☀️ We also got creative decorating some delicious eclipse biscuits! 🍪🌙

We talked all about the Sun, Moon and Earth, and how the Moon moves in front of the Sun to create a solar eclipse. The children were fascinated by this amazing natural phenomenon and loved getting hands-on with their learning! 🌎☀️🌙

Who knew science could be so much fun?!

We cannot wait to hear about the experiences of our peers, in the morning! 💛🐛

12/08/2026

Over the past few weeks, our Caterpillars have been working so hard painting and decorating their very own pebbles 🎨🪨✨

Yesterday, we took a little trip into our community, where all of the children proudly placed their beautiful pebbles in the flower beds near the swimming pool. 🌼🌷

Good luck to Chatteris in Bloom! Chatteris In Bloom🌸 The town is looking absolutely bloom-iful, and our children have loved spotting all of the gorgeous flowers along the way. 💐🌺

We even had a very special encounter with the donkey at Elizabeth’s Florist!🫏💕 Needless to say, the children were delighted!

We feel so lucky to live in such a wonderful, welcoming community and to be able to get out and about exploring it together. ❤️

A big massive Thankyou to all the lovely people that stopped and spoke to the children we had so many positive comments about how polite our caterpillars are, we are super proud of them!

10/08/2026

06/08/2026

☀️🌈 Summer Fun at Caterpillar Childcare! 🌈☀️

We’ve been a little quiet on social media lately… but only because we’ve been far too busy having LOTS of summer fun! 🤩

Our Holiday Club has been full of smiles, laughter and adventure! We’ve been:
🪨 Getting creative by decorating colourful pebbles.
💦 Splashing, pouring and exploring with water play.
🚶‍♀️ Heading out on exciting adventures in our local community.
🧪 Mixing, stretching and squishing all kinds of weird and wonderful slime!

Every day has been packed with imagination, creativity and plenty of messy fun (the best kind! 😄).

We’re so excited for even more adventures, giggles and memories as we head into the second half of the summer holidays. We can’t wait to see what we’ll discover next! ☀️💛🌻

20/07/2026

Childminding Assistant

Location: Caterpillar Childcare
Hours: 9am-3pm Monday to Friday
Salary: self employed-to be discussed

Join Our Friendly Team!

Caterpillar Childcare is looking for a caring, enthusiastic and reliable Childminding Assistant to support the delivery of high-quality childcare in a warm, nurturing and stimulating home-based environment.

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who is passionate about supporting children’s learning and development in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).

Key Responsibilities

* Provide a safe, caring and stimulating environment for children.
* Support children’s learning, development and wellbeing through play-based experiences.
* Assist with planning and delivering age-appropriate activities in line with the EYFS.
* Help maintain a clean, organised and welcoming environment.
* Support children’s personal care, including toileting, nappy changing and promoting good hygiene practices.
* Prepare and supervise healthy snacks and meals where required.
* Build positive relationships with children, parents and carers.
* Follow all safeguarding, health and safety, behaviour management and confidentiality policies.
* Assist with outings, walks and outdoor learning opportunities.
* Work closely with the childminder to ensure all statutory requirements are met.

Essential Requirements

Applicants must:

* Be at least 17 years of age.
* Have a genuine passion for working with children.
* Be caring, patient, trustworthy and enthusiastic.
* Have good communication and teamwork skills.
* Be willing to complete all required training.
* Be suitable to work with children and successfully complete all required suitability checks before employment.

Desirable Qualifications & Experience

* Level 2 or Level 3 qualification in Early Years Childcare (or working towards one).
* Previous experience working with children aged 0–5 years.
* Paediatric First Aid qualification (or willingness to obtain).
* Food Hygiene and Safeguarding training.

Safeguarding & Compliance

Caterpillar Childcare is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. The successful applicant will be required to:

* Complete an enhanced DBS check and any other suitability checks required by Ofsted.
* Provide satisfactory references x 2
* Demonstrate suitability to work with children in accordance with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Ofsted requirements.
* Participate in safeguarding and ongoing professional development.

We are an equal opportunities setting and welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

If you are passionate about making a positive difference in children’s lives and would like to become part of our supportive team, we would love to hear from you.

To apply: Please send your CV and a covering letter explaining why you would be a great fit for the role, to siohbon Brookes [email protected]