Acorn Early Years Foundation

Acorn Early Years Foundation Professional childcare with a personal touch

Acorn Early Years Foundation, is a social enterprise with charitable status, providing early years education and childcare in Milton Keynes, Northants and Bedfordshire. We have 17 nurseries across three counties, several out-of-school clubs, extensive forest school provision, a catering service and a training centre. We specialise in outdoor play and learning, the use of natural resources, healthy food, and an emphasis on the professional development for early years practitioners.

🍂 The kind of half-term children talk about for weeks afterwards...One child proudly carries home a woodland sculpture m...
06/10/2026

🍂 The kind of half-term children talk about for weeks afterwards...

One child proudly carries home a woodland sculpture made from treasures they found in the forest.

Another can't wait to show everyone the pumpkin pies they helped create over the campfire.

By Friday, friendships have been made, imaginations have run wild, and children are heading home with muddy boots, rosy cheeks, handmade creations and stories from a week of outdoor adventures.

Our Cold Harbour Forest School Holiday Club is packed with autumn magic, from Halloween-inspired woodland crafts and mud kitchen creations to kite-making, den building and plenty of exploration amongst the changing leaves.

With spaces already filling, we know some children will be spending their half-term indoors... while others will be making memories around the forest that they'll still be talking about when they return to school.

🍁 Cold Harbour (MK3 7PD)
🍁 Ages 3-11
🍁 26th-30th October
🍁 8:30am-4:30pm

Book your child's autumn adventure today: https://pbbl.uk/3UI2Ezz

05/10/2026

🏡 Spaces Available at Acorn at Stony Stratford 🏡

We've recently had a few last-minute cancellations, which means we now have immediate full-time spaces available at Acorn at Stony Stratford. ✨

If you're looking for childcare and would like to find out more, we'd love to hear from you. 💚 Contact the nursery team to arrange a showaround and discuss your requirements.

✅ Immediate full-time places available
👶 Baby Room spaces available
🌳 Additional availability in our Oaks Room
📅 Flexible options for some individual days

⏳ Places are expected to fill quickly, so please get in touch to secure your spot.

📞 Contact the nursery team today to book a showaround and learn more - 01908 870416

🍅 Growing More Than Tomatoes 🌱Our little gardeners at Mulberry Bear have been continuing their growing adventure!After r...
02/10/2026

🍅 Growing More Than Tomatoes 🌱

Our little gardeners at Mulberry Bear have been continuing their growing adventure!

After recently harvesting tomatoes from the garden, the children have now been busy picking, tasting and enjoying the fruits and vegetables of their hard work. The Acorn children enjoyed harvesting more tomatoes they had nurtured from seed, while the Oaks and Squirrels rooms proudly picked their own fresh lettuce, which was enjoyed at teatime. The activity was shared as a continuation of the children's garden-growing journey.

These experiences help children understand where food comes from, encourage healthy eating habits and give them the satisfaction of caring for something as it grows.

🌱 Fun fact: Children are often more willing to try new foods when they've helped grow them themselves, making gardening a wonderful way to encourage healthy eating habits.

Outdoor learning is at the heart of Acorn's ethos. We believe children learn best through real-world experiences, whether that's planting seeds, caring for vegetables, exploring nature or discovering new skills outdoors. Every garden harvest is an opportunity to build confidence, curiosity and a lifelong connection with the natural world.

☀️ Just look at the fun we had over the summer at Salcey Forest Holiday Club! ☀️From woodland adventures and campfire fu...
30/09/2026

☀️ Just look at the fun we had over the summer at Salcey Forest Holiday Club! ☀️

From woodland adventures and campfire fun to creative activities and making new friends, our summer holidays were packed with memories that will last a lifetime.

Looking back through these photos has us feeling excited all over again because it won't be long before we're doing it all again...

🎃 October Holiday Club is just around the corner, and we're busy preparing for a half term full of autumn exploration, seasonal activities and plenty of Halloween fun in the forest.

If your child loved summer adventures, just wait until they see what's in store this October.

⏰ With payday landing this week and half term fast approaching, now is the perfect time to secure your child's place before sessions begin filling up.

Book now and let the Halloween countdown begin!
👉 https://pbbl.uk/4AkYmP0

30/09/2026

🏆 A winning evening for Acorn!

We’re incredibly proud to celebrate some fantastic recognition at the Nursery World Awards 2026.

Our CEO, Zoe Raven, was named Professional Book of the Year Winner for A Care Manifesto for the Early Years, while Laura O’Neill, Nursery Manager at Acorn at Hedgerows, was recognised as a finalist for Nursery Manager of the Year.

A wonderful achievement for Zoe and Laura, and a brilliant reflection of the passion, dedication and professionalism we see across Acorn every day. 💚

👉 Read more about the evening here:
https://www.acornearlyyears.org.uk/News/a-winning-evening

30/09/2026

🎙️ Happy National Podcast Day!

If you're passionate about early years, child development, parenting, outdoor learning, SEND, safeguarding, sustainability, and everything in between, our podcast is packed with conversations designed to inform, inspire, and support.

From expert insights to real-world experiences, each episode explores the topics that matter most to families and early years professionals.

Whether you're on your commute, enjoying a walk, or taking five minutes with a cuppa, there's something worth listening to.

🎧 Start listening today: Listen on Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/2Wehif1BrLCaug3bVMZ7ey

Which episode has been your favourite so far? Let us know below! 👇

🌊 Helping Children Ride the Waves and Calm the Storm 🌊Last night, our Training Team delivered Riding the Waves, Calming ...
30/09/2026

🌊 Helping Children Ride the Waves and Calm the Storm 🌊

Last night, our Training Team delivered Riding the Waves, Calming the Storm for the team at Aristotots Nursery MK.

The course focuses on helping practitioners better understand children's emotions and behaviours, equipping them with practical tools to create nurturing environments where children feel supported, understood and able to thrive.

At Acorn, we're passionate about giving early years professionals the skills and confidence to support children's emotional wellbeing, because helping children navigate big feelings is a vital part of helping them grow.

Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to such an engaging evening of learning.

📸 Take a look at some photos from the session below.

🦖⚒️ Dinosaur detectives on the case!Our children have been fascinated by dinosaurs, so we created our very own archaeolo...
30/09/2026

🦖⚒️ Dinosaur detectives on the case!

Our children have been fascinated by dinosaurs, so we created our very own archaeological dig site in the garden. After making dinosaur bones from salt dough, the children became archaeologists for the day, wearing hi-vis jackets, hard hats and special passes as they searched for prehistoric treasures. 🦴

A fantastic way to spark curiosity, imagination and outdoor exploration! 🌿

Autumn is well and truly here at Salcey Forest - Forestry England ! 🍁Today at our Tots Stay & Play, we wrapped up warm a...
28/09/2026

Autumn is well and truly here at Salcey Forest - Forestry England ! 🍁

Today at our Tots Stay & Play, we wrapped up warm and headed out to explore a new part of the forest. 🌳

Little hands got busy squishing and squashing orange play dough, creating everything from pumpkins 🎃 to snails 🐌 and spiders 🕷️.

We also gathered beautiful autumn leaves and flowers to make our very own woodland crowns 👑🍂, before settling down together around the fire to enjoy a delicious hot chocolate. ☕🔥

A lovely autumn day full of exploring, creating and enjoying the outdoors together. 💚

📅 Our next Tots Stay & Play session is on 19th October. We hope to see you there!

🏆 Book of the Year Winner! 🏆We are absolutely thrilled to share that our CEO, Zoe Raven, has won Professional Book of th...
26/09/2026

🏆 Book of the Year Winner! 🏆

We are absolutely thrilled to share that our CEO, Zoe Raven, has won Professional Book of the Year at the Nursery World Awards 2026 for her book, A Care Manifesto for the Early Years.

This incredible achievement recognises Zoe's passion, expertise and unwavering commitment to championing the early years sector. We couldn't be prouder of this well-deserved recognition.

Congratulations, Zoe! 🌟

Nursery World Magazine

Address

Unit 47 Waterside Barns, Lodge Farm Business Centre, Castlethorpe
Milton Keynes
MK197ES

Opening Hours

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

Telephone

+441908510309

Website

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