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Special delivery for Devonshire Day Nursery colleagues

There were smiles all round at Devonshire Day Nursery in Chiswick as colleagues were surprised with a visit from an ice cream van as a thank you from their grateful manager.

At the Ofsted-rated ‘Outstanding’ Day Nursery on Bennett Street, practitioners were each given a pair of snazzy spectacles, before being walked down the path to reveal their treat, which was put on by proud Nursery Manager, Emmy Avery, to thank colleagues for their hard work, support and continued dedication to the children in their care.

During the wellbeing initiative, teams were able to choose from a complimentary selection of luxury cones and ice lollies from Sal’s Ices, with toppings including sprinkles, sauces and beloved confectionary, with biscoff being the clear favourite amongst the group.

Devonshire Day Nursery Manager, Emmy Avery explained;

“I can never usually get anything past my team, but I managed to keep this as a surprise and everyone was delighted. The weather has been so lovely lately and we really wanted to show our appreciation for everything our colleagues do, they go above and beyond to provide the best possible care for our nursery families and it never goes unnoticed.”

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Childbase celebrates ‘Best of the Best’ Award winners

Pictured: Childbase Founder and Chairman, Mike Thompson (Left) TV personality Stephen Mulhern and Childbase Chief Executive Officer, Emma Rooney (far right) with Award Winners.

‘We believe in you, and you always deliver’ was the message for employee-owners as Childbase Partnership celebrated another record year and their ‘Best of the Best’ annual award winners.

At the largest turnout ever for a Childbase Partnership conference and awards evening, over 1,000 employee owners from 44 award winning day nurseries in England celebrated a year in which they were named a top UK Best Workplace in two major awards.

At the Rainforest-themed events in Coventry, Emma Rooney, Childbase Partnership Chief Executive Officer said:

“Our success does not happen by chance – YOU make it possible. We don’t stand still at Childbase – we want more for the children in our care and more for each other.

Our ‘People first – No compromises’ approach delivers results and each of us as employee owners has a role to play in building on these achievements. There is no limit to what we can achieve by working together.”

She said the current focus at the company remains on providing targeted support to help colleagues meet ‘cost of living’ challenges this year.

The results include high levels of customer satisfaction – parent 10/10 reviews earned the company a Daynurseries ‘Top 20’ nursery group in the UK award – and eight Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ ratings in the latest round of inspections.

Nursery World ‘Working with Parents’ Award winner, Childbase was also the only early years provider named a Top 10 Sunday Times Best Place to Work 2023. It was highly commended in the ‘Best Places to work for 16-34 years olds’ category and ‘Excellent’ in all six areas of areas of assessment.

Childbase Partnership was also rated number 14 in the UK Great Place to Work Awards 2023.

TV personality Stephen Mulhern performed magic tricks and involved conference goers in a number of fun games and presented ‘Best of the Best’ Trophies to annual award winners at the evening gala event.

The Rainforest themed events were described as a perfect expression of the decade’s long commitment by Childbase Partnership, an Eco-Schools’ Early Years Provider of the Year 2023, to achieving best environmental practice.

Both events were designed to be as ‘carbon neutral’ as possible with the small amount of carbon that couldn’t be addressed, because they were indoor events, offset with contributions to certified climate projects.

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Knowle Green Day Nursery delight at Staines Big Duck Race

The sun was shining for the Knowle Green Day Nursery team on Sunday as they took to Staines-upon-Thames for the Big Duck Race to raise funds for charity, Midas Plus.

Decorated with their company logo, values and achievements, including the setting’s award-winning ‘Green Flag’ environmental credentials, the giant duck, which was lovingly named ‘Dennis’ by pre-schoolers, set off down the River Colne before finishing in Memorial Gardens, all in aid of the cause, which helps support vulnerable people throughout the area.

Nursery parents and children flocked to the river to show their support for the staff team, who hosted their own stall during the Staines-upon-Thames Day celebrations alongside other local businesses and community groups, giving out books and speaking to families.

Knowle Green Day Nursery Manager, Chanelle Weaver explained;

“We had a lot of fun on Sunday at the Big Duck Race and it was lovely to see so many friendly faces showing their support. Although our duck didn’t win, we had a brilliant time and are absolutely delighted to be helping raise funds for such an amazing charity. We look forward to taking part in more community events like this one in the future.”

Midasplus helps support local individuals with physical or learning difficulties who are suffering financial hardship in South Middlesex and North Surrey borders.

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Westwood Day Nursery children celebrate art and music

There were opportunities for expression at every turn for children at Westwood Day Nursery in Coventry as they enjoyed themed activities for World Music Day and Children’s Art Week.

At the Ofsted-rated ‘Outstanding’ Day Nursery on Westwood Business Park, pre-schoolers were delighted to showcase their creativity as they painted along to traditional African music, using the sounds to inspire their masterpieces with an array of bright colours and textures.

Using recycled materials, children went on to create their very own musical shakers and windpipes, practicing their fine motor skills as they cut the materials to size using safety scissors and preparing the instruments, before giving performances to their audience.

As part of the celebrations for Children’s Art Week, pre-schoolers explored drip art, which was made famous by Jackson Pollock, inspiring a conversation on the iconic artist and his unique style, as well as a painting session where children tried the technique for themselves.

The group also experimented with clay in order to make their own sculptures, using their language skills to discuss the texture of the clay and the models they were making.

Westwood Day Nursery Manager, Lyndsey Matthews explained;

“We have had so much fun celebrating these special events in nursery over the past few weeks and there have been so many exciting activities for the children to immerse themselves in. Art and music provide so many benefits for children in Early Years, including aiding cognitive development, self-expression, confidence and communication.”

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Berryfields Day Nursery unveil food bank collection point

Having pledged a year-long fundraising and donation drive for The Trussell Trust, colleagues from Berryfields Day Nursery in Aylesbury were delighted to unveil a new community collection point at the setting to help supporters make contributions to the charity with ease.

After spotting an appeal from Aylesbury Food Bank for a new home for one of their collection points, the team from the setting on Nimrod Street were eager to get involved, with their nursery car park now home to one of the special cabinets which is accessible 24 hours a day for the public to make donations of items including ambient food products and toiletries.

Colleagues have kindly volunteered to deliver the items donated to the cabinet alongside the regular contributions which are made by families and staff from the setting as part of their mission to keep the charity well stocked in supplies to serve the community throughout 2023.

Berryfields Day Nursery Manager, Jessica D’Arcy explained;

“We are thrilled to have The Trussell Trust as our charity focus for this year and hope that this collection point will provide a convenient way for members of the community to make contributions and inspire more donations for this incredibly worthy cause.”

Aylesbury Foodbank are currently urgently appealing for table sauces, long-life sponge puddings, biscuits, tinned fish, long-life fruit rice and tinned vegetables.

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Fun at the farm for Windmill Hill Day Nursery children

Chickens, goats and horses were just some of the animals that children from Windmill Hill Day Nursery in Swindon got to meet as they received a visit from Chloe’s Mobile Farm.

Following an interest in the topic, pre-schoolers from the Ofsted-rated ‘Outstanding’ Day Nursery on Windmill Hill Business Park were delighted to take to the garden, where experienced handlers introduced them to animals including a cow, rabbits, ducks and a dog.

As part of the exciting learning experience, children were able to learn about animal care routines and habitats in detail, before having the chance to stroke and brush the creatures. Pre-schoolers also used their language skills to discuss the patterns and markings on each animal, as well as talking about their own memories of visiting farms with their families.

Windmill Hill Day Nursery Manager, Lora Worthington explained;

“Both children and the adults loved the visit from Chloe’s Mobile Farm and this was a brilliant way of expanding on the interests of the group. Not only was this hugely fun and informative, but a brilliant experience for those who might not have pets at home, teaching the importance of caring for and respecting animals and the responsibility of owning one.”

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Woodberry Day Nursery children implement garden eco-initiatives

Green-fingered children from Woodberry Day Nursery in Winchmore Hill were delighted to showcase their care for the environment with a series of initiatives to encourage biodiversity.

From planting wildflower seeds to attract bees and butterflies into the garden, to using rainwater collected in the water butt to tend to the plants, pre-schoolers from the Ofsted-rated ‘Outstanding’ Day Nursery on Church Hill have been pulling out all the stops as they work towards another prestigious Green Flag award with Distinction from Eco-Schools.

As part of their efforts, children observed the creatures in their garden bug hotel using magnifying glasses and discussed the changes to the environment in summer, as well as co-researching plant life cycles to gain a better understanding of the natural world around them.

Woodberry Day Nursery Quality Manager, Nikol Moravova explained;

“Our children have been working so hard to secure another Green Flag with Distinction, following our success last year. They love seeing the results of their hard work and have the most fantastic time taking part in the activities. The programme provides so many rich learning opportunities and they are always proud to tell their families what they have learnt and help encourage this at home, such as saving rainwater to be re-used in other ways.”

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Getting close to nature at Hertford Barns Day Nursery

Following an interest in the ‘Very Hungry Caterpillar’ story, children from Hertford Barns Day Nursery in Hertford were inspired to take to the garden to embark on a special nature hunt.

Whilst exploring their countryside surroundings, pre-schoolers from the award-winning setting on Cole Green were delighted to find their very own caterpillar, which they observed closely and had the opportunity to stroke, all whilst using their language and communication skills to describe the patterns they could see, before researching the species using books.

As part of the learning experience, children delved deeper into the topic of life cycles, looking at the process of metamorphosis and the journey from caterpillar to butterfly, before using the Very Hungry Caterpillar story to discuss the foods which the insects traditionally eat.

It is for such activities that Hertford Barns have been awarded a prestigious Green Flag award as part of the international Eco-Schools scheme, the highest accolade is the programme, which is given for exceptional environmental awareness practices.

Hertford Barns Day Nursery Manager, Jenny Pratt explained;

“The children have a great deal of care and respect for the environment and the creatures in it and were thrilled to get up close and personal with a real caterpillar, having read so much about them. This proved to be an incredibly rich learning opportunity for the group, who carefully placed the caterpillar back where they found it, after making their observations.”

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Woodberry Day Nursery celebrate National Picnic Week

Celebrations were well underway at Woodberry Day Nursery in Winchmore Hill as delighted children marked National Picnic Week with a series of exciting activities.

At the Ofsted-rated ‘Outstanding’ Day Nursery on Church Hill, each age-appropriate room hosted their very own picnic, complete with blankets, pillows, teddy bears and beloved books including ‘The Tiger Who Came to Tea’ to set the scene, whilst pre-schoolers enjoyed their picnic using meal trays as part of their preparation before going to school in September.

As part of the festivities, children enjoyed food including homemade finger sandwiches, fresh fruit platters and cakes, all whilst discussing the tastes and textures they were experiencing to aid language development and building bonds with their friends whilst practicing sharing.

Woodberry Day Nursery Quality Manager, Nikol Moravova explained;

“The children had a fantastic time taking part in their picnics and this presented so many lovely learning opportunities within the rooms, from talking about healthy eating and different food groups, to reading and re-enacting stories with picnic themes to aid communication.”

National Picnic Week runs from 17^th – 25^th June 2023.

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Greengables Day Nursery children enjoy gardening masterclass

There were learning opportunities at every turn for children at Greengables Day Nursery in Owlsmoor as they received a gardening masterclass from a special guest visitor.

At the award-winning setting on Yeovil Road, pre-schoolers were delighted to plant a selection of vegetables with the help of nursery grandparent, Lydia, who shared her knowledge and showed the captivated group how to give their crops the best possible start, with the seeds sown including peppers, tomatoes, swede, cabbage and tomatoes.

After putting on their gloves and aprons, pre-schoolers mixed compost and soil to help provide nutrients for their crops, before each having the chance to dig their own hole and sow seeds, as well as watering them and the other plants around the garden.

Once the session had finished, the children were thrilled to present Lydia with a special card and a bunch of flowers to thank her for support and guidance in their gardening activities.

Greengables Day Nursery Deputy Manager, Julia Grant explained;

“It’s always a pleasure to welcome our nursery families into nursery, whether this is to read to the children or share their expertise. We are so thankful to Lydia for giving up her time to create this rich learning experience for the group, they had a fantastic time and are so excited to see the results of their hard work.”

It is for such activities that Greengables have earnt a prestigious ‘Green Flag’, the highest accolade in the internationally recognised Eco-Schools programme, which is awarded for exceptional environmental awareness and conservation practices, through initiatives including crafting with natural materials and creating habitats for wildlife all-year round.

Month: June 2023

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Special delivery for Devonshire Day Nursery colleagues

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Childbase celebrates ‘Best of the Best’ Award winners

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Knowle Green Day Nursery delight at Staines Big Duck Race

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Westwood Day Nursery children celebrate art and music

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Berryfields Day Nursery unveil food bank collection point

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Fun at the farm for Windmill Hill Day Nursery children

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Woodberry Day Nursery children implement garden eco-initiatives

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Getting close to nature at Hertford Barns Day Nursery

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Woodberry Day Nursery celebrate National Picnic Week

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Greengables Day Nursery children enjoy gardening masterclass

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Cedars Day Nursery - Leighton Buzzard