This is a lovely space where the environment has been developed to provide a safe, warm, nurturing, homely space in which your child can thrive and develop.
Within the space we have an area for relaxing or sleeping, soft furnishings for those who are rolling and crawling to investigate, spaces which promote interactions and language development, role-play to support imaginative development, space for sensory exploration and discovery and music and movement. Generally, we will always have these key areas, but it does change and adapt according to the children’s needs and interests. We also have access to the garden, which is specifically designated space for our youngest children.
The ratio for our youngest children is 1:3 and all staff are fully qualified. Each baby/family will have a key person; however, there are always two members of staff within the room who all develop strong relationships with every individual. We hope that through these relationships, both you and your child will feel confident and comfortable when in the setting.
We follow the same ethos, pedagogical approach and curriculum (Early Years Foundation Stage) as the rest of the den and main nursery. This is predominantly child-led, using our observations of the children at play to inform our planning. Staff at times do lead activities, particularly for the babies, introducing them to new and different experiences. The environment is regularly adapted and changed based on these observations in order to stimulate, challenge and progress your child’s learning. You can see your child’s learning through documentation which is carefully displayed around the setting and in their own personal learning journal, which is always at hand for you to take home and read or even contribute to.
When you are ready for your child to begin their journey with us, we will, in turn, begin our journey with your family too. This involves initial meetings to complete personal details and also lots of information about your baby. We want to know every detail, from bottle feeds, sleeping times and how they like to go to sleep, their personality traits and even their nappy care routine. This all helps us to gauge the best possible picture of your child and adapt our routine to your needs. The following visits will aim to gradually extend the time that your baby is with us and to see how they are coping. If we feel that more time is needed to ease transition, then this will be organised with your key person and further visits can be arranged. This also applies to times when a child is settling in well, we can increase the time slots or reduce visits. We view each child and family as unique, therefore our approach with each family will be tailored to suit your individual needs.
The Nest 0-2 Routine
| 8:00 – 8.30 am | Breakfast |
| 8.30 – 9.00 am | Child led Play |
| 9.00 – 9.20 am | Family group / planning groups |
| 9.20 – onwards | Child led Play including outdoors |
| 10.00 -10.15 am | Tidy Up Time |
| 10.15 -10.30 am | Snack Time |
| 10.30 -11.15 am | Child led play including outdoors |
| 11.30 am | Tidy Up Time |
| 11.45 am | Home time / Welcome time |
| 11:50 am | Lunch |
| 12.30 pm | Child led Play |
| 1.00 -1.20 pm | Family Group / Planning groups |
| 1.20 – 2.00 pm | Child led play including outdoors |
| 2.15 pm | Snack time |
| 2:30 pm | Core book |
| 2.45 pm | Home Time |
| 3.50 – 4:10 pm | Indoor Child led play |
| 4.15 pm | Snack |
| 5.00 – 5.30pm 4.30pm on a Friday | Children come together with children from the den |
