Little Darlings is owned by Diane Adams a former chef and english language teacher who works alongside 6 other qualifed, professional childcare practitioners. We have created a ‘family’ atmosphere at Little Darlings where the children are able to feel secure, safe and loved. All the staff at Little Darlings hold an up to date Enhanced DBS Police check, Paediatric First Aid Certificate and are all qualified, or currently studying to Level 2 or 3 in childcare or above. They regularly attend training courses to further thier development and knowledge and keep up to date with current legislation.

A beautiful, large, private garden provides children with a safe place for their physical development, fresh air and an opportunity to interact with nature, it also includes a children’s gardening corner.

There are 2 pets who live at the setting, Nancy the dog and Michael the cat. They are an important part of the nursery and very much loved by the children who do spend time with them but only with close supervision.

At Little Darlings we believe very strongly in the importance of nutrition from fresh, organic food and in educating children from an early age in the benefits of making healthy eating choices. To encourage this we grow herbs, salads and vegetables in the garden with the children and regularly introduce new fruits and vegetables into our daily menu, all the meals provided are home cooked, using organic and sustainable produce whenever possible. Along-side this the children are shown how to treat animals and nature kindly and with respect and as well as the household pets we also have daily visits from our resident squirrels and family of robins. As fresh air and exercise is such a vital part of a child’s growth and development, outside play is a very big part of our day and we spend as much time in the garden as possible. Outside in the summer months we have creative activities, paddling pools, a sand pit, an outside painting area and picnics.

Inside we have created a safe, warm, child friendly environment that meets OFSTED safety requirements and fire services regulations. We have high chairs, child-sized tables and chairs, cots, safety gates, a separate play/sleep room with doors to the garden and a designated bathroom for the children. 

The children’s daily activities include: painting, drawing, story-time and reading, music and dancing, role play and dressing up, clay and playdough modelling, cooking, arts and crafts and everyday family activities such as shopping, clearing up and laying the table.

In our planned, adult-led activities we focus on a different country every month, helping the children to learn about other cultures, languages, food, celebrations, festivals and beliefs from around the world.

Continuing our belief in the benefits of physical exercise for children, we have reguar kidsyoga and meditaion sessions which is a fun, active way of helping children to develop a strong body, gain respect and love for themselves, and learn to discover a place of stillness and peace through breathwork.

We keep an individual development file for each child which contains written observations and photographic evidence of their development. We also provide parents with a daily information sheet about their child which records their nappy changes, sleep times, information about how they ate, their general mood, daily activities and any milestones reached. We work very closely with parents, constantly exchanging information about routines and development so that the transition from home to Little Darlings is as easy and stress free for the children as possible. We fully appreciate and recognise that you are the most important person in your child’s life and will develop a working partnership with you that meets your child’s individual and specific needs. We keep you updated with news and any changes at Little Darlings with a regular newsletter, listen to your views through feedback questionaires and regular one to one meetings.

At Little Darlings we follow the EYFS guidelines and focus on the 7 Areas of Learning in our daily planning and learning activities. We have twice daily story time, listening and reading together, singing time and nursery rhymes, Makaton and writing lessons. We introduce maths throughout the day, celebrate other cultures and festivals and arts and daily crafts activities. We encourage the children to talk about and express their feelings through role play and our Feelings Poster.

One of our staff members is a qualified Montessori teacher and incorporates the Montessori Method of teaching into our daily routine and also provides on one to one tuition with the older children to ensure that they are school ready in their learning.

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