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Welcome
to Small Wonders
Welcome to Small Wonders Day Care Nursery. We know that a great deal of thought and consideration has gone into
your choice of nursery for your child. We are committed to providing a caring and nurturing environment of the highest
quality where your child can grow and develop through carefully planned play and learning activities.
You can go about your day, feeling confident, reassured and relaxed about trusting your child to such competent and caring
hands. Small Wonders focuses on exactly what children need at every stage of development, from babies to school age
children. Children are allowed to experiment, discover experience, learn; and have lots of fun doing it. At this point, our parents
often allow themselves a sigh of relief at finding a childcare expert that knows where they’re coming from.
Family Partnership
Partnership with families is an integral part of our work and we want to partner with you to support your child’s healthy
development and early education. You are welcome to come to the setting at any time of the day to visit your child or to speak
with the staff and other families. Our aim is to make the Nursery an active community that promotes friendship and creates a
supportive network. We look forward to getting to know you and to offering you and your child a safe, caring, and discoveryfilled environment. Laughter and cuddles are important in helping children feel happy and secure. However some guidance
is essential to promote positive behaviour so that each child is encouraged to show consideration for others. This enables
children to gain an understanding of right and wrong and respect for each other and their environment. Family partnership
encompasses many facets of Nursery life and we offer you a variety of ways to be involved:
• Visit your child at any time. We encourage our open door policy
• Share with your child’s guardian what you know about your child’s interests
• Share a special project or activity
• Attend Nursery functions
• Read Nursery newsletters
• Obtain information about us from our website
Free childcare
At Small Wonders we have been allocated 2 year old and Pre-school funding from St. Helens Borough Council and offer 15
hours absolutely completely FREE. Our 2, 3 and 4 year old children can access 15 hours completely free of charge for 38
weeks of the year. You can find out if your child is eligible by contacting St. Helens Borough Council by Telephone:
01744 676542 or by Email: [email protected].
Making the right choice
Choosing childcare is not a decision to be taken lightly. You need to be absolutely certain you’re making the right one.
So we know you’ll want to find out more, have a chat to a member of our friendly and helpful support team who can answer
questions and ease concerns, then come to visit your nearest nursery and meet the manager. (We’d also suggest you look
round one or two other nurseries first, so that you’ve got something to compare us to, and can really appreciate the Small
Wonders difference.)
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Beginning your
journey with us...
Every child, from inquisitive little tots to dynamic preschoolers, has their own personality; their own little quirks,
likes, dislikes and interests. And they all develop at their
own pace. We want to give them as many new, interesting
and stimulating experiences as we can, to develop their
knowledge, imagination and personality and help them
grow into confident individuals.
They’re supported along the way by their own guardian
and a caring team who get to know each unique child and
encourage different aspects of their ability and personality.
Our nurseries are divided into age specific rooms; babies,
toddlers and pre-school. Healthy physical activity is a big
part of the day, even in bad weather, we get the woollies,
waterproofs and wellies on and carry on regardless,
making the most of the fresh air and freedom.
Baby Room (6 weeks to around 26 months)
At this early stage, babies are observing the world around
them; as well as learning how to control their bodies. Your
little ones will also be responding to their surroundings
and communicating with their Small Wonders family.
The Baby Room team focus on tactile activities that
encourage development and they make every effort to
create a ‘home-from-home’ environment that provides
a gentle transition from home to nursery life, and has
lots of cuddles.
Toddler Room (around 20–40 months)
With growing independence, and with their own unique
personality really coming through, children are ready
to start developing social, self-help and life skills. In the
Toddler Room, we support these skills with activities like
circle time, dressing skills, toilet training and shared meal
times where children are encouraged to feed themselves.
The focus is on purposeful play that sets the foundation
for a lifelong love of learning.
Infusing pre-schoolers with a love
of learning
This is a fast and furious development phase. Children
grow in confidence by the day, and become more skilled
in so many different areas. They’re physically more able,
with fine motor skills developing. Their use of language
flourishes and their enquiring minds are keen to know
the answers to all life’s mysteries.
In the Pre-school Room, our team plan activities to
reflect the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) for the
development of pre-school children. Each Pre-school
room has a dedicated teaching area where the children
enjoy small group sessions with our early years educators.
Our aim is to instil and encourage self confidence and
a real enjoyment of learning so when they start school;
they’re self assured and raring to go.
Engaging care for school age
children
They’re allowed to get involved in lots of interesting
activities with new friends, in an environment that is
designed for their age group and has a lot more scope
than a typical breakfast and afterschool club. You’re
allowed a bit of an easier ride and total peace of mind.
Holiday Club: School holidays can be a real puzzle, but
it’s one we’ve solved.
Our Holiday Clubs provide the support you need and
gives children the chance to take part in a range of
exciting programmes and new experiences, such as trips
out, creative workshops, games, sports, ceramics, drama,
dance, art, cookery, music and culturally themed weeks.
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A love of learning...
Our philosophies and practice are based on a rich
tradition of early childhood education theories and
customs; including the works of social constructivists
such as Jean Piage, Lev Vygotsky, Jerome Bruner and
Peter Moss. The social constructivist approach is based
on the view that children learn best when the learning
environment and teaching supports active ‘hands on’
learning through discovery, exploration, asking questions
and testing out thinking and ideas. This learning is best
supported by adults who actively engage with children to
support their explorations, discoveries and questions so
that they are able to co-construct their knowledge
and understanding.
Enjoyable and effective learning
through play
Children learn most effectively when they’re having fun.
We call this ‘Learning Through Purposeful Play’ and it is
a philosophy we embrace throughout our setting. Children
are encouraged to participate, express and extend
themselves. Children will develop at their own pace, and
every tiny achievement is celebrated. Each age-specific
room supports learning and development at every stage.
There are plenty of opportunities for children to participate
in group activities, which build social interaction and
self-confidence. With the education we give them, our
children leave us well prepared for school life and ready
to blossom even further.
Learning Journey
The Learning Journey is a wonderful journal in which we
record all your child’s achievements throughout their time
with us. It’s filled with pictures, artwork, magic moments,
fond memories and the significant occasions we have
the privilege of sharing. At the end of their time with us,
it’s yours to keep and treasure always. At Small Wonders
we recognise how important new beginnings are in each
child’s development and to each child’s family. We call
these new beginnings “transitions.” We recognise each
child’s adjustment period will vary depending on age
and prior experiences in child care settings, and make a
great effort to make transitions special and as smooth as
possible. This is done by sensitively settling children in
and by customising care and communication with families.
We will discuss with you an individual transition plan to
suit your child and family needs.
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
We operate within the government’s Early Years
Foundation Stage (EYFS), a framework which recognises
the holistic nature of development and learning at this
age. The EYFS identifies the individuality, efforts and
achievements of children.
Here at Small Wonders we offer the same EYFS
curriculum that is carried out across all schools and
nurseries. We offer your children the very best start in life;
adding in those little extras such as basic French lessons
and phonetics. We are proud to announce that we have
our very own early year’s teachers within our team. We
also offer wide range flexible hours to suit you and your
child’s needs. Above all we ensure that your children are
school ready when the time comes.
Small Wonders strongly believes in creating strong
partnerships with schools and every year invite all
teachers into the setting to meet your little ones.
Here at Small Wonders we host a big coffee morning
and graduation event when your child’s time here has
come to an end. We will proudly celebrate all your child’s
achievements and help prepare them for the future.
Please ask any of the pre-school or management staff any
questions regarding your child’s education. Our mums
and dads can take part in our free EYFS parents course
which helps explain how you can support your child’s
learning and development at home.
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Creating strong and
resilient children...
As well as fostering a love of nature and simply being
outside, outdoor play encourages healthy physical
activity, team play and social inclusion. And of course,
there’s the theory that plenty of fresh air helps children
sleep better at night, which is an aspect our parents
particularly appreciate!
For some reason, learning through play is simply more
fun outside, so outdoor play is built into each morning
and afternoon’s activities. And, unless the conditions are
just too severe for even our intrepid team to brave, we
go out regardless. If it’s cold and rainy, we snuggle up
in woollies, wellies and waterproofs, and get on with it,
whatever the weather. The children love it!
Nutrition
Strong, healthy little bodies, fizzing with energy; that’s
what we’re after. To get good stuff out, we put good stuff
in. Our food is freshly prepared on site by our qualified
chef who minimises the use of sugar and other additives.
In fact, while there are no set rules in the childcare sector,
we’ve set our own strict standards and our menus are
independently certified as being nutritionally balanced.
So that’s one less thing to worry about.
Mealtimes are an important part of the Nurseries
curriculum and are served family style so the children can
learn to set tables, serve themselves, share conversation
and clear away according to their ability. We believe in
quality food made with healthy and in season ingredients.
Our menu reflects our attitude to healthy eating but also
includes a variety of cultural influences. Meal times can
become a full activity for our children with music playing to
reflect the particular cuisine being eaten.
Babies
Your child’s feeding routine is of the up most importance
to us. The Baby Room has a dedicated milk preparation
area where we can prepare and store bottles of expressed
milk if you’re breastfeeding. When your child is ready to
start weaning, our varied weaning menu, freshly prepared
by our chef, will allow them to experiment with different
flavours and texture.
Staff Recruitment
When you’re happy in your career, you’re far more likely
to come to work with a smile on your face and be fun,
enthusiastic, dynamic and interactive. Only the best
applicants get past our rigorous selection process to join
our great team, and, of course, everyone’s fully vetted
and security checked. Staff are trained to familiarise
themselves with the allergy lists and to use them as
reference, maintaining their awareness to minimise the
potential risk of exposing children to substances or
materials to which they have known allergies. Qualified
First Aiders are present in the Nursery at all times.
Our team has a wide range of skills and experiences, and
are selected because they share our passion, commitment
and positive attitudes towards childcare.
Security Systems
Our nurseries are designed with security in mind. We use
a combination of fob systems, key code systems and
CCTV to control access. We also have a member of our
team to welcome everyone with a smile while providing
that extra level of reassurance.
Thank you for taking the time to read this information. Please feel free to contact the manager should you have any
further questions or comments. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
*This copy of the brochure was up to date when printed, however at Small Wonders Day Care Nursery we reserve
the right to amend or update anything set out in this brochure
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