Pre-registration
Not only do you want an environment that is right for your child you want a nursery that can accommodate your needs and work in partnership with you to prepare your child for school and the wider world.
Why not book a no-obligation visit to one of our settings to see what we can offer your child? To book your visit please complete the attached form and we’ll contact you to arrange a suitable appointment.
Alternatively, come along to one of our regular open days arranged at weekends to allow you to visit without losing time at work.
Once you have decided that our nursery is right for your child a £75 deposit will secure his or her place. We will ask you to fill in a range of documentation to ensure that we fully understand your individual child’s needs and your wishes. Once this is complete we will arrange a settling-in period for your child.
Communication and support for parents
We recognise the trust you put in us when you register your child with Peapods Early Learning Centre and want you to be completely happy with that decision. Two-way communication is vital. In addition to our termly parents’ meetings we also issue monthly newsletters with news of recent and planned activities. We also arrange a number of events where parents are welcome to join in; in the past, these have included a Mother’s Day song and dance and an Easter bonnet parade. Our annual Christmas disco is a very popular event with parents and children.
Settling in
We allow children time to settle, it may take more than 3 sessions for a child to settle as every child is different and some may require more time than others. We will work with you to plan a settling-in programme that works for you and your child so that you can be confident that your child will be happy during their time with us.
Developing your child
Peapods Early Learning Centres follow the 7 areas of learning in the Early Years foundation programme which consists of:
- Communication and language
- Physical development
- Personal, social, and emotional development
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the world
- Expressive arts and design
Children are free to choose many of their activities from a wide programme. Other activities are adult-led and focused on the development needs of the individual child. We also bring in a range of specialist tutors to extend the children’s learning and add variety to the nursery day.
Graduation
The time will come when your child is ready to move on from nursery to school, we work hard to ensure that the transition is as smooth as possible. We have regular meetings with our local schools and ensure that your child has the opportunity to visit their new school before the end of the summer term prior to them starting in September. We also recognise that this is a stressful time for you so we’ll share key contacts and information about the schools we have relationships with and we’ll remind you of key deadlines in the application process.
We also adjust nursery routines to prepare the children for the change in environment, for instance, we introduce a visual timetable to help the children understand routines and get them school-ready.
Leaving us is a big step in your child’s life so we hold a ‘graduation ceremony’ for all the children moving on each year to which you are invited. We always have a little tear in our eyes as we see the children we’ve nurtured so carefully leaving us.
The nursery day
Babies
A 1:3 staff ratio allows us to give your baby the individual attention he or she needs. We understand the importance of routine in a baby’s life so we will work with you to develop a nursery day that is consistent with your home schedules. Your baby will be comfortable in our homely, but stimulating, baby room which offers space to learn and develop as well as space to eat and sleep.
A wide range of activities and equipment is available for your growing baby. These include treasure baskets, sensory fun, music and singing, construction, and creativity. We ensure that all our children spend time outside on a regular basis. There’ll be time for cuddles and giggles too.
When your baby is ready to move on to the next stage we will manage the transition from baby room to one of our toddler rooms seamlessly.
Toddlers
As your child becomes more mobile and more inquisitive they will need more space for physical activity. They will need to be able to crawl and toddle, run and jump, dance, and skip in a space that is safe for them and others so it is time for them to join our toddler room. Here they’ll be able to practice and fine-tune their recently acquired fine motor skills.
This is also a time for rapid language and communication development so our resources include plenty of books, puppets, and instruments to help stimulate your child’s imagination and learning. Daily routines begin to change and your toddler will now eat from our full nursery menus which provide them with a healthy, balanced, and interesting diet, see a sample menu here. There are still plenty of opportunities for rest and sleep if required but the children are now beginning to experiment and play independently. A wide variety of toys encourage mimicking and creative play so the children might ‘make dinner’, ‘drive a car’, or go on a ‘trip to the jungle’. We continue to ensure that outdoor play is a key component of the day.
Pre-school
As your child grows up they need space to experiment and to develop their independence whilst staying safe. Our daily routines are embedded in the Reggio Emilia philosophy which is based on the principles of respect, responsibility, and community with the child at its centre. Children learn through exploration and discovery in a supportive and enriching environment. They learn a great deal from each other so we encourage them to spend time in groups, sometimes of mixed ages. This can allow siblings to spend time together during the nursery day. It also allows our team to work with groups of children and to prepare them for the different learning environments they will encounter in school.
Preparing you and your child for school is really important to us. We understand that this can be a stressful time for you so we have links with local schools, arrange visits for the children, and adapt our routines to introduce some of the practices that the children will encounter at school. We have a library scheme that allows the children to take nursery books home to share with you. We do some fun projects to introduce the idea of school to the children and we give four-year-olds space and time with a member of staff, separate from the younger children.
Extras
We want to offer your child as broad and rich a curriculum as possible and want to build their confidence by introducing new people and new experiences so we have developed relationships with a number of specialists Amanda’s Action Club
Amanda’s Action Club combines fun, fitness, and music to teach young children about healthy lifestyles. The children really look forward to the weekly sessions at our Greenford setting. For a flavour of an Action Club session visit http://www.amandasactionclub.co.uk/Nurseries/
Blue Fox Forest School
Learning in the outdoors is a key component of the Early Years programme so we are working with the Blue Fox Forest School, based at Lytten Nature Reserve to add an extra dimension to our outdoor learning. Find out more here http://www.bluefoxforestschool.co.uk/
ICT Classes
It’s vital that children in the 21st century are confident users of technology so we have a weekly visit from Click IT to help the children develop their skills in an exciting manner. Learn more here http://www.clickit-kids.co.uk/
Petting visits
Helping children to understand the world is a key part of our role so every month we introduce the children to a different animal. Talking about where the animal lives, what it feeds on, when it sleeps, and how to look after it develops the children’s understanding of life.
Food and Well-being
Catering
At Peapods we want to encourage your child to eat a healthy and varied diet, that’s why our menus feature home-cooked dishes from a wide range of cuisines. Each day we offer our children breakfast, lunch, and tea with morning and afternoon snacks to keep blood sugars balanced. Whilst we can accommodate special diets, allergies, and food intolerances we do encourage our children to try new tastes and textures.
Breakfast will typically consist of cereal and toast but lunch could be Chickpea Curry with rice and carrot sticks or lasagne with garlic bread. Tea might be fish fingers or a pasta bake for example. We offer desserts at both lunch and tea; the children’s favourites include chocolate pancakes, pear crumble, and fresh fruit salad. Snacks include fruit or vegetable sticks with a dip or crackers and cheese. We offer milk or water to drink so that we keep children hydrated but without sugary drinks.
Menus are planned on a four-week rota to ensure that we offer balance and variety. For sample menus click here.
Catering for our very youngest babies will be arranged in partnership with you.
Sleep and rest
Every child is different and their need for rest and sleep will vary with their age. A rest or sleep after lunch is built into our daily routines but we also have a quiet room for children who need more sleep or quiet time.
We do understand that the amount of sleep a child has in the day can impact bedtime routines so if you have any concerns about your child’s sleep patterns please discuss them with us.
Personal hygiene
We want to encourage our children to adopt healthy habits so we ensure that children wash their hands after going to the toilet, before and after meals, and when they are playing outside or doing messy activities. Every child is given a personal toothbrush and encouraged to clean their teeth after meals.
We understand that potty training can be a challenging time for toddlers and their parents. We will work with you when the time comes for your child to be toilet trained so that your little one is not confused by a different regime at home to that in a nursery.
Exercise and outdoor play
In addition to regular outdoor activities, our Greenford nursery children enjoy a session with ‘Action Amanda’ every Tuesday afternoon. This session is designed to get children learning to love exercise in a fun and very child-centred manner.
We also work with Blue Fox Forest School to offer children the chance to explore learning in the outdoors.
