Our Vision
Dawn to Dusk Day Nursery offers high quality, all round, nursery care to children from the age of 3 months to 5 years., from our specially designed Baby Unit to our Early Years Pre school unit. Our vision is to develop each individuals child's full potential. Our team of fully trained staff ensure parents are confident that their child is being well looked after in a safe and secure environment.
A Typical Day
- Children are welcomed into the nursery by their key person
- Breakfast is offered between 7am and 8.30am
- Activities are available to the children throughout the day, these are a mixture of children's choice and adult led activities.
- Individual planning of activities are based on observations made of each child's interest and development stage.
- Healthy snacks such as fresh fruit are offered at 10am
- A freshly prepared hot meal is served at 11.30am by our on site cook
- After lunch children are encouraged to rest/sleep
- Tea is served at 4pm
- Garden play and activity room are organised on a daily basis
- Babies have their own individual routines for eating and sleeping which we follow until they are old enough to be weaned onto our routine.
- There are set times for changing nappies, but nappies are checked on a regular basis and changed as and when needed.
- All children under 3 have a daily communication book where information can be shared between the child's key person and parents.
Early Years Foundation Stage
The Government guidelines for children's early education is called the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). This was introduced in September 2008 and revised in 2012. This applies to all children and supports inclusion, as the focus is on the individual child's interests and abilities. At Dawn to Dusk Day Nursery we have a Key Person approach where the key person observes and plans for the child's next stage of development, working from the guidelines of the EYFS.
We will follow the Early Years Foundation Stage EYFS which ensures 'All providers are required to use the EYFS to ensure that whatever setting parents choose, they can be confident that their child will receive a quality experience that supports their development and learning.! (The Early Years Foundation Stage, DFES, 2007)
The EYFS has significant importance placed against planning for the children's needs and abilities and shows this through: Look, Listen and Note. Our staff regularly observe the children at play and document the child's interests, which are then used to create planning.
In order to ensure our planning for the child is effective we work in close contact with parents. This provides us with the whole picture of the child's interests as it includes their home life.
From the key persons observations, we are able to introduce possible lines of development and plan activities to extend the child's learning. Whilst we do group activities, we plan for individual children and always keep a flexible approach to learning.
Development Goals
The nursery's main aim is to develop the potential of the children in its care.
Children learn best when they are happy, secure and confident. In order for children to achieve this we must first ensure that they are properly settled into their new environment.
Change for a child is sometimes difficult to cope with, particularly if a child has had one principal carer. Therefore, the settling in period can be quite traumatic initially. This is perfectly normal, and is part of the integration period, which is short lived and often as traumatic for the parent. At the Nursery we encourage parents to stay with their child for as long as they feel the need. In achieving the child's trust, and confidence our aim is to provide a stimulating, carefully planned, structured learning environment which meets the child's individual needs. Emphasis is placed on giving the child a variety of experiences through play, and creating the opportunities for the child to experiment, and explore the world around them.
This can be achieved through some of the following activities:
- Role Play - Encourages through creativity, language, socialisation and imagination.
- Construction - Develops motor skills, creative thinking and spatial concepts.
- Books - Develops language skills, picture recognition and listening skills.
- Physical Play - Indoor & outdoor equipment to develop co-ordination, agility and strength.
- Art & Craft - Encourages to explore textures, techniques and colours.
- Music & Dance - Stimulates an interest in varied sounds & self expression through dance.
- Malleable Play - promotes sensory development.
All the aforementioned activities form part of a child's early learning, and are encouraged through play and enjoyment.
The nursery is continually congratulated on the confidence of the children in its care
Complaints Procedure
We at Dawn to Dusk Day Nursery constantly strive to ensure that we give your children the best possible care, and attention at all times, whilst offering a quality service. If at any point during your child's stay with us, you wish to discuss an area of concern, or are unhappy about any element of the service, which we provide, then please do not hesitate to speak to a member of senior management who will only be happy to help!
If after discussion with senior management you feel your concerns are still making you unhappy about the service we provide you can contact the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED).
The Early Years directorate OFSTED is responsible for the registration and inspection of Early Years Provisions.
They can be contacted in the following ways:
Ofsted National Business Unit
Royal Exchange Building
5th, 6th and 7th Floors
Piccadilly Gate
Store Street
Manchester
M1 2WD
Telephone: 0300 123 1231
Likewise please tell us when you are happy. This is a great moral boost for the staff who dedicate their careers to the well-being, care and development of young children. In order to deliver what you want we welcome your constructive comments and, where ever possible, will act upon them.
Our Team
The team of dedicated caring professionals strive to provide the highest quality childcare where each child’s individual needs are met with dedication, passion, and experience. We operate the key person approach which enables staff to develop a strong bond with an individual child and their parents.
All staff have individual training programmes and are vetted and hold a current DBS check. Staff regularly attend training courses to maintain their high standards of childcare, keeping up to date with all new childcare knowledge and legislation.
The team is led by a Manager who holds a BA Honours degree and an Early Years Professional Status. In addition we employ staff who have a qualification in Early Years Childcare NVQ level 3 and Level 2. In line with Ofsted requirements regarding staffing ratios we pride ourselves in being well within the ratio guidelines.
As well as maintaining a high level of qualified staff we run a very successful apprenticeship programme, in conjunction with national recognised training providers.
