Koalas

In the Koala room, we provide a safe, fun and stimulating environment for 2-3 year olds. This means the children can play, learn and make friends. 

Safety and Security

Child to staff ratios in the Koala Room are at a minimum of 1 member of staff to 4 staff.

All of our staff undergo enhanced CRB checks as you would expect and as required by Ofsted.  All our staff have regular appraisals and personal development plans.  This means that we constantly strive to build on our knowledge and expertise to ensure your child has the best possible learning and development, safe and fun experience whilst in our care.  

Playing here

We have a home corner which inspires imaginative play, a soft area with cushions and comfy chairs and books so the children can sit and read. We also have a dressing up and painting area and a craft table for free expression. We have many age appropriate toys which the children can choose to play with and a planned activity every day that is age and stage appropriate and follows the Early Year Foundation Stage guidelines.

Children are starting to learn important social skills when they get to the Koala room.  They are more aware of the other children around them and are starting to interact with other adults and children in a more structured way. This can present some social challenges such as learning to share, communication, and being able to express thoughts and feelings in appropriate ways. This is where we help them develop these skills.

Food

We use our daily routine to help the children develop their social and personal skills.  We use events such as sitting down together for snack, circle time and playing together as opportunities for increasing learning and confidence.

Breakfast is available to children before 8.15am - we try to keep to this time so we do not have a constant flow of food throughout the day which can result in children not eating full meals at lunchtime.

We also have healthy snacks and lunch/tea both of which are prepared on-site using as much organic foods as possible.  Often we will have a fruit snack in the morning and something savoury in the afternoon for mid afternoon snack (such as crackers and cheese).  All children have the choice of water or milk to drink.

 Lunch is served at 12pm, and the children have a main meal followed by a dessert which alternates between fruit desserts and some of the children's favourites including muffins or fromage frais.  Water is available all day but a choice of squash or water is always available at mealtimes.   Tea is served at around 4.15pm.  Tea is usually a smaller meal, but designed to compliment their earlier meal so that they have eaten a balanced diet over the course of the day.

We cater for different dietary requirements, so please inform us of these when submitting your registration form and we will adapt meals to suit.

Toilet Training

For some children this can be the time when they are wanting to start using the 'big' toilet and stop wearing nappies. We will support this process and can help with a reward system, such as sticker charts, so that each child feels confident with such a big transition in his their life. However, there is no set pattern to potty training, and we will work with you to make sure that we have a consistant and supportive approach.  Nappies are included in our nursery fees.

Going out to play

We go outside everyday unless the weather makes the garden unsafe.  The garden is our outdoor classroom and we go out in the morning and the afternoon.   Outside play has always been an important influence in a child's development so we try to encourage extensions of our activities and learning outside. Children learn to play together as they develop a number of other skills. In today's technological age it is more important than ever to encourage children to play outdoors, not only for their social and physical development, but for their health.  In the garden you will find several 'zones' which help us to be creative in our play.

Directly outside the nursery is a large play area with many things to interest the children, such as cars and scooters, a climbing frame, some big toy houses, skipping ropes, hula hoops and even 2 castles.  We also have a large decked area which is ideal for those muddy days so we can still go outside and enjoy the fresh air. We have use of the field directly opposite the nursery, which is the ideal place for bug hunting and going for nice strolls.

We observe all children to monitor each child's individual needs so we can plan accordingly. Every child has a 'next steps' plan which helps us encourage their development so that they may reach their own potential.  Your child will be appointed a key worker but all staff will be happy to answer any questions you may have.