Investors in People

In January 2005 we acheived Investors in People Award (IiP). Our IiP report showed that although we are a small nursery we believe in investing in training our staff, where learning is encouraged as an every day occurance for staff and children alike. This all helps in creating our caring and happy enviroment for every one and helps nurture the children towards their full potential a benfit for everyone here at Little Gems.

OFSTED

We are registered with OFSTED and at our last inspection in December 2005 we received a standard of good.

Our staff

The owner of the nursery, Susan Hamilton, holds an N.V.Q. Level 3 in childcare and education. She has many years of childcare experience in a home setting, along with experience in nursery care, family workshops, play work, special needs and tutoring in childcare. She holds D32, D33 and D34 awards for assessing and internal verification for N.V.Q's in early years care and education, along with other child care courses attended for continued professional development.

Our nursery staff have experience of caring for children of various ages. They hold various level two and three child care qualifications and are encouraged to continue their development through further specialist or in house training. Our foundation stage room is lead by a qualified teacher. We hold regular staff training, some of our lastest training being the "Birth to Three framework" , First aid, health and safety, infection control and food hygiene.

Key Worker

Your child will be given a key worker, who will be responsible for a small group of children. Your child's key worker will spend time each day with the children of her or his group enabling a relationship to be built up between them. This may be at meals times or small group activities or perhaps whilst snuggling down reading a book together. They will carry out observations, keep records and build up a detailed knowledge of your child to ensure the child's development whilst at nursery. They will also be some one for you to share your child's achievements with, and to discuss any concerns how ever small and will also give you a daily report on your child's activities.

Settling in your child

We want your child to feel safe, secure, and happy whilst at our nursery. As each child is different and has individual experiences we keep our settling in procedure flexible to take this into account. We encourage you to visit with your child before they are due to start with us and join in our activities. Your child can bring along a favourite toy or comforter, to remind them of home, which they can keep with them.

We will then encourage you, the parent, to leave your child for short sessions at first, to enable you both to part from each other without distress, gradually building up on the length of time your child is at nursery until you happy and secure in the knowledge that your child is settling well. You are welcome to contact us to check on your child through the first days of being left for your own reassurance.

So that the new child can be given extra attention, whilst this important settling in process happens we do not introduce more than one or two children at any one time.