Enjoyment, achievement and fun. At Beautiful Beginnings Day Nursery, these are the principles that guide how we structure our activities. While safety and child welfare are critical, we are concerned with giving your child an environment in which they are able to be healthy and make a positive contribution to the Nursery, School and their wider community. Like you, we want the best for your child, which is why our play and learning activities are focused, purposeful and appropriately supervised. We are proud to cater for all ages, developmental needs and interests of the children in our care.
Resources
Drawing on excellent resources and with accessible facilities within the School, we offer your children indoor and outdoor activities designed to develop children’s spiritual, emotional, physical, social and intellectual capabilities. We strive to create a friendly, non-authoritarian and open atmosphere where children and adults are encouraged to value and respect other children, staff, parents and the environment – with all having the opportunity to take part in and belong equally to the ethos.
Activities include:
art ● role play ● textiles ● drawing ● music ● reading ● dance ● drama ● ICT ● cooking ● eating ● extensive outdoor experiences ● special interests ● games ● sports ● relaxing ● talking ● the environment ● celebrating birthdays ● spending time with friends
A Healthy Environment
A warm and secure environment is the ideal place to develop a child’s confidence and self-esteem. With clear boundaries, a policy of example setting and consistent methods in all of our classrooms. We encourage learning through conversation, interaction and social situations. We are also committed to helping children stay healthy as part of our commitment to quality. We promote good health of children in various ways:
Health and Hygiene
We take steps to maintain high standards of hygiene, preventing the spread of infection and taking appropriate measures when children are ill. We adhere strictly to health and safety policies and procedures. We have a team of specialist cleaners who clean the facilities when children have left for the day as well as a staff team who are dedicated to promoting health through stringent cleaning and maintenance procedures. We ensure that all food-related procedures, including preparation and storage of meals/refreshments, are carried out in accordance with the Food Safety Act 1990. All staff that prepare, handle and serve food hold a Food Hygiene Certificate.
Healthy Lifestyle
We aim to provide knowledge with a view to equipping the children with the tools required to develop a sense of healthy living. Through a variety of activities, children have the opportunity to discover what is good and bad for their health, and why physical activity is good for their health and well-being.
Meals and Refreshments
We provide nutritious meals and refreshments that reflect each child’s individual needs. When children register with Beautiful Beginnings Day Nursery, their dietary needs, including cultural needs, are recorded and stored confidentially, but are available to staff when preparing food/drink. Children are encouraged to try out different foods but never at the expense of going hungry. Food will also be incorporated into our activities.
A Positive Contribution
At Beautiful Beginnings children are given the opportunity to make a positive contribution to their care and to the wider community. We understand that children will always have uncertainties and questions to ask. We welcome children from all backgrounds, giving them a basis for understanding that all children are not the same. We want your children to recognise positive differences between themselves and others. Children are encouraged to reflect on how they relate to others and how best to use their talents and capabilities.
Bullying or discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated at Beautiful Beginnings.
We acknowledge that if a child is behaving unacceptably whilst at Nursery, it is likely that similar patterns are apparent at home. Positive action is taken by staff to overcome unacceptable or inappropriate behaviour, which will involve discussions with you– staff maintain open and honest relationships with parents, therefore a two way flow of communication is paramount.
A Safe Environment
In addition to promoting a healthy environment, we are committed to helping children stay safe as part of our commitment to excellence. We believe that all aspects of caring for children revolve around safety – the child’s safety and that of those caring for the child; the environment in which the child is cared for, and the equipment that the child has access to. Indeed, safety is important in all aspects of life at Beautiful Beginnings; however we do encourage children to take risks, push their physical boundaries and challenge themselves. Staff ensure risk assessments and supervision are adhered to so that children can do this knowing that support is never far away.
We have the responsibility of caring for your children and we take that responsibility very seriously.
Our rigorous procedures include: risk assessments, adherence to Health and Safety Policy and Procedures, regular cleaning and maintenance, codes of behaviour for staff and children to ensure that your children are safe.
A Secure Environment
The security of all children and staff is given high priority. At Nursery, external doors are fitted with security locks. We only allow external access during session times to people given permission by a member of appropriately trained staff. All visitors are signed in and out and their arrival is announced to all the staff present.
Owing to the regular contact we have with your children, we recognise that we are particularly well placed to observe any changes in behaviour. Please be assured that where this arises, you will be informed at the earliest possible opportunity. Furthermore, we have a duty of care to recognise outward signs of abuse and/or monitor changes in children’s behaviour. Should we suspect a child is being abused, we are required, as part of the Local Authority Child Protection Procedures to report our concerns to the Lancashire Safeguarding Children Board.