These groups are aged between 0 and 2 years and have two members of staff allocated to every group of up to 6 children. The environments are caring and happy and provide the opportunity for plenty of one to one interaction which is very important during the early stages of child development.

We have large playrooms with wide ranges of stimulating toys, we encourage all the children as far as they are able, to take part in activities, such as painting, collage, construction, sand and water play. We have separate sleep rooms to encourage uninterrupted sleep away from the more lively ones of the group.

Essentially, we have a flexible routine during the day as children of this young age are changing so quickly and their abilities and interests vary. We encourage the individual development of each child by ensuring they experience a blend of activities during their day. Play time is treated as an essential part of their day, we also ensure that enough time is allocated to feeding which is an important period for their interaction with adults and finally we make sure that each child has adequate periods of sleep throughout their time with us.

At CHIPMUNKS we provide a healthy snack lunch for children aged over 12 months, parents of younger children will need to provide sufficient food and drink for the time their children are with us. Parents are also required to provide any changing materials such as nappies, wipes and creams.

We encourage parents to be involved as much as possible with their child's development and welcome any new ideas in order that we can develop the Nursery and its activities to suit individual requirements where we can. We maintain records and keep observation sheets of each child's progress at the Nursery, which are readily available for parents to see and comment on as they feel appropriate.

The children develop a range of skills through a wide choice of activities which increases their confidence and they become more independent. The development of children under 3 is supported by the Birth to 3 framework.