Top tips on choosing the right childcare provider

We’re fast approaching the end of another nursery and school term, and as some parents prepare for their child to take the leap into school, others are no doubt looking at childcare for the first time.

It’s a big step, as you are effectively leaving your child in the hands of strangers, so the importance of choosing the right childcare provider cannot be over-stressed.

Fortunately there are many places where you can get fantastic advice and guidance including Ofsted, the National Day Nurseries Association and Direct Gov.

Top tips include:

1. Does the nursery offer free taster sessions where you can observe your child in the environment they will be in?
2. Is your child comfortable in the environment and interacting with both staff and other children happily?
3. Does the nursery have a good Ofsted report?
4. As a parent will you have access to the rooms your child will be in at the nursery?
5. What security measures are in place e.g. keypad entry to rooms, password for collection of child by someone other than yourself?
6. Is there a wide variety of age groups amongst the staff? Differing ages of care giver can be beneficial for a child as they will learn different things.
7. Does the nursery provide a pick up and drop off service?
8. What facilities are in place to prepare your child for moving to school?
9. Is there a full range of educational and stimulating activities – both indoor and outdoor – for the children?
10. How will the nursery keep you informed of your child’s development?

Managing director of Little Tinkers private day nurseries in Brighouse and Hipperholme, Mandy Naylor, said: “As a parent myself, I know how scary it is to leave your child in someone else’s care, so having confidence and complete trust in your childcare provider is essential. Fortunately there are ways you can reassure yourself of a nursery’s suitability and capability to look after your child, such as the tips provided here.”

“Other things we would also recommend you consider are what the nursery’s healthy eating policy is and, of course, what other parents say about the place. Most important of all is to not be afraid to ask. Regardless of how minor or insignificant you think your query might be, make sure you have all the answers you need before making a final decision.”

Our Fundraising Super Hero, mini Olympics Open Day!

We had a fantastic open day at our Brighouse nursery with our bumper Super Hero, mini Olympics themed open day! We raised over £500 on the day for both our chosen charity, the Forget-Me-Not Children’s Hospice and our play fund, for new outdoor play equipment for the children to enjoy at both sites.

The open day was organised to coincide with Children’s Hospice Week (19-25 May), the theme for which was Super Heroes, so the kids came dressed as their favourite super hero characters, and then took part in a special mini-Olympics! 

Besides the sporting events, it was a fun-packed day with bouncy castle, stalls, games and refreshments to keep everyone entertained, as well as being fun and welcoming for new parents and children to come and sample life at Little Tinkers.

 

Kate Goldring, Partnership Development Manager, The Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, who also had a stall at the event selling Hospice merchandise, said: “We can’t thank Little Tinkers enough for their support, it was great to be involved in such a great event that not only raises funds but raises awareness of the hospice in the local community.  We really feel like we are part of the team at Little Tinkers, thank you to all involved and all who attended to help to make the day such a success.”

A Super Open Day Olympics Coming to Little Tinkers

Our open day on 19^th May will be celebrating both the Olympic Games and National Children’s Hospice Week with a special Superhero Olympics theme. All children are encouraged to come along dressed up as their favourite Superhero, from Catwoman to the Incredible Hulk.

There will be lots of mini-Olympic events and games to keep the whole family entertained, as well as a number of stalls and refreshments. We will also be having a tasty bun and cake stall on the day, so if you fancy making some sweet treats to bring along, they will be gratefully received.

All monies raised will be split between our chosen charity – the inspirational Forget-Me-Not Children’s Hospice and our playtime fund, to purchase new outdoor play equipment for the nurseries.

The open day is the perfect time to come and visit Little Tinkers as all our staff will be on hand to show you the facilities and explain just how we can help support and prepare your child in this crucial development stage before starting school.

To find out if Little Tinkers is the right place for your child, please call our Brighouse nursery on 01484 717352, or our Hipperholme nursery on 01422 2020498.

We're Leading the Way with Food!

The School Food Trust has launched its first ever nutritional guidelines for the early years sector, (children between one and five years old) setting out key recommendations that we have been implementing since we started in 2007.

At Little Tinkers we place a strong emphasis on healthy eating and regularly consult both parents and children about proposed menu changes. One of our most popular initiatives is a ‘Come Dine With Me’ style activity where parents are asked to bring in their child’s favourite dish for all the children to taste. The most popular one is then added to our menu.

To ensure children also have the opportunity to continue eating healthily at home, and assist busy working parents, we also offer a take-out service of their popular meals in both child-sized and family portions.

Our children are also involved in the process of growing and making some of the food they consume; helping with planting in the vegetable garden and baking in the nursery kitchen. This helps form a good understanding of where food comes from and can help children develop a positive relationship with food as they grow older. This is important as it can help reduce fussy eating, obesity and eating disorders forming in later life. 

Our Managing Director, Mandy says that: “Food is a key element of life at Little Tinkers, and we are committed to providing our children with a healthy, balanced diet. However, I am a firm believer in everything in moderation including fats, sugar and carbohydrates, and am confident that all our meals provide all the nutrients growing children need.  


We also work closely with parents to enable us to support this ethos at home. It is great to see the government pushing these guidelines so every child has the opportunity to eat well and learn about food in their early years; setting the foundations for their future health and well-being.”


To find out more about the guidelines visit: http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news/1112179/First-national-guidelines-early-years-nutrition-England-launched/?DCMP=ILC-SEARCH


To see a sample menu from Little Tinkers visit: http://www.littletinkersnursery.com/healthy_eating.html

Our MD Shortlisted for Business Person of the Year

Fantastic news! Our very own Mandy Naylor - MD of Little Tinkers - has been shortlisted for Business Person of the Year in the annual Brighouse Echo Business Awards!

Mandy is an ex-Brighouse Girls Grammar School pupil and is passionate about the local area.  When the opportunity arose for her to take over Little Tinkers in 2007, she grabbed it with both hands and the private day nursery has gone from strength to strength ever since.

In fact the Brighouse nursery received 'outstanding' for key elements in their last Ofsted report at the end of last year.

Mandy is honoured to be nominated for the award as it recognises the success of the nursery (both Brighouse and Hipperholme), as well as her other business venues which include The Taste Cafe Bar in Cleckheaton. 

We'll find out on 8 March if she's won, so keep your fingers crossed!

Little Tinkers' China Town

We recently celebrated Chinese New Year by turning our 'home corner' into an amazing Chinese restaurant and some of the children got dressed up in Chinese style clothing.  We even had a delicious Chinese banquet!

We always try to celebrate cultural festivities at Little Tinkers, from Chinese New Year and Diwali to St. George's Day.

Outdoor play is getting a makeover!

The outdoor play areas in both our Brighouse and Hipperholme nurseries are getting a makeover this year.

We have already made a start with an exciting new range of activity boxes so we can ensure that we make the most of all types of weather, from wind, to rain and snow. For example, our windy day box contains ribbons, streamers and bubbles to make playtime more fun and stimulating for the children in our care.

What other changes would you like us to make? We value the input of all parents so would really appreciate if you could spare a moment to let us know any ideas you have about improving these important parts of our nurseries.