The Ascot Day Nursery

The Ascot Day Nursery, Established in 1998, is a learning environment for under 3’s.

Our dedicated staff are passionate about creating learning through play and stimulating the imagination of the children in our care.

For the purpose of continuity beyond the age of 3, we offer the additional option of our children joining 'The Old School Day Nursery' which operates alongside us, in the same building. Our close proximity is also reflected in the close relationship we enjoy despite being too separate businesses.

More about us.

The Ascot Day Nursery is situated in a beautiful Victorian building, with an outdoor area and private access to the local play-park in North Ascot.

We welcome children from birth to 3 years of age, and understand the importance of flexible childcare. This is reflected by our philosophy of offering the same opportunity to children of both working, and non-working parents/carers.

We care for children in a safe environment and, focus on encouraging children to develop further through play, with particular emphasis on imagination.

Our opening hours are: Monday to Friday 7:30am to 6.00pm, with the exception of bank holidays and the period between Christmas and New Year. Our fees are charged on an hourly basis, thus allowing parents the flexibility to select hours which suit both their working and personal lives.

We have a very spacious room with high ceilings, enabling all activities to occur in one room. Messy play, sensory play, singing, story-time and ‘signing’ all form part of our daily routine. The local library is also housed within our building, allowing us the opportunity to visit and join in with their ‘Rhyme Time’ sessions for babies and toddlers. We also have a weekly gym session in the big hall adjacent to our nursery. Our outdoor area is an extension of our nursery, allowing space to play, grow plants and exploring nature. The outdoor area leads to a large play-park which we visit daily.

The Ascot Day Nursery is also within walking distance of a small wooded area (ideal for nature trails) and a duck pond that inspires trips to feed the ducks.

The curriculum we follow is the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) which concentrates on the three prime areas before moving onto the specific areas of the curriculum.

The Nursery is managed by Amanda Jarvis and her team. Amanda started in 1999 as a student nursery nurse, and is now the manager after more than a decade of loyal and outstanding service.

Our Staff are either qualified to level 2, or are working towards their qualification. All staff have regular police checks, paediatric first aid, food, health and hygiene qualifications. The Nursery is owned by Colleen Caddow. Colleen is on-site daily, and is always available to cover staff if they are unwell or taking holiday entitlements, therefore ensuring the all-important continuity of staff to enhance the children’s well-being.

Our learning environment.

Our intention is to develop the children’s social skills, self-confidence and good manners by learning through play and imagination using the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum (EYFS). We operate an ‘Open Door Policy’ encouraging parents/carers to visit the nursery at any time, thus building positive partnerships between home and nursery. Home visits can also be arranged on request.

Children are encouraged to choose their own activities in addition to the planned activities set out on a daily basis. ‘Baby Gym’ sessions help to develop movement, balance and strength, while music, dance, puppets and visual aids make story-time and singing stimulating. Messy and Sensory play is encouraged both indoors and outdoors.

We also offer the opportunity for experimentation as ‘little chef’s’, resulting in homemade treats that can be eaten either during snack time at nursery, or later, at home. Additionally, outings to the Duck Pond to feed the ducks, the Library for Baby Rhyme time and the Woods, for nature trails make for exciting learning opportunities.

We work in small groups with a ‘Key worker’ being responsible for helping parents/carers and children settle easily into the nursery. The settling-in experience is completed over a two week period, and is complimentary. Once children have completed the settling-in period and have started nursery, the ‘key worker’ is responsible for monitoring the progress of each of their ‘key children’. Part of this process is to liaise regularly with parents/carers, whilst monitoring all observations and keeping child development records, through the production of a ‘Learning Journal’ which is available for the parents/carers to see at any time. ALL new parents/carers are asked to complete our ‘Welcome Pack’ which enables us to better understand every child’s individual developmental and dietary/health needs.

Our Menu

We believe that good eating habits in the early years are vital to a long term healthy life. All our food is freshly prepared on site by our full-time chef, taking into account specific dietary requirements and/or allergies. We provide nutritious well-balanced meals that include plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. We encourage the children to see that mealtimes are sociable occasions with staff and children eating in small groups. It is worth noting that are open to ‘Baby Lead Weaning’.

Breakfast

Selection of cereals, porridge, toast.

Lunch

Sweet potato curry and rice.

Homemade cottage pie with seasonal vegetables.

Ratatouille and couscous.

Chicken and mushroom pie with broccoli.

Tea

Gnocchi with basil pesto.

Spaghetti carbonara.

Potato wedges with sweetcorn and salad.

Homemade margarita pizza and salad.

Snacks

At snack time we offer a selection of fresh fruit, crudities, biscuits, cheese and raisins with water or milk.