Tag Archive for: preparing for school

18 Reasons to Choose Little Cedars Nursery for your Childcare

If you’re choosing a nursery or pre-school for your child in or around Streatham, Furzedown, Tooting or Balham, making your final choice may not be as hard as you think. Take a look at 18 compelling reasons to choose Little Cedars Nursery below. You’ll soon see why we’d make an unbeatable choice for the childcare of under-fives in the area.

1. Superb Parent Feedback

In the last five years, Little Cedars has received only 5-star reviews on Google and FacebookIndependent feedback from other parents is worth its weight in gold. In the last five years, Little Cedars has received only 5-star reviews on Google and Facebook. That’s top marks, consistently for 5 years running.* Comments that accompanied these independent reviews were equally compelling — here are just a few examples:

“Amazing nursery! Our daughter loved it here and all the staff are fantastic!”

“[The] team are amazing in every way, with the attention and time they give to the children. Very good knowledge on childhood illnesses and allergies.”

“With the new management this nursery is better than ever. Well done Maggie!”

“Lovely nursery, great team and an amazing outdoor space — they have animals which is fantastic. Amazing management team …”

“I just love the friendly vibes, the lovely facilities (including resources, grand garden and animals!). Maggie, the manager, has been just wonderful and you can see her deep commitment as she often supports her team in the rooms! [A] hands-on manager that will always give you time to talk about your child is a recipe for a success! Highly recommended!”

Ofsted also remarked that parents gave them wonderful feedback about the nursery in their recent Ofsted inspection.

2. Rated as a “Good Provider” of Childcare by Ofsted

In Ofsted’s recent appraisal, they consistently rated Little Cedars Day Nursery as “Good” — in every category. The Ofsted report sang our praises across the board. Here’s how they rated each of the core, specific areas in their opening synopsis:

  • Ofsted rate Little Cedars Day Nursery as a Good ProviderQuality of education is rated as ‘Good.’
  • The quality of leadership & management is rated as ‘Good.’
  • Behaviour & attitudes are rated as ‘Good.’
  • Opportunities for personal development are rated as ‘Good.’

Learn more about the excellent Ofsted report for Little Cedars Day Nursery, here.

3. A Home-From-Home for Under-5s

Little Cedars is a warm, welcoming and nurturing environment.Little Cedars is a warm, welcoming and nurturing environment. To the babies and children, it very much becomes a home-from-home where they feel safe, valued, cared for and all with wonderful, close relationships with both peers and our childcare professionals. It’s also a place of immense fun where little ones are happy, stimulated and nurtured in order to bring out the best in them.

4. Exceptional Resources, Equipment & Facilities

Little Cedars Nursery is extremely well resourced and equipped, both inside and out.Little Cedars Nursery is extremely well resourced and equipped, both inside and out. Take a look at our photo gallery to see the high quality equipment outside to give you an idea. We have an amazing array of facilities that children will love, as they play and learn. They will have immense fun while also learning in the most natural of ways. We have multi-sensory areas, carefully-chosen reading materials, interactive toys and equipment and specially designed areas for each specific age group.

5. Affordable Childcare Fees

For those childcare hours that are not covered by Government schemes, our nursery and pre-school fees are very good value. What’s more, prices are discounted for children attending all five week days each week. Siblings attending at the same time also receive a 13% discount, making childcare services at Little Cedars Day Nursery even more affordable.*

6. Free Childcare Funding Schemes for Eligible 2-Year-Olds

We support the Government's free childcare funding schemes for 2, 3 and 4-year-olds.If your 2-year-old is eligible for the Government’s free childcare scheme for this age group, rest assured that Little Cedars Day Nursery supports them and this can potentially give your little one 15 free hours of childcare per week for as many as 38 weeks of the year. That’s 570 free childcare hours per year for your 2-year-old!

7. 15-30 Hours of Free Childcare Per Week for Eligible 3 & 4-Year-Olds

We also support the free, Government-funded childcare schemes for eligible 3 and 4-year-olds, giving them 15 to 30 free childcare hours per week over 38 weeks of the year. That’s 570 to 1140 hours of free childcare each year if they’re eligible. The good news is that all 3 and 4-year-olds living in England are eligible for the 15 free hours per week as a bare minimum.

Check out our Rough Guide to Free Childcare Funding in England for more details.

8. Free Childcare Vouchers Accepted

Little Cedars Day Nursery accepts recognised and valid childcare vouchers, which can really help with affordability. That’s never been more important and useful for families.

9. Great Support for Children with Additional Needs

If your child has additional special needs, choosing the right nursery/pre-school for them is an even harder task. However, Little Cedars Day Nursery has that covered too. Here’s what the independent Ofsted inspector had to say about the topic in their recent visit:

“Children who have additional needs are making good progress from their starting points. Managers and staff offer highly effective support and work closely with parents and other agencies … enabling targeted support that helps children reach their full potential.”

10. Healthy, Balanced Meals & Snacks

Our in-house chef prepares healthy meals for the children each day, along with healthy snacks. Only fresh, high quality ingredients are used to produce the children’s healthy, balanced meals and all special diets are catered for.

Food and snacks are included in our standard fees with the exception of 3 and 4-year-olds receiving Government funding for their nursery places. For those alone, there is a small fee for meals because those are not covered by Government funding. There is, however, no fee for food for 2-year-old funded places.*

11. A Key Person Assigned to Every Child

A Key Person is assigned to each child at Little Cedars Nursery.A Key Person is assigned to each child at Little Cedars Nursery. This is an early years practitioner who ensures that the child’s needs are being catered for and that their care at the setting is tailored to them as an individual. They help children settle in when they first join the nursery and build strong relationships with both the child and the parents. They are therefore usually the natural and key point of contact at the nursery.

12. A Learning & Development Programme Tailored to Your Child

A totally bespoke learning and development programme is developed for each individual child at the setting. This is designed to bring out the very best in them — in every area. So, areas where they’re naturally gifted are made even stronger and any areas where they need extra focus are identified, with appropriate measures introduced as required — including in any areas of special need. In this way, children achieve personal bests across the board and their potential outcomes are absolutely maximised.

13. A Progress Journal for Every Child

The early years practitioners at Little Cedars are so much more than childminders and Little Cedars should not be thought of as just a crèche. Our childcare professionals facilitate the early learning of children and constantly monitor their progress. Indeed a progress journal is maintained for every child as a continuous record of their learning journey. Parents/carers have access to this at any time and are also encouraged to add to it, using its findings to aid the continuation of the child’s learning and development programme even when at home. It’s all an integral part of ensuring that each child thrives in every area of their learning and development.

14. Hand Picked, High Quality Staff

We have a very special team at Little Cedars Nursery.We have a very special team at Little Cedars Nursery. Every one of them has been hand picked to ensure they are the perfect fit for the nursery and for the children therein. They’re warm, natural carers who will form wonderful relationships with children and bring out the very best in them. They become the children’s safe, familiar and friendly faces at the setting as well as facilitating top-notch learning and early years education. They also ensure every child is happy and is having fun whilst under our care.

15. Everything Has a Purpose at Little Cedars Nursery

At Little Cedars nursery/pre-school, everything has a purpose. Whether it’s a hand-picked book or piece of equipment, an interactive game or a particular activity the children are undertaking, it is there for a specific reason and is there to benefit each child in a particular way. An awful lot of thought goes into every little detail at Little Cedars in order to give children the tools to fulfil their utmost potential.

16. A Complete, All-Round Early Years Education

We help little ones achieve personal bests in all 7 areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).At Little Cedars we do so much more than simply look after babies, toddlers and under-fives. We educate and nurture them too. In fact, we ensure that our little ones achieve personal bests in all 7 areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). This is a high quality, all-encompassing learning and development framework that covers communication and language, physical development, personal, social and emotional development, literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and expressive arts and design. It pretty much covers everything children need to blossom and thrive.

17. We Prepare Under-Fives for Starting School

One of the key goals at Little Cedars Day Nursery and pre-school is to prepare the children for when they transition to school at the age of five. That’s a key milestone in their lives and we ensure that their transition goes as smoothly as possible. This includes a good early years education, as well as the fostering of good physical and mental skills, independence, good social skills and suchlike. When they leave us for school, they leave as the very best version of themselves, fully equipped to absolutely hit the ground running.

18. Safety is Always Paramount

The safeguarding of all babies and children under our care is of paramount importance to Little Cedars Nursery. Ofsted recognise this too, commenting in their recent report that our arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with risk assessments and appropriate procedures all being in place. So, as a parent or carer, you can rest easy in the knowledge that your baby, toddler or under-five child is in very safe hands — and that’s even independently verified by the experts.

Apply for a Place at Little Cedars Nursery & Pre-school

A nursery place for your child in Streatham, near Furzedown, Tooting, Balham, Norbury & Colliers Wood

Little Cedars is a nursery & pre-school offering high quality childcare in Streatham, near Tooting, Tooting Bec, Tooting Common, Tooting Broadway, Furzedown, Balham, Norbury and Colliers Wood.Ofsted rate Little Cedars Day Nursery as a Good ProviderWe hope you can now see all the benefits of sending your baby, toddler or preschooler to Little Cedars nursery/pre-school. If you are looking for a good nursery/pre-school in Streatham, or high quality childcare near Streatham Hill, Streatham Park, Streatham Common or Furzedown, Little Cedars Nursery would make an excellent choice. We’re also close by if you live or work near Tooting, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway, Tooting Common, Balham, Norbury or Colliers Wood. Contact us today to get started with your child’s nursery application or to arrange a visit, so you and your little one can see it for yourselves. Please choose a button to get started:

* Correct at time of writing (mid-August 2022).

20 Ways to Prepare Children for School

A guide to the ways parents can help prepare under-5s for starting school in Reception Year at age 5.In a follow-up to last month’s post about transitioning under-fives to nursery or pre-school, we now outline 20 ways parents can help prepare children for starting school as they approach the age of five. We’ve broken this down into a list of 20 easy-to-action suggestions:

1. A Good Early Years Education

Our absolute topmost tip is to ensure that children attend a good nursery/pre-school well before the age of five. Study after study has shown that a good early years education gives little ones a massive head start in terms of school readiness, with long-term benefits continuing even into adulthood.

2. Help Learning at Home

Parental involvement with children's early years education has also been shown to boost achievement, morale, attitude, behaviour and social skills.Parental involvement with children’s early years education has also been shown to boost achievement, morale, attitude, behaviour and social skills enormously. These are all things that will help them to hit the ground running once they start school. Home learning is even more powerful when designed to synchronise with what children are learning at their early years setting or school (like a two-pronged approach).

3. Read With Them

Reading with children in their early years can help boost language skills by 8 months — before they're even five!Reading with children, well ahead of them beginning school, has also been shown to boost their language skills, incredibly by the equivalent of as much as 8 months before they’re even five! The key is to read with them; not just to them. Learn more about the benefits of reading with under-fives here.

4. Forewarn Them

Forewarning children that they will be starting school around the age of five is also a sensible thing to do. It should be mentioned multiple times before they reach the age of five, so children learn to expect and accept it. Just treat it as normal (which, of course, it is to you and I) and be enthusiastic about it.

5. Listen Up

Children will fit in better at school if they are well prepared for it.Listen to any reservations your child may have about the prospect of starting school. Listening is important, so be on the look-out for any concerns and reservations they may have.

6. Answer Questions

Try to read between the lines too, as they may not be able to fully articulate everything they’re feeling at such a young age. Answer any questions they may have about school and take time to ensure they understand the answers.

7. Reassure Them

At all times reassure children when discussing anything about starting school and life there once they’ve started. Put their minds at rest. Focus on the positives. Mention the many benefits of school, so they look forward to it rather than getting anxious about it. After all, it’s fun, educational, they will make lots of new friends and there will be lots of new equipment to play with — and so on. You can also mention your own positive memories of school so that they know you’ve been through it yourself.

8. Encourage Independence

Nurturing children's independence well ahead of them beginning school will really help them.Children will greatly benefit in Reception Year at school if they’re already independent when they start. So, nurturing aspects of their independence well ahead of them beginning school is a good policy. For example, ensuring they know how to independently look after personal hygiene, dress themselves, tie shoe laces, dress, use the toilet, pack their bag and so on. If they can do this before they start school, it will help them enormously.

9. Encourage Social Skills

Social skills are another thing to nurture in children well before they begin school. Communication skills will help them to get on. Good manners, politeness and knowing right from wrong will also help them fit in, make friends and be positively viewed from the ‘get go’.

10. Identify A Friend

Ensuring children know a friendly face when they begin school will help them settle in better.Parents/guardians will also be wise to identify one or more of their children’s friends (or potential friends) that will also be starting school at the same time. Ensure they meet up and play regularly, before they’ve started school. In this way, there will be a friendly face at the school from the moment they start. It’ll help them feel more at home and less alone.

11. Show Them a Prospectus/Brochure/Website

It’s also a wise idea for children to acquaint themselves as much as possible with their new school, before they actually start. Therefore, obtaining a prospectus, brochure and/or taking a good look at the school’s website together would be an excellent idea for children. It’ll really help them to know what to expect.

12. Visit Ahead of Starting

Even better is a physical visit. Schools will offer open days or one can usually be arranged for children and their parents. Having a tour will help children get to know their way around the school, see the facilities, ask questions and bring the school into much clearer focus for the child. It’ll make it more tangible and less of a daunting prospect for the child if they already know it. Seeing the facilities and equipment may even excite them.

13. Pre-Sync Children’s Body Clocks

Getting enough sleep is essential for children's success at school.Several weeks before they start school, children should start to synchronise their day with the timings of the new school day. This should include getting up time in the morning and ideally even timings for lunch and suchlike. In this way, children’s body clocks will have adjusted in good time, before they actually start.

14. Ensure They Get Enough Sleep

Getting enough sleep is critically important for children. After all, they do not want to end up struggling to stay awake during their school lessons. Therefore setting a sensible bedtime — and sticking to it — is crucially important. A gradual wind-down towards bedtime will help them sleep well as will the avoidance of electronic screens in the run-up to bedtime.

15. Prepare Their Uniform/Clothing

Ensure that uniform, PE kit, stationery, lunch box & backpack etc. are all ready and labelled.Ensuring children have everything they need, at least a little ahead of starting in Reception, is a good approach. Check that you have all items of their uniform, PE kit, any stationery, lunch box if appropriate, backpack or bag and so on. Is everything marked with your child’s name? Usually it should be.

16. Do a Dummy School Run

Close to the time the child will start at their new school, it is a good idea for parents/guardians to do a dummy run to the school at the actual times the child will eventually be dropped off and picked up. In this way, parents/guardians can ensure that they won’t be late, which might otherwise cause more stress for both themselves and their child. It’s important for the first day, in particular, to be as stress-free as possible.

17. Help Them to Pre-Pack

Getting your child involved in actually packing their backpack or school bag (with supervision) will help them to acquaint themselves with everything in it. That way, if they need something when they’re at school, they’ll know they have it and where they can find it. Doing this the night before, with the exception of food if it needs to be kept refrigerated overnight, will mean there’s also less to do on Day One.

18. Be on Time On the Day

All this pre-planning should make it more likely that you’re on time at the school on the first day. That’s important, as a last-minute rush will only cause unnecessary stress for both you and your little one. So, ensure you leave for the journey in good time. And don’t be late at picking-up time!

19. Reassure & Don’t Fuss on the Day

If you’re anxious, stressed or sad on your child’s first day, don’t let on. It’s best to keep everything positive as far as your child is concerned. So, stay up-beat, calm and reassuring. As we said before, focus on the positives (“you’re going to have so much fun!” etc.) and it will all seem so much more ‘normal’ for your child — as normal as a walk in the park.

20. Ensure They Know Who Will Collect Them

Your child will need to know, ahead of time, who is collecting them.Your child will need to know, ahead of time, who is collecting them. If it’s not you, then they need to know clearly who it will be. They also need to be clear around their general safety rules, stranger danger and so on. Schools should also have safeguarding policies in place for unexpected scenarios. For example, if you are unexpectedly delayed and need to send someone else to collect your child, does the school have a password system in place to ensure that only the right person can collect your child? Find out.

Also, as a parent, you’ll need to ensure you have the requisite contact details for any relevant school personnel (e.g. the number of the main office/reception desk) in case you need to contact them for any reason. They must also have your number and any back-up contact details.

A Good Early Years Education at Little Cedars Nursery & Pre-school, Streatham

Little Cedars is a nursery & pre-school offering high quality childcare in Streatham, near Tooting, Tooting Bec, Tooting Common, Tooting Broadway, Furzedown, Balham, Norbury and Colliers Wood.Little Cedars Nursery in Streatham offers babies, toddlers and under-fives a really good early years education as part of its high quality childcare service. If you are looking for the best nurseries or pre-schools in the Streatham area, Little Cedars Nursery really should be on your short list. Children absolutely thrive at the setting, achieving personal bests in every area of the early years curriculum and becoming ‘ school ready’ by the time they leave us to move on to Reception at school. We offer outstandingly good childcare services in Streatham, near Streatham Hill, Streatham Park, Streatham Common and Furzedown and are convenient for those living or working in Tooting, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway, Tooting Common, Balham, Norbury and Colliers Wood. To arrange a visit, ask any questions or to apply for a place, please get in contact — simply choose a button below.