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Early Years, Healthy Eating, Nurseries, Nursery, Parents, Pre-schools, Preschool, Preschoolers, Streatham, Under-5s

Healthy Eating for Under-Fives — A Complete Guide

With families living busy lives these days, it’s not always easy to provide the very best nutritious meals for children. This is compounded by an abundance of ready meals and convenience food available in shops and advertised everywhere. However, healthy, balanced diets are incredibly important for children in their early years. Adopting a healthy diet early on can mean that some diseases associated with later life can be avoided. Healthy food also has other beneficial effects on growing children including sustained energy levels, improved cognitive activity, the evening out of a child’s moods, help with mental wellbeing and maintaining a healthy weight.

What should children be eating as part of a healthy lifestyle?

As a rough guide, toddlers need three meals per day plus two or three snacks. They also need to drink six to eight drinks per day.

“Experience of a variety of different foods at an early age increases acceptance of new foods, and provides a more diverse diet with the range of nutrients, vitamins and minerals needed for health.” (Public Health England)

Young children need a balanced diet, i.e. one that gives them all the elements that they need to remain healthy and thrive. There are four main food groups that form a good basis of healthy living. A rough guide is to try and include something from each food group in every meal, or within their snacks. The four core food groups are:

STARCH, which is found in bread, potato, rice cereal and pasta. Starch provides the energy children need as well as Vitamin B and calcium. You can choose wholegrain versions of these food types if you wish to introduce more fibre and nutrients, but this should only be introduced gradually.
FRUITS & VEGETABLES. These will provide a source of Vitamin C as well as many other nutrients. A rough guide is about 5 hand-sized portions of fruit and vegetables per day. Fresh is great, but it can also be canned, dried or frozen.
DAIRY, which can include cheese, yogurt and milk. Full fat versions are best for toddlers but semi-skimmed options can be given from the age of 2. A rough guide is about 3 portions a day.
PROTEIN, which is typically found in meat, fish, nuts, pulses and eggs. You can also use pulses like tofu and soya. These foods provide iron and zinc. Also try and give children an oily fish now and then, like salmon or fresh tuna. Try to include roughly two portions a day of the foods in the protein group.

How big is a portion?

Make sure you give the correctly sized food portions. As a rule of thumb, one portion is generally about the size of the child’s cupped hand for things like rice, beans and other starchy foods of that nature. For proteins like meat and fish, the size of the palm of the child’s hand is about right. For cereal and fruit, an appropriate portion is about the size of the child’s fist. For a portion of one vegetable type, you can start something about the size of a child’s cupped hand but you do not need to limit it so much. For example, give them more vegetables if they are still hungry after eating everything on their plate and are asking for seconds.

Drinks

Don’t forget to make sure your child stays hydrated. Aim for 6 to 8 drinks per day. Water is best, but also include milk. Try to avoid sugary drinks, which can cause tooth decay and will be laden with calories.

Recognising when children are overweight

Our young children grow at different rates and come in all different shapes and sizes. It can therefore be difficult to gauge whether your child is overweight and the correct quantities of food are being given. Warning signs may include your child struggling to keep up with others when exercising or playing energetic games, wearing larger clothing that’s really meant for an older child, wanting portions better suited to someone older, or asking for more food once they’ve finished eating a reasonable sized meal.

If you are at all worried, seek professional advice. Your GP or health visitor should be able to advise you. On the flip-side, occasionally children’s diets may need boosting with extra vitamins. If you suspect this is the case for your child, also seek professional advice.

“Research shows children who stay a healthy weight tend to be fitter, healthier, better able to learn, and more self-confident.” (NHS)

The Impact of Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity is a growing problem in the UK, with nearly a third of children aged two to fifteen being overweight or obese. What’s more, data shows that children are becoming overweight at ever-earlier ages and are generally eating less fruit, vegetables, oily fish and fibre than is recommended. The lack of a varied diet will leave children lacking in some essential vitamins and minerals. This is all of major concern. Obesity alone can lead to health issues in later life such as diabetes, heart problems, high blood pressure and even cancer. It may also lead to bullying and self-consciousness which may adversely affect a child’s self-esteem and mental wellbeing.

Apart from medical conditions, the main causes of obesity are a poor diet rich in sugar, fat and salt and children consuming more calories than they are burning up. This is not helped by the media, which is overrun with adverts promoting unhealthy food, and some children having too little exercise. So, parents, nurseries, educational settings and parents alike all need to play their part in ensuring that children eat what’s good for them, and in appropriate quantities.

How can nurseries & pre-schools help?

“Children’s food preferences and eating habits are formed early in life and the time that they spend in early years settings provides an ideal opportunity to shape healthy behaviours.” (Public Health England)

Little Cedars Day Nursery recognises the incredibly important impact of a healthy diet on the young. For this reason, the nursery is committed to delivering a very healthy, high quality eating programme to all children at the setting. High quality, fresh ingredients are used each day and are prepared by our own on-site chef. Children attending for a full day will receive 3 meals plus a snack during the morning and another during the afternoon. Water is also available to drink all day. Our chefs are also happy to provide vegetarian and vegan meals and to cater for any other dietary requirements.

Get in touch

If you’d like to know more about healthy eating for under-fives at our Streatham nursery in London SW16, call us on 020 8677 9675 or email us here. We’ll be happy to answer any questions. You can also book a visit to the nursery here if you’d like to see the nursery/pre-school in action during the working week — we’d love to show you around.

This article is for general guidance only. Always seek professional medical advice if you are concerned about your baby or child’s health and wellbeing.

30 July 2020/by Mark

Childcare, Free Childcare, Free Childcare through Universal Credit, Funding, Nurseries, Nursery, Pre-schools, Preschool, Streatham, SW16

Free Childcare via Universal Credit: A Complete Guide

Welcome to our guide to free childcare available specifically via Universal Credit. This builds upon our previous childcare funding guides, giving parents yet another potential way to get financial help towards childcare costs. Which scheme suits you best rather depends upon your individual situation as each has its own rules for eligibility. If one scheme doesn’t fit with your situation, another may. You may even find that you can apply for multiple schemes in certain circumstances, and we’ll also touch upon that in this guide. (To view our previous guides on other funding schemes, see our Rough Guide to Free childcare Funding in England and our Complete Guide to the Tax-Free Childcare Scheme).

Anyway, let’s get back to childcare funding specifically from Universal Credit …

Firstly, what is Universal Credit?

Universal Credit is a Government funding system that was introduced in 2013 to simplify the welfare payment system. In essence, it helps people with their living costs, for example if they’re on low incomes or are not working. It also potentially includes funding for childcare, to help parents with the costs of looking after dependent children (more about that later). The scheme’s aim is to eventually replace 6 existing benefits** into a single, unified payment scheme. Payments are made monthly in England (sometimes twice a month in Scotland).

How much can you get towards childcare with Universal Credit?

If you are eligible, you may be able to reclaim up to 85% of childcare costs through Universal Credit. The most you can reclaim each month is usually £950.92 for one child or £1,630.15 for two or more children (figures have been updated for 2023) unless there are exceptional circumstances. You may also be able to claim for additional children under the scheme, but only if they were born before 6th April 2017. If eligible, you can claim for dependent children up to the 31st of August following their 16th birthday.

Your payments for childcare costs under the scheme are usually paid in arrears. This means you will need to pay the costs yourself and then claim the money back through your Universal Credit claim. (2023 UPDATE: Following childcare funding reforms announced in the Chancellor’s Spring Budget in 2023, however, there are exceptions — good news for those struggling the most).

The amount you are paid in your job, if you have one, can affect how much your Universal Credit payments will be. If your earnings are more than usual in an “assessment” period, this can reduce your Universal Credit payment, including the amount of any help towards childcare costs.

Eligibility criteria

To be potentially eligible for childcare help through Universal credit, you must live in the UK, be on a low income or out of work and be aged 18 or over (although there are some exceptions for 16 and 17 year olds). You and your partner, if you have one, must also be under State Pension age and have no more than £16,000 in savings/investments between you.

You, and you and your partner, if you live with them, usually* need to be employed or have an offer of employment, and be paying for childcare for a child or young person. Paid work does not include being engaged by a charity or a voluntary organisation or being a volunteer where the only pay is expenses. Also, if you stop work, you must inform Universal Credit of the change in your circumstances.

* Childcare costs may still be paid if one partner is employed and the other cannot look after the child/children because they have limited capabilities for work and work-related activities, care for a disabled adult or child, or are temporally absent from the household (e.g. in hospital, residential care or in custody).

You will not be eligible for Universal Credit if you already receive, or are eligible for, Severe Disability Premium.

Claiming back your childcare costs

You will need to tell the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) about costs of your childcare before the end of the “assessment period” following the one you have paid the fees for. This can be confirmed online via your Universal credit Account. In effect, you are then refunded for any eligible childcare payments via your Universal Credit payment. You can claim up to 3 assessment periods of childcare at a time. To get your childcare costs refunded and to avoid missing out, you should report the childcare costs as soon as possible after you have paid them.

What if you’re off sick or on maternity/paternity leave?

You can still get Universal Credit childcare costs for existing childcare if either you or your partner are receiving Statutory Sick Pay, Statutory Maternity Pay, Statutory Adoption Pay, Statutory Paternity Pay, Statutory Shared parental Pay or Maternity Allowance.

What if you’re changing jobs, or coming to the end of one?

If you have been offered new employment, you can ask for childcare costs for the month preceding the start of your new job. If you are coming to the end of your employment, you must inform the Department for Work and Pensions (‘DWP’) immediately. Help with childcare costs can be claimed at least a month after your employment ends to help you maintain childcare as you switch jobs.

What if you’re still receiving the ‘old’ Tax Credits?

** A few people remain in the ‘old’ schemes that were in place before Universal Credit came into being. These are Child Tax Credit, Housing Benefit, Income Support, Income-based Job Seekers Allowance (JSA), Income-related Employment & Support Allowance (ESA) and Working Tax Credit. If you’re still receiving benefits through one of those, it seems that there is no need to apply for Universal Credits unless you have a change of circumstances that needs to be reported, or you are requested to do so by the DWP.

TIP: It’s important to know that any existing Tax Credits will end once you or your partner apply for Universal Credit — even if you are not successful in your application. So, the message is: if you are receiving Tax Credits check your eligibility and do your research carefully before applying for Universal Credit.

What if you receive childcare vouchers?

If your childcare costs are met by a third party, for example via childcare vouchers supplied through an employer, you can only claim back the balance which you or your partner actually paid yourselves. However, earnings that have been converted into childcare vouchers do not need to be included when working out reductions to your Universal Credit pay.

What if you’re already receiving 15 or 30 hours free childcare funding?

You may still be entitled to apply for the 15 or 30 hours free childcare funding. Universal credit may be able to help towards any additional childcare costs over and above the 15 or 30 hours each week.

Can you only use one childcare provider?

You can have more than one childcare provider. However, to apply for Government help with childcare you must use a registered/approved childcare provider. This generally means that the childcare provider is registered with Ofsted for England, The Care Inspectorate for Scotland or the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (‘CSSIW’) for Welsh settings.

You will need to tell Universal Credit details of the childcare providers you are using. These may include providers supplying childcare via a school, play scheme, nursery, club, a childminder or childcare agency, so long as they’re registered as above. Your provider will need to confirm their registration number, which you’ll need to provide in your application.

How to apply

Checklist

First, you’ll need to get the following ready: • Details confirming what you pay for childcare costs; • An email address; • Your mobile phone handy if you have one; • Your bank or building society account details, or credit union account information; • A credit or debit card; • Details about your housing situation, for example how much rent you pay; • Income details including payslips; • Savings and investment information and any income from property that you rent out; • A driver’s licence or passport.

Then you can apply for Universal Credit payments here. Telephone the Universal Credit Helpline on 0800 328 5644 if you run into any difficulty.

Childcare in Streatham, London SW16

This guide was brought to you by Little Cedars Day Nursery in Streatham, London SW16. We offer childcare services at our nursery and pre-school located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. We’re convenient for parents requiring weekday childcare for babies and under-fives near Streatham, Streatham Park, Tooting Bec, Tooting Common, Furzedown and Balham. Telephone 020 8677 9675 for more details or simply email us here and we’ll be delighted to tell you more about the nursery or to answer any questions. Alternatively, book a tour or the nursery here.

20 July 2020/by Mark

Childcare, Early Years Education, Funding, Nurseries, Nursery, Pre-schools, Preschool, Streatham, SW16, Tax-Free Childcare

The Tax-Free Childcare Scheme – A Complete Guide

Back in February, we published our ‘Rough Guide to Free Childcare Funding in England‘. This proved very useful to eligible parents and guardians who wanted to understand more about the free childcare funding that was available from the Government. For any parent or guardian, totally free childcare is a no-brainer and is usually the best source of childcare funding to consider first. However, for those who are not eligible, there’s another scheme to consider, called the Tax-Free Childcare scheme. While you do have to pay for the childcare yourself, a kind of tax ‘rebate’ (of sorts) helps to cushion you from having to pay for the entire cost.

The Tax-Free Childcare Scheme could save you thousands

The Tax-Free Childcare Scheme

Under the Government’s Tax-Free Childcare Scheme, the Government effectively offers up to £2,000 of help per child, per year, for childcare, or up to £4,000 per year if they are disabled. It’s rather like crediting you back some income tax on the (tax-paid) money you’re going to be spending on childcare, which is why the scheme is called the Tax-Free Childcare Scheme.

How it works

If you are eligible, you simply open a Tax-Free Childcare Account on the Government website. For every 80p you pay in, the Government will put in an additional 20p (this is the part that’s akin to getting the Income Tax back on the money you’re going to spend on childcare). Using this approach, you can save up to £10,000 for childcare, per child, in your Tax-Free Childcare account. As mentioned above, you get even more back from the Government if the child in question is disabled.

Rules for eligibility:

The Tax-Free Childcare Scheme is available to parents of children up to the age of 11 inclusive, or 16 inclusive if they’re disabled.
You, and your partner, if you have one, need to be working. (If you are a single parent, that’s OK).
If one of you is not working but is in receipt of specific benefits, the other can still be eligible. Those received benefits include various disablement and incapacity allowances, Carer’s Allowance, contribution-based employment & support allowance and National Insurance credits awards for incapacity/limited capacity to work.
If you have not yet begun working, but will begin working within the next 31 days, you can still apply.
Being on sick leave does not stop you from being eligible.
Each partner in the household, if there is more than one, needs to earn £140 or more per week (this is tied to the National Minimum Wage i.e. the equivalent of working 16 hours per week, if over 25, at time of writing). Those who have been self-employed for less than a year are not subject to the minimum above. Those who have been self-employed for more than a year will need to use an average of income for the next 3 months or entire current tax year to see if they’re eligible on the above basis.
Each parent must earn less than £100k per annum.
Those on maternity, paternity or adoption leave are still eligible on the above basis, but can only claim for children they are not on parental leave for.
Your chosen childcare provider must be registered with the Tax-Free Childcare Scheme along with at least one of the following regulators: Ofsted, the Early Years Register or the Childcare Register.

Along with helping to fund nursery places at places like Little Cedars Nursery in Streatham, Tax-Free Childcare can also be used to fund the costs of other kinds of childcare service, so long as they’re registered as outlined above. Examples include play groups, breakfast clubs, some holiday activities like sports and even summer camps.

Is Eligibility affected if I’m working less due to coronavirus measures?

The short answer is no, i.e. if you’re temporarily working less because your work has been limited by the measures put in place to fight coronavirus, you can still claim.

How to apply for Tax-Free Childcare

To apply, sign up for Tax-Free Childcare at the Government site. It only takes 20 minutes or so. You’ll need your National Insurance number and your UTR (Unique Taxpayer Reference) if you’re self-employed. If you have a partner that you are making a joint claim with, the same two things are required for them, but you only need one account for the both of you.

Once your application has been accepted (it’s usually pretty fast), the Government’s 20% contribution usually goes into your account within just a few hours of you crediting the account with your 80%. Please note that there is a maximum credit of £500 per quarter from the Government. For this reason, it’s wise to credit your account with your contributions all year round if you have particularly high childcare costs that come in one shorter period within the year.

TIP: If you want the Government’s contribution to go into your account faster, your payment needs to be paid by Bank Transfer (rather than, say, via a debit card or standing order, although those still work fine if you don’t mind waiting a while longer for the Government’s corresponding contribution).

How to pay your childcare provider

Once your Tax-Free Childcare account is showing available funds, these can be sent directly to your childcare provider by selecting them from within the account and then transferring the appropriate amount to them. As above, they will usually receive the payment very fast although obviously it takes a little longer if you make a payment over a weekend or Bank Holiday. Allow up to 3 working days, in a worst case scenario.

Looking for childcare services in Streatham or south west London?

Little Cedars Day Nursery is based in Streatham, London, SW16. If you’re in that area, we’d love to be your chosen childcare provider. We’re conveniently close to Streatham high street, Streatham Park, Tooting Bec, Tooting Common, Furzedown and Balham. We’re well-established and offer the very best childcare services at our nursery/pre-school in Aldrington Road (SW16 1TU). Our qualified staff and facilities for children are excellent, whether they’re a 3 month old baby or a five year old child. Call 020 8677 9675 or contact our Streatham nursery team here and we’d be delighted to tell you more about our nursery, or to arrange a visit so you can see the setting for yourself.

P.S. You may also be interested in our separate Guide to Childcare Funding Available Through Universal Credit.

26 June 2020/by Mark

Childcare, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Health & Safety, Nurseries, Nursery, Pre-schools, Preschool, Streatham, SW16

Our Anti-COVID Measures as we Re-open the Nursery

On June 1st, we re-opened Little Cedars Nursery at its Aldrington Road setting in Streatham, London SW16 1TU. Our thanks go to staff at our sister nursery, Beechcroft Nursery, for joining forces with us during the lock-down, to look after children of key workers alongside us. It’s wonderful to be back, though, as we can welcome old faces and new to our Streatham nursery and pre-school.

In view of the Government only recently easing the lock-down restrictions and with coronavirus still potentially at large, we have implemented stringent new health and safety measures at the nursery. These are being implemented to safeguard the health and wellbeing of babies, children, parents and staff.

“Everyone’s health is our topmost priority.”

Health & safety measures to keep you & your child safe from COVID-19

Here, we’ll outline what we are doing to keep you, you child and everyone at the nursery safe and well. These measures go well beyond Government guidelines and may be of comfort to those parents who are, understandably, a little nervous of sending their little ones back to nursery or pre-school so soon after lock-down.

Social distancing & extensive use of outdoor spaces

Moving much of the curriculum to our large outdoor areas will significantly reduce the risks that would otherwise be associated with more confined, indoor spaces. Outside, children are naturally going to have more room to themselves and the air they breathe will be cleaner – and will disperse to the atmosphere naturally. And, of course, we are ensuring everyone maintains good social distancing generally. Outside, we have made sure that there are sufficient covered areas outside to protect children and staff from the weather.

Small ‘bubble’ groups

We are also keeping babies and children within small ‘bubble’ groups. This will ensure that they are mixing with only a tiny number of individuals on a day-to-day basis. This vastly reduces the risks of catching contagions from one another. The bubble groups will be a size of 3, 4 or 6 children, depending upon the age group they fall into.

Limited numbers

Another excellent safeguarding measure is to limit the number of people attending the setting. For this reason, we will not take the nursery to full capacity while coronavirus is still at large. Again, this ensures that children and staff mix with as few people as possible.

Temperature checking

Temperatures of staff and children will be checked from time to time, as appropriate, using zero-contact electronic thermometers. That will allow us to get the earliest indication should someone begin to exhibit symptoms. We would then be able to take appropriate action i.e. to ensure that the symptomatic person isolates themselves at home rather than continuing to attend the nursery.

Track & Trace

In the unlikely event that anyone at the nursery does begin to exhibit possible symptoms of coronavirus, we will follow the Government’s Track & Trace policy. Anyone affected will be asked to take a test. They and their ‘bubble’ group will be required to self-isolate until the potential danger has passed. This will minimise the risk of the virus spreading to others.

New drop-off & collection rules for parents

We are asking parents to stagger their drop-off and collection times so that they encounter the minimum number of other people whilst doing so. Parents will not be granted entry to the nursery at the current time, so they must remain outside. While waiting, they will be required to keep a minimum of 2 metres away from others at all times.

New safety protocols for staff

Along with orchestrating the measures above, nursery staff will also be taking additional steps as part of their day-to-day precautions. These include:

Liberal use of antimicrobial wipes for equipment, surfaces, door handles, toys, etc.;
A change of clothes when they first arrive at the nursery in the morning, to ensure uniforms are fresh;
free of bacteria and viruses;
Wearing of face shields and double-gloving when changing nappies;
Wearing of top quality, medically approved ‘FPP3’ face masks whenever appropriate.

Special precautions for food and snacks

Our in-house chefs are already taking additional precautions when preparing food for the children. As well as the standard hygiene protocols that one would expect, the new measures include the wearing of masks and face visors when preparing food. This keeps meals and snacks pristine.

These measures put the health and safety of children, parents and staff first. We hope they put your mind at rest if you were at all tentative about your baby or child attending (or re-attending if you’re one of our existing families). Do, of course, get in contact with us if you’d like further reassurance.

Does your baby or child need childcare in the Streatham area?

If your baby or child needs a nursery/preschool place in the Streatham area of south-west London, we would be very happy to discuss this with you. We’d welcome the opportunity of telling you more details about the exceptional childcare services at the nursery, our ethos and all the amazing facilities available. Call 020 8677 9675 or email our manager here. We’ll be delighted to hear from you.

11 June 2020/by Mark

Activities, Early Years Education, Learning through play, Nurseries, Pre-schools, Streatham, SW16

The Benefits of Teaching Children to Grow Food

Keeping children busy, entertained and learning is essential, including during the lock-down, whether or not they’re attending nursery or pre-school. It can be amazing fun too, if activities are carefully chosen. One really cool activity to tick all the boxes is to encourage children to grow food at home. Growing vegetables and herbs is a great place to start — and it’s relatively easy. One of the best things about the activity is that children don’t need a seed or seedling to get started. Essentially they can grow produce for free by ‘re-growing‘ offcuts from shop-bought vegetables and herbs. The resulting food could save the family money as well as teaching the children a huge amount, on many different levels.

“Why try to explain miracles to your kids when you can just have them plant a garden.” (Robert Brault)

Children love growing vegetables and herbs

It may surprise some to learn that you can buy some vegetables and herbs just once and never have to buy them again. The secret is knowing which, and how to re-grow them. It turns out that it’s pretty easy, so we encourage parents to help youngsters get started. Once they see growing shoots or roots and, later, vegetables or herbs that the family can actually eat, they’ll be so pleased that they made this little miracle possible. What’s more, it will have taught them something about where food comes from, how to grow it sustainably and how to look after the living plants. If you’re really lucky, it may even encourage them to take things a step further and get involved in food preparation and cooking later on. It’s amazing, actually, where such a simple, fun, activity can lead!

“In every gardener is a child who loves to play in the dirt. In every child is a gardener ready to grow.” (LeAura Alderson)

No garden? No problem!

It’s possible, and indeed fairly easy, to grow your own produce even without a garden. So long as you look after your plants and give them water, soil and light as a bare minimum, they will grow. If you don’t have a garden, perhaps you have a small courtyard or patio where you can grow in containers. If you don’t have any outside areas at all, you can grow in flower pots and other containers on window sills, balconies, under skylights and so on. This makes growing produce possible almost anywhere, including in urban London in high-rise flats. After all, it’s in a plant’s nature to want to grow.

Vegetables & herbs kids can grow for free

Once you and your children have tried this, you may totally re-think how you deal with vegetable and herb ‘waste’. We hope so. The secret to re-growing free herbs and vegetables is to save some of those parts that often you’d usually cut off and discard. Some of them can be used to ‘seed’ a whole new plant and, ultimately, new produce that you can all eat.

Children could start with green onions or spring onions. These are particularly easy to ‘re-grow’. Later, perhaps, the children can apply the same approach to celery, lemon grass, Cos lettuce and Pak Choy (a type of Chinese cabbage). Simply save an inch or so thick section of your shop-bought root vegetables (perhaps the last you will ever need to buy), which includes the bottom part at the root end. All your children need to do is to place that section, root end downwards, in a glass of water. Leave them in the water and, after somewhere between 1 and 3 weeks, roots will start growing. Children will love monitoring this process each day and they will enjoy looking after and caring for a living thing. Once the roots are substantial enough, children can take them out of the glass and re-pot them in soil, ideally with a bit of compost if you have any. This can be in containers, appropriately sized flower pots or in the garden if you have access to one. Before long, your plants will give your children more, free herbs and vegetables that you can all enjoy.
Other vegetables that can be grown in similar ways, for next to nothing, include Swiss chard, lettuce (which tolerates shade fairly well) and beetroot.
Garlic cloves are also incredibly easy to regrow in a similar way. Perhaps at some point you’ve unintentionally allowed your shop-bought garlic cloves to ‘sprout’. Well, that’s how to start off. Rather than discarding them, your children can put them in water and allow roots to grow. Then, they should plant them out in soil and eventually they’ll end up with more, free, garlic cloves. What’s more, they will tend to taste more mild and delicate than shop-bought garlic — children will probably appreciate that. It’s the same with ginger roots, but allow months rather than weeks in their case.
If you ever buy carrots from the supermarket, look for the ones with green leaves (‘carrot greens’) sprouting from the top. Once you’ve prepared the carrots to eat, you’ll usually discard the top sections where the carrot greens sprout. Instead of throwing those away, show your child how planting them in a dish of water and sitting them on a well-lit windowsill will allow the sprouts to grow. You or your child can use the resulting carrot greens to garnish salads and similar.
Herbs like Coriander, Rosemary and Basil can also be re-grown. Children can simply take scraps or clippings (4 inches long in the case of basil, 2-3 inches in the case of Rosemary) and place them in glasses of water in a well-lit spot on the windowsill. Once they have sprouted roots of about 2 or so inches long, these young ‘plants’ can be transplanted into soil or compost in pots. Your child will then be able to watch the plants flourish and grow into new herbs that can be harvested for food later on. The children will also soon discover that each of these herbs has a wonderful and distinctive taste and smell.
Potatoes are pretty easy for children to re-grow too. The only limitation is the space they need (ideally they would grow in the ground although you could also try ‘grow bags’ or deep pots if you don’t have access to a garden). Either way, old potatoes that have started sprouting are actually ready to plant. Cut each potato into two or three pieces (each with a growing section) and get your child to plant those in soil. Later, when growing sprouts reach the surface, the child should keep those covered with soil (this is called ‘hilling’). Get your child to keep the soil moist but not over-saturated over the subsequent weeks. If planted in the spring, your children should be able to harvest potatoes in the summer.
Meanwhile, tomatoes and peppers can be grown from the seeds you’ll find inside shop-bought equivalents. Once sprouted they can be planted out into grow bags. A garden is not strictly necessary if you have a small outdoor space of some kind, for example a balcony. Vegetables like courgettes, marrows, squashes and pumpkins can also be grown from seeds found inside their shop-bought counterparts, but only if you have the significant room they’d need to grow in a garden or other outdoor space.
Then, of course, your children can also experiment with nursery bought, or mail order seeds. Although not free, they’re reasonably inexpensive and also fun for children to grow if you follow the instructions and timing suggested on the seed packets. Beans of various kinds and sugar snaps are particularly easy to grow and usually result in an excellent crop. They will benefit from being in a garden or outdoor patio area, ideally, due to the space they require. They will need more vertical space than horizontal space, however, so even balcony planting may be possible if you have suitable grow bags.

“By the process of directly working in harmony with nature, we do the one thing most essential to change the world — we change ourselves.” (Jules Dervaes)

Children learn so much by growing food

There are so many lessons that children will learn if they grow their own food. Here are a just a few:

Children will have fun and stay entertained, even during lock-down;
They will have learnt new skills;
They will understand nature and the natural world a little better;
They will learn where some food comes from;
They will learn that they can make things happen with effort, care and patience;
They will have a sense of responsibility, having cared for a living thing;
They are more likely to eat food that they have grown;
They will see how easy it is to save money;
They will learn that they don’t need to rely on electronic games and gadgets in order to have fun and to learn;
They will learn the art of trial and error, also learning from mistakes along the way;
They will have enjoyed working with you, their parent or guardian. Working closely together on a common interest may improve the bond between you;
They will also learn about eating healthy, fresh food.

If it all goes well, you may even find that your home-grown vegetables taste better than shop-bought produce. Peas, carrots and tomatoes often taste more sweet than those bought in shops, for example. Kids can taste the difference.

If you’re really lucky, you and your children will end up with more home-grown produce than you can eat. If so, it’s easy to freeze it, give the excess to friends, family and neighbours or to swap produce with others who have grown something different. The important thing is not to let your children’s hard work go to waste.

Contact Little Cedars Nursery, Streatham, London SW16

This article was brought to you by Little Cedars Day Nursery and pre-school in Aldrington Road, Streatham, in London SW16. For more information about our setting and the childcare services we provide for children from 3 months to 5 years of age, click any of the bold links, call 020 8677 9675, contact us here or email our manager by clicking this link.

28 April 2020/by Mark

Childcare, Early Years Education, Education, Nurseries, Nursery, Parents, Pre-schools, Preschool, Streatham

The Importance of Parental Involvement in Education

It has long been accepted that the involvement of parents in a child’s education and development is incredibly important, with many benefits for the child. It’s even more beneficial when involvement begins in the child’s early years. Helping children right from nursery means that they’re more likely to get their education foundations set up well. For example, a good foundation in reading and writing will help improve just about every other topic of learning going forwards. That’s why, at Little Cedars Nursery in Streatham, we encourage parents to involve themselves in their children’s learning, right from the start.

Parental involvement in education is shown to lead to a more rounded education and better grades overall. An improved comprehension of topics in turn leads to improved outcomes for the children involved. For example, the pupil may end up with a wider choice when it comes to choosing a university. It’s the same for their career path too, like a domino effect, increasing chances of a more successful career. The importance of parental involvement in a child’s education can therefore not be overstated.

“Parental effort is consistently associated with higher levels of achievement, and the magnitude of the effect of parental effort is substantial.” (Conway & Houtenville study, 2008)

“Students with […] parents operating in supportive roles are 52% more likely to enjoy school and get straight A’s than students whose parents are disengaged with what’s going on at school. This is especially the case during the earliest years of schooling, […] when students with active parents are almost twice as likely to succeed.” (Pinantoan, 2013)

Benefits of Parental involvement in education

The benefits of parental involvement in education include:

Improved focus on school work;	Better social skills;
Greater comprehension of topics;	Improved self-esteem;
Better grades;	A more positive, optimistic attitude;
Enhanced organisation skills;	The child becoming a more confident and rounded individual;
A higher level of responsibility in the child;	A stronger bond between parent and child;
Lower truancy rates;	Better communication skills;
Improved behaviour;	A wider choice of topics being available e.g. when it comes to further education;
A greater capacity in the child to keep trying;	Acceptance, potentially, at better university courses;
Moral support, making learning more pleasant for the child;	A wider skill set for the child;
Encouragement when it’s tough e.g. when tests are near;	Ultimately all of the above can lead to more opportunities for success, for example a better career with higher pay.

Studies have shown that parental involvement in a child’s education results in benefits regardless of parents’ education levels, their socioeconomic status or ethnic/racial background¹.

“Parental involvement in children’s learning improves children’s morale, attitude, academic achievement in all subjects and promotes better behaviour and social adjustment. It also helps children to be productive, responsible members of society.” (Centre for Child Well-Being, 2010)

How can parents involve themselves in their child’s education?

Parents can involve themselves in their child’s education in a number of ways. Discussing the child’s strengths and weaknesses with teachers and nursery staff is important. Actively engaging with educational settings at parent evenings and by joining school boards is also beneficial. A collaboration between parents and educational settings can lead to measurable improvements in a child’s academic and physical performance.

The educational involvement of parents while at home with their child has an immense, long-term, positive impact.

Parents can help their children educationally in a number of ways. This can include something as simple as proactively listening to their child reading at home. Similarly, helping the child understand and improve in areas where they are struggling at school is of huge benefit. Helping children with homework and encouraging them with sports activities are other great ways to support them.

Educational support from parents can come in many forms. This includes teaching directly, of course, but also mentoring, to support, encourage and inspire the child. Importantly too, parents must ensure that the child has a home environment that facilitates and encourages learning. They should also express high, but realistic, expectations for their child in terms of possible achievements and career paths.

Helping children throughout their school years works best when it’s approached in a natural, caring kind of way rather than enforcing it as a strict ‘discipline’. It could even be thought of as a kind of teamwork, in practice. This approach means that the child is encouraged, not forced. They will genuinely feel helped and given moral support. Home educational help then motivates the child in question, rather than being made to feel like a chore. And, of course, overall comprehension of topics is greatly enhanced when a parent takes their time to explain things in a relaxed home setting.

“When parents come to school regularly, it reinforces the view in the child’s mind that school and home are connected and that school is an integral part of the whole family’s life.” (Mapp K. and Henderson, A., 2002)

Contact Little Cedars Day Nursery to learn more

If you’d like to learn more about how you can support your child through nursery, pre-school and beyond, we’d be delighted to discuss it with you. Your support can hugely improve your child’s potential outcomes. Call us on 020 8677 9675 or come in and see us when the coronavirus crisis is over (arrange an appointment online here) and we can chat it through. We are a nursery and pre-school based at 27 Aldrington Road in Streatham, London SW16 1TU (click the link above to see a location map). We’re ideal for parents looking for nurseries and childcare services near Streatham, Streatham Park, Tooting Bec, Tooting Common, Furzedown and Balham.

14 April 2020/by Mark

Childcare, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Free Childcare, Key Workers, Nurseries, Nursery, Pre-schools, Preschool, Streatham, SW16, SW17, Tooting

Nursery places for Key Workers in SW16 & SW17

Key workers in Streatham & Tooting:
We can help you with childcare.

Following on from our Coronavirus Update, we’re reaching out to ‘key workers’ in the Streatham & Tooting areas. If you require childcare during the COVID-19 lock-down, we can help.

“If you need childcare in the London SW16 or SW17 area of London and are what the Government are categorising as a ‘Key Worker’, we can help with nursery places for your children.”

What is a Key Worker?

Loosely speaking a key worker, as defined by the Government, is anyone whose work is “critical to the COVID-19 response”. It also includes people working in one of the “critical sectors”. These are categories that they see as essential to keep the UK safe and the economy and infrastructure functioning. Where children of key workers cannot safely be cared for at home, they will be “prioritised for education provision”. That means eligibility for childcare at nurseries and pre-schools like Little Cedars Day Nursery and Beechcroft Day Nursery.

NHS staff and those working in health and social care, we can help you with nursery places for your children.
Teachers, childcare workers and education professionals, we can offer your child a nursery place.
Emergency services, MoD staff, armed forces critical to the response to the coronavirus pandemic and prison/probation staff, we can offer childcare for your children.
Workers in national or local government essential to the COVID-19 response: we have a place in our nursery for your children.
Transport and delivery workers may also be eligible for childcare in our London nurseries.
If you work in banking/finance, IT, postal services, delivery, utilities like oil, gas, electricity and water: we can also help with a nursery place for your child.

The list of eligible key worker categories is thankfully large, so those were just a few examples. To check whether you’re eligible for a childcare during the lock-down, check the full list of eligible key workers. Then get in touch with us (see below).

A Nursery/Pre-school for children of key workers in London SW16/SW17

We’ll temporarily operate from Tooting Bec during the lock-down. As we mentioned in our last post, Little Cedars Day Nursery (Streatham) has temporarily joined forces with our sister nursery Beechcroft Day Nursery. This is very close by (just a 7 minute drive) at 83 Beechcroft Road, London SW17 7BN (Tooting Bec). Read more

26 March 2020/by Mark

Childcare, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Free Childcare, Funding, Nurseries, Nursery, Pre-schools, Preschool, Streatham, SW16

Coronavirus & Little Cedars Day Nursery — Temporary Measures

Little Cedars Day Nursery would like you bring parents and carers up to date in regard to the affect that Coronavirus and COVID-19 is having on the nursery in Streatham. Firstly, we’re pleased to confirm that we don’t have any instances of staff or families having been infected. However, we do need to follow Government guidelines. Regrettably, these affect all education settings, so will impact on some families who attend our nursery/pre-school.

Partial closure of the nursery (from Friday 20 March)

As many may have seen in the news, the Government has asked all nurseries to partially close from Friday 20th March 2020. This is part of the community defence against the spread of the virus. It’s especially important for London-based nurseries and pre-schools to do all they can to play their part in the fight against this pandemic. Little Cedars is no exception, so here is what is happening from today (20 March 2020) …

Temporary relocation

During these emergency measures, Little Cedars will temporarily relocate, joining forces with our sister nursery, Beechcroft Day Nursery. This is very close by at 83 Beechcroft Road, London SW17 7BN. As you can see on the map, this is just 1.6 miles, a 7 minute drive or a 16 minute bus journey away. Once the emergency measures and virus have passed, things will go back to normal and we’ll be back at Aldrington Road. Hopefully, that’ll be in no time at all if we all take extra measures to beat this outbreak together. We’ll keep you posted of any changes here and on our social media.

Exceptions to the closure

Nurseries, including Little Cedars, will essentially close to much of the general public. However, as directed by the Government, they will remain open for vulnerable children and children of key workers. In brief, the ‘key workers’ include those involved in the response to COVID-19, front-line NHS staff, emergency services, supermarket delivery drivers, those involved in food production and several other categories. It’s a long list, though, so click here to see it in full.

The Government’s message is:

“If your work is critical to the COVID-19 response, or you work in one of the critical sectors listed … and you cannot keep your child safe at home, then your children will be prioritised for education provision.”

Our promise to you

Please note: We know how disruptive and difficult this may be for many of the families whose children attend our nursery/pre-school. Therefore we, the staff at Little Cedars Day Nursery, promise that we’ll look very carefully at your individual circumstances. We will, of course, help you and your children wherever possible.

Contact us for further information

If you’d like to contact us for further clarification, please email us on . You can also leave a phone message at Little Cedars (020 8677 9675) or call our Beechcroft nursery direct on 020 8767 5501.

Lastly, is free childcare funding for 2, 3 & 4 year olds affected?

No; the good news is that there is no change to the funding eligibility. In regard to those who are eligible for free childcare funding, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has stated, “… we will continue to pay for all free early years entitlements [in place], even in the event that settings are closed … or children are not able to attend due to coronavirus”.

20 March 2020/by Mark

Childcare, Free Childcare, Funding, Nurseries, Nursery, Pre-schools, Preschool, Streatham, SW16

A Rough Guide to Free Childcare Funding in England

The rules surrounding free childcare funding in the UK can be confusing. You may have heard of the Government schemes for ’30 hours of free childcare’, or ’15 hours free funding’. However, different age groups each have their own separate rules surrounding eligibility. In view of the complexities involved, we have put together a rough guide for early years age groups, to help clarify things. This should be useful for those looking for nursery and pre-school places for 2 to 4 year olds in particular. We’ll take each age group in turn:

Free childcare funding for 2 year olds

You may be eligible for up to 15 hours of free childcare funding for 2 year olds if you live in England and …

are receiving Income Support;
receive the guaranteed element of Pension Credit;
are receiving Income-based Job Seekers Allowance;
receive Income-related Employment & Support Allowance;
are receiving Universal Credit and your annual household income is no more than £15,400 after tax, excluding benefits;
receive Tax Credits and your annual household income is no more than £16,190 before tax;
are receiving the Working Tax Credit “4 week run-on” (payments you receive when your eligibility for Working Tax Credit ceases).

You may also be eligible if your 2 year old:

is subject to an Education, Health & Care plan;
has a statement of special educational needs;
is no longer in care following a special guardianship order, an adoption order or a child arrangements order;
receives a Disability Living Allowance;
is cared for by a local authority.

Separate rules apply for those who are non-EEA citizens who also cannot claim benefits.

15 hours free childcare for 3 & 4 year olds

For English nationals, 3 and 4 year old children are entitled to 15 hours of free childcare per week, for 38 weeks per year. That equates to 570 hours per year but it can only be used in conjunction with an approved childcare provider like Little Cedars Day Nursery in Streatham. 3 and 4 year olds are eligible for this until they start school in reception year, or reach compulsory schooling age if that’s later. Eligibility does not depend on income or the parents’/guardians’ work situation. Parents can start benefiting from the funding from the 1st of January, the 1st of April or the 1st of September after their child’s third birthday. Ask your local nursery, pre-school or council for more details.

30 hours free childcare funding

In addition to the above, 3 and 4 year olds may be eligible for an additional 15 hours of free childcare, taking the total to 30 hours a week, if certain criteria are met …

You can apply for the additional 15 hours of free childcare , bringing it to a total of 30 hours, at the same time as claiming Universal Credit, Tax Credits, Childcare Vouchers or Tax-Free Childcare.
If you are currently not working, you may still be eligible if your partner is working, and you get Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, Carer’s Allowance or Employment & Support Allowance.
You can apply if you’re starting or re-starting work within the next 31 days.

Earning criteria for working parent/parents/partners:

You must be working as a single parent or part of a couple that both work.
You must earn more than the weekly equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage or Minimum Wage.
Neither of you can be earning a net income of more than £100,000, including any bonuses.

Learn more about eligibility here. If you feel that you do not quite meet these earnings criteria, it may still be worth enquiring as other conditions can sometimes apply. For example, a couple may still be eligible if one earns enough but the other is either a carer, is not well, is on parental leave, annual leave or sick leave. Another example is where a parent is self-employed, having started their business in the 12 months immediately prior to their application.

How to apply for 30 hours funding:

You can apply for the 30 hours funding through the Government website. You will need to go online and set up a childcare account. To do this you will need your National Insurance number (and, if you have a partner, their National Insurance number). If you are self-employed, also have your Unique Taxpayer Reference code (‘UTR’) at the ready. The online process will take about 20 minutes and it could take around 7 days to find out if you are eligible. Let us know if you need help with your application and we’ll be pleased to assist.

Other Government childcare funding schemes

You can also read our separate guide on free childcare funding available through Universal Credit and our Guide to the Tax-Free Childcare Scheme (click the bold links).

Contact Little Cedars Day Nursery & pre-school, Streatham

If you have any difficulties or have any queries regarding childcare funding, please get in touch with us. We can guide you through the process if you need help with your application. Feel free to call us on 0208 677 9675 too, or email us here and we’ll be happy to help!

Little Cedars is a day nursery and pre-school in Streatham, SW16 1TU. We’re very conveniently located for those searching for childcare in or near Streatham, Streatham Park, Tooting Bec, Tooting Common, Furzedown and Balham in the London Borough of Wandsworth.

This is a rough guide only, so always check with us, or your local council. Additional costs such as food, outings and nappies are not funded by the Government, so potentially allow extra.

25 February 2020/by Mark

Childcare, Nursery, Preschool, Social Media, Streatham, SW16

Follow Little Cedars on Social Media

Please follow Little Cedars Day Nursery on social media. Social media is a great way to see what’s going on and to catch up on news, events and day-to-day happenings at the nursery. It’s also a great way to stay informed about anything anything interesting going on in Streatham that may be relevant to parents and children. Our nursery and pre-school is now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google My Business, so you can connect with us if you are on any of these platforms. So, it’s now simple to keep your finger on the pulse! Simply connect with us today at one or more of the following …

Follow Little Cedars:

Facebook: Little Cedars’ Facebook ID is @LittleCedarsDayNursery and you’ll find our Facebook profile here.

Twitter: Our Twitter ID is @Little_Cedars and you can find our Twitter profile here.

Instagram: The nursery’s Instagram ID is @LittleCedarsNurseryStreatham and you can find our Instagram profile here.

Pinterest: Our Pinterest profile is available here.

Google Business: See our Google Reviews here. We have excellent customer ratings on Google!

Google maps: You can also see a ‘map’ version of our Google My Business profile here. You can also get directions to the nursery, from your exact location, here.

Do come back and visit this post again as we are sure to add other profiles in the future. For example, we may add our YouTube channel in due course.

Please recommend us with a 5 star review

If you’re happy with the childcare services at Little Cedars Day Nursery, please consider leaving us a 5 star review. Positive reviews and recommendations really help us here at the nursery. It’s a great way to spread the word if you think your child has benefited from our service. You can leave a nice review on both Facebook and Google Business if you have an account on either platform. Thank you so much if you’re able to do this — we really appreciate it.

Other feedback and suggestions? Contact the nursery …

When we’re doing something right, it’s great to have positive feedback. It’s also essential that parents let us know if they ever have suggestions as to how we might improve things. However, social media is not the best place for that. Therefore, please do get in direct touch with us at the nursery if you have any concerns or feedback about possible improvements we could make. We’re here to listen.

We are as keen as parents are for our nursery and pre-school to be the best that there is, so we will always listen to constructive feedback. So, if you have any, please call the nursery direct on 0208 677 9675 or write us a private email here to give us your suggestions. We’d be happy to then chat things through with you. We cannot stress enough that we too have your child’s best interests at heart, so we will continue to do everything we can to be the best nursery in Streatham.

Learn more about Little Cedars Day Nursery & Pre-School

Thanks for reading our first blog post. Another triple ‘thank you’ if you go on to connect with us on social media and leave a positive review for the nursery! Please feel free to peruse our website. We have lots of information on the nursery website and will add more and more as time goes by, particularly here on the blog. You can learn more about our facilities here, our fees and funding options here and our opening times and contact details here. Read about our delicious food and approach to nutrition here and learn more about us generally here. We even have a nursery photo gallery if you’re not on Instagram or Pinterest. Use the top navigation menu to find even more.

Main ‘Social Media’ photo by Merakist.

15 February 2020/by Mark