Mealtimes
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All food will be freshly cooked at nursery. Menus have been carefully planned to meet the nutritional requirements of children and guidance from the Children's Food Trust has guided menu planning. Menus will be published in due course.
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Mealtimes are an important time of day for children. Within the baby room the mealtime routine will be dictated by the individual needs of the babies themselves. Some babies may be fed in highchairs whilst others may sit at a table to eat. Some babies may still be bottle fed or feeding mothers may choose to come in to nursery to breast feed.
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Within the toddler room children will eat in their key groups with their key practitioners, the same applies with children in preschool.
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Preschool children will be expected to serve themselves from choices made available on their tables. Staff will support children to make healthy choices, e.g., to choose a balanced meal consisting of carbohydrates, protein and vegetables. Children in the preschool will eat from china plates and drink from glasses at all mealtimes, unless a risk assessments informs us otherwise. Toddlers and babies will use plastic plates and beakers.
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Ofsted registered full day care nursery
Learning through Play
​"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world". Nelson Mandela
How children learn
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Research informs us that children actively learn through play (Hohmann and Weikart, 1995) and at Mill House Day Nursery children are provided with exciting, stimulating and meaningful play opportunities to engage their interests and to stimulate their play. The most important role of practitioners will be to facilitate play and to ensure that every child enjoys their time at Mill House Day Nursery.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)​
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets Government standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 years old (DfE, 2017). All schools and Ofsted-registered early years providers must follow the EYFS, including childminders, preschools, nurseries and school reception classes. Mill House Day Nursery follows the EYFS in order to ensure that all children who attend Mill House experience the best possible start to their education.
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Our service is delivered in partnership with parents and carers in order to ensure that learning opportunities draw on children's interests and experiences, interests and experiences, together with observations made within the setting, will inform practice and planning.
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​Baby Room
Our baby room provides care and early learning experiences for babies from 0 to 2 years of age. Planning in this room focuses on the three prime areas of learning and development which are: Personal Social and Emotional Development (PSED); Physical Development (PD); and Communication and Language (CL).
Learning in the baby room is about providing experiences which underpin future development, including mathematics, literacy, understanding the world, and expressive art and design.
Toddler Room
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The toddler room provides stimulating and educational experiences for children from approximately 2 years of age until they transition to the preschool. Whilst planning in this room still focuses on the three prime areas of learning and development, i.e., PSED, PD and CL, the four Specific Areas' are also introduced, these areas include: Mathematics; Literacy; Understanding the World; and Expressive Art and Design.
Toddlers have access to the nursery garden as well as access to the preschool room for periods of their day.
Preschool
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The Preschool room provides challenging, stimulating and educational experiences for children from approximately 3 years of age until they transition to reception or Year 1. Planning in this room still focuses on the three prime areas of learning and development as these underpin school readiness, however, we also cover the four specific areas in more detail, i.e.: Mathematics; Literacy; Understanding the World; and Expressive Art and Design.
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A great emphasis is placed on supporting children to develop independent learning skills. Children take part in self-selected cooking activities, gardening activities, and they have independent access to an exciting outdoor learning environment.
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References
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Hohmann, M. and Weikart, D.P. (1995) Educating Young Children: Active Learning Practices for Preschool and Child Care Programs. Ypsilanti: High/Scope Press
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Department for Education (2017) Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage Setting the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five. Crown Publishers.
