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Your Local Chester Nursery, Smarties Nature Kindergarten
Smarties Nature Kindergarten has been a well-established and trusted nursery just outside the beautiful city of Chester.
With a reputation for providing high-quality childcare since 1989, our nursery commits to creating a home away from home atmosphere for children and parents to feel comfortable and confident in our setting. This is reflected in our previous Ofsted inspections with our nursery rated Good in all areas. We are delighted to show you around our Nursery with confidence we are able to provide the very best for your children.
We provide childcare for children from 0 to 5. Our nursery is carefully designed and has a varied and plentiful range of resources and equipment, we also have our own private car park at the front of our building for drop-offs and pick-ups. We are open for 51 weeks throughout the year from 7.30am to 6pm for full and half days, as well as working in partnership with Cheshire West and Chester Councils to provide funding to eligible families.
Our unique features
Extensive outdoor area with Mini Farm and Forest School experience.
Longstanding, committed, welcoming staff team with a Millie’s Mark award.
Awarded NDNA Nursery of the Year UK wide in 2018.
Funding and Private places
Meet the Manager
Amy Devine
Nursery Manager
Beth Birch
Deputy Manager
Our Nursery Brochure
We will guide you through every step of your childcare journey and help you discover everything you need to know about our nursery. Come and join our family of nurseries across the UK. If you have any questions or enquiries, please feel free to contact us.
Alternatively, why not book a personal tour of our nursery where one of our friendly team will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Day Nurseries Reviews
What Parents Say About Our Nursery
Outdoor Discovery: Growing, Learning, and Playing in Nature
We love to get outside at Smarties Nature Kindergarten! We have a magical outdoor setting that spans 2 acres. We also have an established Forest School and our expansive gardens provide opportunities for outdoor learning across all areas of the curriculum.
Our willow tunnels, hornberry maize, a large mud pit and mud kitchen are just some of the facilities available!
As well as access to our fabulous outdoor play areas, children of all ages enjoy regular walks in the local area. We take children out in groups, come rain or shine, to take part in a variety of activities set up by our staff. Wherever possible we try to take our indoor learning outside. During our time outside we teach children how to assess risk, problem solve, share, gather and utilise from nature.
Our youngest children are often seen out in our pushable bus enjoying the fresh air, sights and sounds of the local community. We use high visibility vests to keep children safe when out on trips away from the nursery. We currently provide all wellington boots and all in one suits so they can be appropriately dressed for all seasons!
We are committed to being an environmentally friendly nursery, making changes wherever we can to make the world a cleaner place! We are committed to teach our children about their environment and the effect we have on it in our day to day lives.
Our Approach to Education at Smarties, Nature Kindergarten
Our team, who hold highly regarded Early Years education qualifications, develop curriculum to enable and encourage children to develop at their own pace towards their own potential. Examples of this are:
- Mathematics: Integrating numbers into real-life routines
- Schematic Play: Quality learning environment providing the potential for children’s creativity skills and allowing them to follow their own interests confidently
- Listening, Attention and Speaking: Teaching children to express their ideas and feelings about their experiences using complete sentences
- Personal, Social and Emotional Education
- STEM Activities: Building and problem solving using science, technology, engineering, and math
- Ensuring children are physically active from birth and meet the Chief Medical Officers (2019) guidelines of a minimum of 3 hours per day
Our Nursery Fees and Funding
We can offer flexible booking patterns and a range of funding options, including government funded childcare. To find out more information on pricing and availability, please request a call back and we will be in touch shortly.
Our Nursery fees include:
- Quality Early Years Care and Education
- Healthy, well-balanced menu for all children
- Forest School activities with qualified Forest School Practitioners
- Music Sessions twice weekly
- Access to a wide range of quality resources and equipment
- Free settling-in sessions
- Nappies, wipes and milk all included
*Terms and conditions apply to our funding options. Contact us for more information.
Most Enjoyed Activities at Our Nursery
Mini Farm Experience
We have 2 acres of land that are used for regular learning opportunities from the Early Years Forest School Curriculum!
Our Forest School
Forest School is an inspirational process that offers our children opportunities to develop their self-confidence through hands on learning experiences in our woodland gardens and outdoor classrooms.
Fundraising activities
Taking part in fundraising activities helps children to learn about others that live differently, or are in disadvantaged situations and understand how we can help them. Some of the fundraisers we have taken part in are: Children In Need, sponsored toddles, Macmillan coffee morning, superhero days and garden parties.
Settling in sessions
Our nurseries offer free settle in sessions, Parents can bring their child for a couple of hours first, gradually introducing them to their new environment. Settling in sessions are aimed at helping your child to adapt and become more familiar with the staff and children, but also help you adapt to their surroundings and feel safe and secure when your child joins us.
Physical Development and Education
As part of our curriculum we are committed to ensuring children are physically active for a minimum of 3 hours per day. Physical Development Champions at each nursery create and design specific activities based around movement, raising the heartbeat and exercising the cardiovascular system.
Food & Nutrition: Building Healthy Habits
Here at Smarties Nature Kindergarten we have our very own qualified Nursery Chef, who constantly reviews our menu to ensure we offer nutritionally balanced menus. These run on seasonal, 4 week rotas (Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter).
Please speak to a member of our team and advise us when registering regarding your child’s mealtime requirements – if your little one requires a special diet due to allergies, intolerances, cultural or dietary needs we will liaise with you to ensure we provide the same vigilance and food as home.
We previously have a Platinum Healthy Eating Award from Cheshire County Council and we have a Food Hygiene rating of 5, the highest score achievable, awarded to us on our last inspection by Cheshire West, Chester Council, and the Food Standards Agency.
Our menus are designed to give your little one the very best start in life. We make this possible by supplying our children with home cooked nutritional food, bursting with fresh fruit and vegetables and all the essential ingredients necessary for healthy physical and mental development. We also encourage cooking activities involving the children to encourage and support a good understanding of healthy eating and observation on portion control via HENRY. Whenever possible we source our food locally and organically, including seasonal vegetables and fruit into our menus. Baby food is prepared on site and advice is given to parents regarding weaning if required. Our children have a choice of milk or water to drink throughout the day.
Food Hygiene Rating Certified
Hygiene is a high priority practise. We instil a vigilant and organised approach to maintaining the highest standards.
Vegetarian
We are happy to cater for all preferences including a Vegetarian alternative for every meal.
Allergy appropriate and Vegan Options
We offer a variety of milk including animal and plant based milks and other alternatives for allergens and intolerances. Speak to our Nursery team and Chef regarding your childs requirements or preferences.
Dietary Requirements
We are happy to cater for a whole range of dietary/religious/cultural requirements. Please speak to our Nursery Chef for more information.
No Added Sugar or Salt
We do not add additional salt or sugar. Where possible we purchase products with reduced salt and lower sugar.
Allergies and First Aid
Our staff are trained in First Aid and the team are experienced in catering for allergies. You are more than welcome to meet with a member of our team to discuss your requirements.
Frequently asked questions
Do you offer part-time or flexible sessions for children?
Yes we do, please don’t hesitate to ask your nursery manager what is available in your nursery
How do you handle first aid or medical emergencies?
Our staff teams are qualified in paediatric first aid and refresh their knowledge on a regular basis, this is over and above regulatory minimum requirements
What is your settling-in process for new children?
We take an individualised approach to setting our children into our nursery environments, as a minimum we offer three settle sessions to allow children to gain familiarity and then our nursery teams will work with you to decide if more sessions are required
How do you communicate with parents about their child’s progress?
We have a fantastic app where you can view your child’s progress and daily routines. We also hold regular parents evenings and you can request a meeting at any time with your child’s key person to discuss your child’s individual needs
Are there any additional costs, such as for trips or special activities?
This is nursery dependent and will be explained on your personal tour
Do you offer sibling discounts or loyalty programs?
No
Do you provide care for children with special educational needs (SEN/ASN)?
Yes and we work together in partnership with you, external agencies and the local authority throughout your time with us to support you and your child to reach the very best outcomes
What makes your nursery stand out from others in the area?
Our Thrive ethos and values are unique to us and set us apart from the rest
What should I pack in my child’s bag for nursery?
A spare set of clothes are a must, also any comforters your child may need, apart from that we provide the rest!
Should I pack nappies and wipes, or are they provided?
No, they are provided
What is the process for dropping off and picking up my child?
This is nursery dependent as some opening and closing times do differ, ask your nursery manager to clarify. All of our nurseries endeavour to make this transition as smooth as possible for you and your child
What happens if I am late to pick up my child?
We understand that on occasion this can be inevitable, we do issue a late charge if lateness becomes an ongoing issue and will work with you to find a solution
What should I do if my child has trouble adjusting to nursery?
Trust us and trust in the process, we are here to help and advise so please reach out if you are concerned your child isn’t settling, we can work together to help the separation become easier over time
Do I need to provide suncream or outdoor clothing, such as rain boots?
This is nursery specific again however all of our sites provide suncream, you are welcome to provide your own if your child is sensitive to the suncream we provide
Can I change my child’s schedule once it has been agreed?
Yes you can, we will need a months written notice to reduce sessions, if its an increase and we have availability it can in most cases be arranged sooner. You can also book extra sessions when you need them again dependent on availability We regularly offer discounted extra sessions so do look out for those discounts in our nurseries
Take a
personal tour of our nursery
We will guide you through every step to get the most out of our nurseries. Join our family and pay us a visit by completing the contact us form.
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