Our Units

“Children’s behaviour is very good. Staff provide a warm and calm environment where they continually promote a consistent approach and to encourage children’s understanding of appropriate behaviour.”   Ofsted 2014

Baby unit
The baby unit is designed for children between eight weeks and roughly 18 months to two years depending on your child's development. It provides a warm and friendly home-like environment. We know how hard it can be to leave your little one so your baby's key-worker will like to learn their routines and try to keep to these as closely as possible. We're experienced at caring for both breast and bottle-fed babies and are happy to use non-disposable nappy systems. We expect lots of phone calls from you in the first few weeks (!) and even once your child is settled, spending time at the Centre with them is really encouraged because we have found it has a positive impact on the child's development and fosters closer partnerships. You'll receive a daily verbal update as well as a written report and photos in your child's home-nursery diary. As your baby grows we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum to provide a wide variety of activities to promote all areas of their development.

Toddler unit
Once your child is 'toddling' they move on to our toddler unit allowing them increasing opportunities and experiences appropriate to their development. In most ways our approach is as it was in the baby unit. You'll still receive daily verbal updates and daily written reports and photos in your child's home-nursery diary and, as always, your child's key-worker will continue to use the Early Years Foundation Programme to plan a tailored programme of activities for your child's learning. This includes a wide variety of indoor and outdoor activities including story time, play dough, painting, water play, mud kitchen play, sticking, building, singing and movement...the list is endless!

Pre-school unit
This group is solely for children in their final year before primary school which we find helps greatly with the children's readiness for the reception class and for forming strong friendships that last through their school careers. The pre-school year is very important in preparation for school and our teaching becomes more like school to reflect this.  We are still very play and child centred in the approach (as you'll find they are in the local reception classes) and will continue to plan a carefully tailored programme of activities specifically for your child. However we also introduce more adult directed and structured activities so the children are really well prepared for the school environment.    Just like when your child was in the baby and toddler groups, we continue to use the Early Years Foundation Programme (which covers to the end of the reception year) to guide the sessions but we don't let it limit teaching; indeed we sometimes find children move beyond this even before the start of school!  We also start to introduce a program of trips out and the preschool group take the lead in our annual nativity. 

As always, we really like parents to be involved as much as you feel able to and those who can are very welcome to drop into a session whenever.  As well as daily verbal updates, you'll also get the opportunity to have a formal termly meeting with your child's key worker and headteacher Caroline so you can keep track of your child's progression over the year.  In the Summer term, we start planning school transition in earnest and host meetings and visits from the local primary school teachers.  We have very close links with Embsay School and take pairs or small groups for visits from early on the in the summer term before their formal visits organised by school.  We work with you and your child to provide your child's reception teacher with lots of detailed information about their skills and preferences and find this greatly helps with the transition. 

School aged children
Children can be delivered to and collected from Embsay School by Centre staff. Children from other schools are welcome during school holidays but parents must provide their own transport to and from the Centre. There are taxi firms registered with North Yorkshire County Council to carry children.
Holiday club is open to children up to 14 years of age. We encourage families to visit before starting the Centre so that children can get to know us and the way we work. We don't charge for these settling in sessions so long as children are accompanied by an adult. We plan lots of events and activities and frequently go for visits off-site.