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Education and care.
A holistic approach to your Childs early years.
At The Cabin Day Nursery, all we do is based on a deep knowledge and understanding of the children in our care. We work in close partnership with our parents and carers to ensure we understand each child's interests, preferences and needs. Every child is unique and we believe that their early learning experiences should be as individual as they are.
Getting settled in
When a child joins us, parents are invited to spend some time at the nursery with their child in order for the child to gradually get used to our environment and all the new sights and sounds. These free settling in sessions may be very easy and parents may wish to leave their child briefly to play. Other children may need the reassurance of a slower build up. There is no one size fits all approach and we will follow your families individual needs when it comes to the timeline for leaving them with our practitioners.
Once your child is ready to spend time with their new friends without you, you will be invited to download our app which allows you to securely log in and view your child's day. Our practitioners will be sure to send you regular pictures and updates so that you can see what they are getting up to. The app also allows you to view information such as your child's sleep times, nappy change log, suncream application and more. This is also where you can view your child's learning journey and even upload your own observations of your child.
Meals
Our lunchtime meal is locally produced in Tavistock from a local independent caterer and delivered freshly to the nursery each day in time for our midday meal. The menu is set monthly and includes a mixture of familiar favourites and new tastes and textures to try. The meals are nutritionally balanced and contain plenty of fresh produce. Our friendly caterer is happy to produce alternatives for any children with allergies and intolerances, just let us know!
Alternatively, some families prefer to provide their own food and we are very happy for your child to attend with a packed lunch if this suits you better.
All snacks and a light meal for children who are still in nursery at 4.30 are provided with no extra charge. All of our qualified staff are trained to food hygiene level 2. Our older children are encouraged to help prepare snacks, pour their own drinks and assist in cleaning up afterwards.
Sleep
Each child has individual sleep and rest needs and we are happy to discuss their individual needs and current routines. Our sleep area has a low barrier allowing children to rest without being disturbed by their peers but allowing practitioners to keep a close watch over sleeping children.
Some children prefer to be rocked to sleep or to cuddle and share a story, others prefer to settle themselves to rest and some prefer to rest in a carrier, close to a practitioner. Children are placed to sleep on folding safe sleep surfaces and each child has their own sheet and blanket that are refreshed weekly. There are no set nap times as our staff will follow the child's home rhythm as much as possible.
Key person system
During the first few weeks at The Cabin your child will begin bonding with all our team.
We will observe each child during this time and will choose your child's key person based on your child's preference and also to match their needs with a staff member that has a corresponding skill set. You will be informed about who your child's key person will be and they will carry out a baseline assessment of their current development. From this point your key person will be your first point of contact at nursery and liase with you regularly on your child's progress. Using our app your child's key person is only ever an instant message away.
Parent partnership
We recognise that parents and carers are the expert in their own children and the child's first teacher. One of our small, experienced team will be available when you drop off each day and at collection can give you a run down of their day with us. Every child has a minimum of two assessments of their learning progress a year and we welcome family's comments and collaboration in these.
The great outdoors
We recognise the huge benefit to children that plenty of outdoor time gives. At The Cabin Day Nursery our outdoor play area is a part of our 'continuous provision' and children enjoy free flow play where they can choose to be indoors or outdoors throughout the day. We have a large collection of outdoor clothing and children are encouraged to select appropriate clothing for the weather conditions before they head out.
Outdoor play has been shown to improve strength, fitness, children's mental health, sensory integration and assist greatly in healthy brain development. Aside from all of this - it is a lot of fun!
Babies
As a mixed age group setting, the babies that come to us are included in everything we do. The learn and bond with the older children under careful supervision from our staff. They are encouraged to join in with painting, singing, dancing, craft and play as well as explore our outdoor area. When the a under 2 needs a more peaceful space to rest, feed and relax we have a dedicated baby area that the little ones can play and sleep in, supported by their named key worker.
We don't have set nappy changing routine as we prefer to take an individual rather than 'batch' approach to their personal care needs. They will be changed immediately if they are soiled and at least once in the AM and PM even if they aren't wet in order to keep them fresh and comfortable. We are happy to support children's toilet learning and can provide support and resources when you feel your child is ready for the big step of pants.
We ask our parents to provide the child's normal formula or breastmilk and bottles/cups or beakers. We will store and prepare breastmilk according to best hygiene practices and make up formula according to the manufacturers instructions.
Preschool children
Our 2, 3 and 4 year olds are supported to make excellent progress in all areas of their development through a play based mixture of child initiated and adult led activities.
Small group times offer a chance to develop their emerging shared attention, language and interpersonal skills with fun activities such as games, stories, singing and topics.
Free play allows the children to develop and explore their own interests, to problem solve, imagine and form friendships. Our skilled practitioners extend the children's understanding during this time by asking open ended questions and providing ideas to further their knowledge.
A rich love of language is fostered in each child as each day we explore books, sing, sign and talk the day away with our little conversationalists. Children are encouraged to take books home to share with their families, to explore the themes within them and link them to what they already know.
Children explore mathematical concepts such as space, shape and capacity with daily play opportunities that lay a firm foundation for future learning. Children are encouraged to understand numbers as symbols that represent quantity rather than a list of numerals to be learned by rote.