Smarties Day Nursery | Providing Excellent Childcare In Mansfield

Nursery Care Mansfield

Our Commitment To Outstanding Quality

Nursery Care Mansfield

Our Nursery Care

At Smarties Day Nursery we aim to unleash every child’s potential by showering each child with love, space and time to develop into happy and confident little people.

We aim to provide a calm, secure, homely environment that will stimulate curiosity. Your child will be lovingly cared for by our qualified, enthusiastic and dedicated team in a warm and nurturing environment led by the Holly, our manager.

Stimulating Nursery Environment

We are situated in a residential area on the southern outskirts of Mansfield, 10 minutes from the M1 (junction 27/28) and with easy access from several main routes in and out of Mansfield. There is ample parking and a spacious, enclosed, secure garden and play area to the rear.

Quality Childcare

We are proud to have an extremely committed, professional, well-qualified staff team at Smarties. All of the permanent staff are qualified to at least Level 3 and our Advanced Apprentice is currently working towards Level 3, ensuring that our qualification levels are well above the Ofsted minimum requirements.

Home from Home

We know how important your child’s wellbeing and learning and development is to you. At Smarties we are committed to providing a warm, loving, stimulating environment in which your child will thrive.

Committed Staff

EYFS Learning

We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), a structure of learning, development and care that all schools and early years providers follow from birth to five years old. Our practitioners carry out regular observations of your child, using the information gathered to plan activities which reflect your child’s interests and abilities.

Smarties Team

Qualified & Exceptional Team

Smarties is lovingly managed by Gemma , and we have a family of Childcare Practitioners who love what they do and are committed to providing children with the rich quality experiences we know will make them learn, grow, and thrive. All of our permanent staff are qualified to at least Level 3 and hold current paediatric first aid certificates.

All Smarties staff are encouraged to undertake ongoing training as part of their continuing professional development so that they keep abreast of new initiatives, legislation and developments within the early years sector.

We believe that children settle best when they have a key person to relate to, who knows them well and who can support their individual needs. The role of the key person is to:

Know the needs of the individual child

Be a good role model

Be someone your child can trust

Make accurate observations of your child’s learning and development

Complete targets & profiles

Plan activities for your child

Communicate with you and your child

Highlight possible learning needs and any special requirements

Opening Times

Smarties is open Monday to Friday throughout the year from 7.30am to 6.00pm with the exception of one weeks’ annual holiday (at Christmas) and all other Bank Holidays. Fees are not payable for the weeks’ closure. If you would like to find out more about us please follow the links to take a tour of the setting, explore sample menus and enjoy a taste of life at Smarties.

Our Facilities

Providing A Child-focused Learning Environment

The traditional detached property on a corner plot provides a warm, friendly, homely environment for up to 30 children each day from birth to 5 years. There is ample parking and a spacious, enclosed, secure garden and play area to the rear.

Babies

Our baby room accommodates babies from newborn up to two years of age. It is a lively, colourful, cosy room, rich with tactile resources which allow babies to explore their senses in a safe, nurturing environment. We promote independence and our babies are encouraged to feed themselves, to wipe their faces after meals and to help tidy up. They are allowed to move freely and to choose from a range of toys, games and other learning resources. Activities include stories, construction, singing, sand and water play, painting and sticking, food tasting, music and dance: a range of stimulating activities designed to stimulate children’s fine and gross motor skills. Babies are given the opportunity to explore treasure baskets and to engage in heuristic play.

Toddlers

Our toddler room accommodates children from two to three years of age, although children may start the transition from babies from 18 months onwards. The focus in the toddler room is on promoting independence and the children are able to choose from a wide range of resources designed to stimulate development. There are colourful displays incorporating the children’s artwork, there is a cosy ‘reading area’, a role play kitchen and a computer to access stories and games within the room. The adjacent conservatory provides a space not only to enjoy the nutritious meals and snacks but also to access a range of creative activities for example, painting, sticking, drawing, using glue and glitter, play dough, baking and food tasting. In the toddler room the staff begin to introduce regular group times, focussing on a shape, number and colour of the week.

Pre-School

The focus in the pre-school room is on learning and development and the children are able to choose from a wide range of stimulating resources and activities. Within the pre-school environment there are colourful displays incorporating the children’s artwork, there is a cosy ‘reading area’, a role play kitchen, a creative area and an interactive whiteboard and computer area to access stories and games. The creative area provides a space not only to enjoy the nutritious meals and snacks but also to enjoy a range of creative activities: painting, sticking, drawing, colouring, using glue and glitter, play dough, baking and food tasting. Regular group times are a key feature in the pre-school room, either the whole group sharing experiences or small groups enjoying age appropriate activities designed to stretch and challenge children’s learning.

Healthy Childcare Food

Our Nursery Food

Providing children with a nutritionally balanced and varied diet is of paramount importance in our aim to promote a healthy lifestyle.

Tracey our onsite chef creates wholesome and delicious meals which provide growing children with everything they need whilst developing their palettes.

At Smarties we believe that mealtimes should be an integral part of the day where tables are laid, and food is enjoyed at a leisurely pace. We promote table manners and cutlery skills.

We serve breakfast, a two course lunch, an afternoon tea, plus morning & afternoon snacks.

All dietary requirements and allergies will be accounted for as required.

Menus are planned in advance, rotated regularly and reflect cultural diversity and variation. These are on display for parents to view

We provide nutritious food at all times, using fresh, locally-sourced produce and avoiding large quantities of fat, sugar, salt and artificial additives, preservatives and colourings

Fresh drinking water is constantly available and frequently offered to children and babies

Staff eat with the children, acting as role models and demonstrating good table manners. Children are encouraged to use their manners and say 'please' and 'thank you', using Makaton signs for those children who are not yet speaking

Staff use meal and snack times to help children to develop independence through making choices, helping to serve food and drink, and feeding themselves. Staff support children to make healthy choices and understand the need for healthy eating.

Good hygiene is actively encouraged in the nursery. Children are taught to clean their teeth after meals and to wash their hands before and after meals.

Outdoor Play

Our Outside Area

Our extensive, outdoors curriculum has an expansive array of learning materials and opportunities for all our children.

Our large garden has been divided into zones to allow all our children to engage in outside play in a safe, stimulating outdoor learning environment. The garden zones include a covered all-weather surface, a grass play area, an educational zone with a planting area, a science shed and an insect hotel. Purpose built play equipment includes a stage for small group work, ‘stretch and challenge’ climbing equipment and a story telling area.

From our homely interior space, to our outdoor adventures, our caring ethos ensures our children feel safe, secure and valued. In such a supportive, reassuring environment, our children become happy, confident and skilled, very soon gaining a love for learning and a desire for challenge