We are a
seasonal
Pre-school
Nursery
A warm welcome to all visitors to our website . We hope you find it easy to navigate around it and that it provides you with the information you require.
About Us
Your Child Is in Great Hands
Our aims
We want your child to feel happy in our environment, to make friends, enjoy play and learn. We are open to all and have been recognised for our contribution, support, encouragement and development of children with special needs.
We always encourage parents to engage with us and to provide feedback on what we do well or where we can improve.
We strive to maintain our high standards at all times by continuously developing our staff and adhering to the latest Bexley and EYFS recommendations.
Staff
Karen Lucas is the registered owner of Little Stars Nursery, Mandy is Deputy Manager and we have a strong supporting team of dedicated personnel.
Collectively we have over 90 years of experience. For further information on our staffing experience and qualifications, select button.
There are 13 members of staff, 12 of whom are qualified, 10 are NVQ 3’s or equivalent and are 2 NVQ 2’s or equivalent. All our members of staff are CBR or DBS checked and are keen to regularly attend workshops and training days.
The majority of staff members are first-aid trained and all our staff maintain their Safe Guarding children knowledge through regular training . This is partly due to the limited numbers of SEN children that take up places in our setting, but of course covers all children.
We are taking on more SEND children and two year olds. With the help of the Early Years Support Team, we are continuously seeking to raise the standards required of us under new Government guidelines by ensuring our staff and any future employees are working towards the higher levels of childcare qualification.
Little Stars Nursery operates a "Key Person" approach, whereby each member of staff has an allocated number of children of all abilities. Their key responsibility is to be available to their group of children and to liaise with other staff regarding all children. This staff member is also responsible for their well-being on a daily basis and ensures that information about your child is exchanged easily with you. We continue to follow the the most up to date EYFS.
All staff are regularly updating their skills through Early Years Alliance training as well as Training recommended by the Bexley Early Years team on new topics and changes in current practices / policies. Bexley Early Years team very much form part of the communication process in ensuring staff are compliant with new legislation as well as the latest procedures / guidelines. We also now receive training for external agencies.
First day
A child who is tense or unhappy will not be able to play or learn properly, so it is important for parents and nursery staff to work together to help the child to feel confident and secure in the group. This takes longer for some children than for others and parents should not feel worried if their child takes a while to settle. The Nursery’s policy on settling in is on our policy page.
In order to feel free to explore and experiment with all kinds of materials, including messy ones, it is best to send children dressed in clothes, which are easily washable or not too new. Footwear should allow children to participate fully in all physical activities, i.e. trainers. It is good for children to practice the skills, which will make them independent. Simple clothing which they can handle themselves will enable them to go to the toilet when they want to and to put on and take off their outdoor clothes without being too dependent on other people’s help. We hope that your child’s time in Nursery will be a very happy and productive one. If you have any queries or if we can be of any help, please contact a member of our staff at any time.
We want children to feel safe and happy in the absence of their parents, to recognise other adults as a source of direction, help and friendship and to be able to share with their parents afterwards the new learning experiences enjoyed in the Nursery.
We also want parents to feel informed and relaxed from the beginning. Children cannot play or learn successfully if they are anxious and unhappy. Our settling procedures aim to help parents and children to feel comfortable in the Nursery, and to ensure that children can benefit from what the group has to offer and feel confident that their parents will return at the end of the session.