The Children’s Centre is to increase the number of nursery places available in Douglas and Ramsey. From September 10, Bonwick Day Nursery will open at The Children’s Centre’s Bonwick Family Centre, Lezayre Road, Ramsey. There are places for nine babies from birth to two years, and 24 for two to five-year-olds.
The charity will also be opening another baby nursery at its HQ in Woodbourne Road, Douglas, with places for 18 babies aged from birth to two - that’s doubling the current capacity of the nursery. The charity will continue to operate its nursery in Park Road, Douglas. Rachel Staley, Head of Early Years and Playwork at The Children’s Centre, said:
“The nurseries in Ramsey and Douglas have been completely refurbished and we have installed brand new equipment to create a wonderful environment for children. We also have a large outside play area at both sites for children to run about and explore. All of our nurseries are run by highly qualified staff with years of experience and they are supported by specialist staff such as our Curriculum Co-ordinator who helps pre-schoolers prepare to move up to reception classes and keeps us up to date with changes within the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (EYFS). We also ensure that parents are involved in everything we do and provide regular updates through daily slips, newsletters, and parents’ evenings. We also carry out a parents’ survey each year to gather important feedback about our services.”
Rachel said that nursery care plays a vital role in a child’s development and The Children’s Centre followed the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum which is designed to encourage children in all areas of their development and learning. She added:
“Our nurseries offer a fun environment for children, but through play children are also encouraged to develop important social skills. In addition, children are provided with freshly cooked hot lunches which helps to develop good eating habits.”
Starting on September 5 The Children’s Centre will be operating a Pre-School within the grounds of Jurby School. Initially it will be open from 9am to 11.30am three days per week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays but could be extended if there is sufficient demand.
The Pre-School will be managed by experienced staff, a Senior Nursery Nurse and a qualified primary school teacher. All of The Children’s Centre’s nurseries accept Government credits given to parents for pre-school care. There are no catchment areas applying to the use of these credits so parents can use them at any nursery on the Island as long as it is with a registered nursery care provider. Of course, The Children’s Centre’s nurseries are officially registered and, in addition, will shortly complete accreditation for the Manx Step In To Quality Award. For more information about The Children’s Centre’s nursery and Jurby Pre-School places contact rachelstaley@thechildrenscentre.org.im or call Rachel on 431403.
