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Close To Home

Professional Childcare & Nursery Services In Burnham-On-Crouch

Kids Playing Outside

Childcare & Nursery

Our childhood years are some of the best in life and Close to Home offers our children a fantastic opportunity to learn, play and discover.

 

Situated in a pretty detached house in the rural area of Burnham-on-Crouch, Close to Home offers a high quality professional childcare service for children aged between 0 and 17. We are OFSTED registered and active members of the National Day Nurseries Association and Early Years Alliance.

Learn & Play

Your Child

Your child will be cared for by a dedicated team, who are highly qualified, friendly & enthusiastic. Close to Home's approach is underpinned by our value on independence, wellbeing and communication.  We provide an environment where your child will build confidence in who they are and what they can do, develop resilience and a drive for independence and become enthusiastic communicators using strategies that best suit them.

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We use documents from the Early Years Foundation Stage and Birth to 5 matters to aid us in assessing and supporting your child’s learning journey. We promote activities and experiences that are enhanced by our local environment and the world around us.  We have a wonderful environment around us enabling visits to the local marina, shops, museum or beach. 

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We also have a fully equipped garden that facilitates exciting learning and exploration opportunities.  From cloud gazing to gardening, obstacle courses to sandcastle building it's a hub of fun and engagement!

0-5 Years

Parents can feel confident to entrust their very youngest child to our care. We recognise that babies in our care are more likely to thrive when there is continuity of routine between home and setting.

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We have a key worker system whereby you are assigned a member of staff on your first settle session and and they will establish and maintain an individual care routine with you.  We ensure constant communication as your child progresses through stages of sleeping patterns, weaning and development and you're key person remains with you for the duration of your time at Close to Home. 

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Under the care of our experienced staff these very young children are catered for in safe and secure rooms, which provide a gentle introduction to their learning journey.

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We are well-equipped and have ample stocks of resources as well as essential toiletries, sheets and blankets. This enables us to provide a personal set for each child in their own specific storage tray, promoting familiarization, self esteem and a sense of belonging within the child.

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In order to enhance early development, your child will have access to a wide range of age-appropriate activities and equipment, reinforced by close caring attention and supervision at all times.

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Close to Home allows siblings and different aged children to interact freely whilst maintaining high ratios, again enhancing early development.

 

At the end of every session attended, you will receive a report in the form of a daily diary, showing photographs taken during the day and a description of the day’s events.

As your child develops into an independent toddler our staff understand that maintaining routine alongside promoting independence is key.

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Our staff are sensitive to individual needs and our comfy homelike environment is relaxed yet interesting for your child. We embrace their need for someone to talk and listen to them at their own level.  We respect children as strong, competent and capable little people who are full of wonder and curiosity to learn.

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Activities such as story time, singing and free play with a variety of open ended  resources promote social skills and satisfies their inquisitive minds. We use our local environment and natural world to enhance learning and discovery of the world around us, including cloud gazing and trips to the shops and the post office.

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Every day is a new experience and we will follow your child's interests to encourage engagement, new learning and exploration. 

After School

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We offer stimulating, exciting activities to stretch skills, imagination and creativity, extending knowledge learnt through school experiences.

Our staff ensure that each child feels successful and special as they are treated as individuals. We offer the opportunity to interact with other age groups promoting social skills and respect.

Our home-like environment is comfortable and relaxing and we offer a personal service to help children flourish and become confident and independent with each day.

A positive approach is applied to homework. Our aim is to work with children and parents to allow satisfactory time for completion. This is always in accordance with parents wishes.

Children are encouraged to participate in meal preparation and develop daily life skills such as clearing a table or watering the garden.

Age appropriate activities are available at all times. The children’s opinions and ideas are valued and encouraged, as they play an important role in accommodating individual preference and promoting self-esteem.

Kitchen

Our delicious home-cooked meals and approach to meal times ensure any child’s eating habits are developed with patience, understanding and encouragement.

We cater for all dietary requirements and will work with you to provide a healthy balanced diet.

Just click below to see our sample menu:

Our Kitchen

At Close to Home we know that a varied and nutritionally balanced diet is essential to every child’s development and active participation during their time at Close To Home and home.  

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Depending on the times attended, children will enjoy a morning snack and/or afternoon snack, and a healthy home-cooked lunch or dinner served with pudding. In addition to milk or water at meal times, drinking water is available throughout the day.  We are committed to our Oral Health policy and predominantly serve low sugar snacks and desserts.   You can bring a packed lunch or dinner in or we can cater for you child. 

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All of our children have their own plate, bowl and cup set, nurturing  a sense of belonging. We encourage independence and involve the children in everyday tasks such as setting the table, washing up and meal preparation. Including the children in elements of the food preparation routine gives the opportunity to discuss home safety, healthy eating and enable us to place value on where our food comes from and how we can be sustainable in resourcing it. This holistic activity helps children to develop physical skills a healthy mind and promotes overall well-being.

Our personalised approach ensures our staff support you and your child, as your baby develops their diet from milk to purées, to finely chopped, chopped and then regular food. Our key-worker system ensures that you are supported and your child's routines are mirrored.

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Garden

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We value our outside area as a marvellous enhancement to our exploratory provision.  Nature provides a great opportunity to further improve the educational experience that Close To Home provides.

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We have an ‘inside-out’ summerhouse which provides an alternative environment for children to learn in. It is used for many activities throughout the year and lends itself to many role play scenarios. 

We use it in all weathers and it allows us a wonderful area for investigating sounds, sights and feelings that being outside can provide.

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The garden is a safe and secure private area enabling the children to enjoy a rich outdoor environment full of irresistible stimuli, context for investigation, exploration and talk, and provides plenty of real experiences and contact with the natural world.

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We have an allotment area and herb garden that the children help to plant and manage. We successfully grow our own food which is picked, washed and prepared within our meals.

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We have two Close To Home guinea pigs Marble and Hazel, interaction with them hosts a wealth of learning opportunities.  From developing observational skills, provoking new language and learning how to care for living things.  The are also great for cuddles and help children to regulate emotions.  

“My daughter started at Close To Home at only 8 months old when I returned to work. What might have been an extremely hard decision to make was in fact incredibly easy. The staff are amazing with the children - warm, loving and extraordinarily patient. My daughter adores not only the staff, but all the children too – what a happy place this is!”

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