Monkey Puzzle Golders Green – Making a difference, leading the way
We all want the very best for our children – experiences, opportunities and resources. And every single item in this nursery purchased, every piece of technology installed and every member of staff recruited has been done so with no expense spared. Here is a snapshot of some of the quality resources parents and children will enjoy at Monkey Puzzle Golders Green.
Teacher to Child Ratio in Early Years Provision. At Monkey Puzzle Golders Green, our policy is to always have at least two members of staff with any child to ensure best practice in Safeguarding.
Children under 2 years
1:3
Children aged 2 -3
1:4
Children over 3
1:8
Under Two’s (Explorers)
Our Explorer’s floor caters to both mobile and non-mobile babies between the ages of 3 to 24 months. The area for this age group benefits from a large, bright, open plan day room, a separate arts/water/sand play and dining area and a quiet, separate sleep room which also used as a sensory space for the little ones. Sleeping babies are never left alone and we constantly monitor the room temperature in the day nursery to ensure the babies are comfortable at all times. There will never be more than three babies to any one member of staff, so you can be assured that your little one will get the essential attention they need at this stage in their life. Your child’s key person will take care of all your child’s personal needs whenever possible.
As babies become toddlers, the space is planned and reviewed carefully to ensure the environment caters to the children’s changing interests. The room focuses on the primary areas of the ‘Early Years Foundation Stage’ framework and encourages learning through play. We have created various dedicated areas offering different activities. The ‘Story Corner’ where children can sit in a group and listen to stories, a welcoming home corner for their communication and language development, a construction area to develop coordination and a messy play area for the explorers in them. Toddlers also benefit from a staffing ratio of one member of staff looking after no more than four children and supervised access to our fantastic garden. As this is the time when the majority of children start ‘toilet training’, this area is equipped with brightly decorated children’s toilets, encouraging independence.
Over Two’s (Adventurers)
As the toddlers near the 24 month mark, we start transitioning them into the Adventurers space on the ground floor. This area caters to children between 24 months and 60 months (5 years). The 4:1 child to staff ratio is still followed until the children reach the preschool age of 3 years and the rooms again are carefully planned to suit the needs of both ages. The mix of similar age groups offers fantastic opportunities for the children to grow and learn together. This is a more settled routine, with children working in small groups. Through our observations of children learning through play, we are able to introduce adult led activities that follow the interest of individual children, linking them to the seven areas of learning:
• communication and language
• physical development
• personal social and emotional development
• literacy
• mathematics
• understanding of the world
• expressive arts and design
All our children get the opportunity to go on local educational trips, and whether it be to the local shops or places of interest, we always risk assess our outings and ensure that ratios are adhered to and always ask parents to get involved when possible. We also invite the local businesses and the emergency services to come in and talk to the children about safety awareness and their community.
Learning Book
All childcare practitioners are required to observe, record and assess the progress children are making against the seven areas of learning and their stage of development. At Monkey Puzzle Golders Green we have invested in the very best technology that enables us to do this with utmost efficiency.
Every child has a profile on these security protected/safeguarding compliant tablets. Practitioners can record children’s progress, next steps for development, photos and videos complete with a parent portal for closer working with families and the promise of greater consistency between the child’s home and nursery.
You can see at any time, any place what your child has been up to at nursery as you can see the observations our practitioners upload intermittently
Community Playthings
Known throughout the industry as the leaders in quality, durable wooden play equipment and resources, all our rooms have a majority of brand new Community Playthings products. Each item is designed to support open-ended play, making sure a child’s imagination is never limited by what they play with. Like we keep saying – only the best for our children!
Home Visits
In keeping with our ethos to treat each child as an individual and get to know the families, we offer a home visit in addition to our flexible settling in policy. If you like, your child’s designated key person can arrange a time convenient for you to pop in and spend some time with you and your child in their home environment and get a better feel of their personality. If you would like to arrange a visit, please let the manager know.
Outdoor Play
Monkey Puzzle Golders Green is fitted with an outstanding custom made outdoor play space for extended learning for children – including those with additional needs and those for which English is an Additional Language. This has been provided by Monkey Puzzle Playgrounds – industry leaders in outdoor space for educational environments.
With soft flooring, a natural play corner, sand & water play, a mud kitchen, beautiful lazy lawn in the shape of a road track and much more, your children will have the luxury of an excellent, big outdoor space in the heart of London.
If you would like to come in for a visit, please get in touch.
