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Windmill Hill City Farm Children and Family Centre is at the heart of the Farm, providing many opportunities for the children to enjoy the animals, plant life and strong communal spirit. In this environment we provide opportunities for children to learn through play and the Farm can offer many rich experiences. All our staff are trained in childcare and are consistently partaking in further training to maintain and develop their knowledge and understanding of early years.
Open from 8am to 6pm weekdays for 50 weeks of the year, we can offer full or part-time sessions; we aim to be as flexible as possible to meet the needs of the child and parent/carers. We offer breakfast, lunch and tea. Lunches are provided by the Farm's cafe manager and the menus have been devised to meet a tasty and healthy balanced diet, and, being a fully inclusive nursery, we will meet any cultural or dietary requirements. We believe that every child is an individual and are committed to ensuring that their cultural and social requirements are met. We maintain an absolute commitment to equality of opportunity and access to services.
We believe that no-one knows a child as well as their parent/carer. That is why it is our policy to work in partnership with you to ensure your child can gain the full benefit from continuity of care to maximize their development and ultimately their happiness. We are OFSTED inspected to ensure that our provision and services meet their regulation and criteria and are working towards the Bristol Standard. In addition, these facilities are available: Crèche for courses We also have a Function Room available to hire for children's parties etc. Tel 0117 963 3252 Cherry Blossom is the room for babies from 3months-2years. We have space for nine babies at any one time, always with 3 qualified and experienced members of staff. We operate a key worker system to help and support the child. The room is warm and bright with low windows so they can see outside to the garden and trees. We have a separate kitchen and nappy changing room and a partitioned area for sleeping. We have a flexible structure to the day loosely based around meals and sleeping. We have a lot of sensory and messy play and try to do one activity a day. Some of our past messy play has included playdough, water, cornflour, baked beans, jelly and coloured spaghetti. We also love singing and dancing and there is a lot of music played in our room. We have a wide range of suitable toys, books and art and craft activities. There is an outdoor area specifically for the babies and this includes a slide, cars and a sand box. We try to go on outdoor visits occasionally to the farmyard, library and the park. We treat each baby equally while catering to their individual needs. We try to make the experience of coming here as welcoming and homely as possible and also to have lots of fun. The Pear Blossom Room is where our 2-3 year olds learn to socialise and get as messy as they can. The sessions include planned activities based on topics and theme in line with the 3-5 years olds. These are on a monthly basis and the children learn through discussions, play experiences and craft projects to help them relate and understand the world around them. We provide places for 16 children with a staff ratio of one to four children. We are a fun, understanding and committed team of staff including Senior Early Years Specialist. Each child is given a key worker to help, support and guide them throughout their time in the room. The room is bright, spacious and designed to encourage children to flourish to their best potential. With areas for arts crafts, water play, quiet carpeted area and book corner and a wide range of toys and resources to help children learn through play. The toilets and facilities are adjoining the 3-5 years room and are planned to encourage the younger child’s self-hygiene skills.
Our Apple Blossom room takes up to 25 children aged between 3 and 5 years. We follow the curriculum guidance for the foundation stage using interesting and varied topics throughout the year with the main emphasis being that children learn best through play and having fun. We have 4 qualified members of staff who operate a key worker system so all the parents and children have a ‘first point of call’. We often have students working with us who are on relevant childcare courses, and we like to include our parents/carers in our topics. If you would like to arrange to visit please telephone first to make an appointment. Tel: 9633299
Children & Family Centre Timetable 2008 Parent and Toddler sessions - drop in sessions for the under 5's. Members £1.50, non-members £2.50. If you need a crèche place for your child/children, priority will go to those whose parent/carers are on courses at the Farm. You must book your crèche place before you enrol on a course. The cost of the session will be £3.00 for farm members (membership costs £10 per year per family and is available from farm reception) and £4.00 for non-members. Your child must be over one year old.
PLAY SCHEME
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