Some may be surprised to learn that nurseries/pre-schools like Little Acorns are not simply “childcare services”. We’re way more than just a crèche, playgroup or a group of nannies or childminders. In reality, our services extend way beyond simply looking after children while parents go to work, although of course we do that too. The truth is that we benefit little ones and their families in a whole range of additional, often profound, ways and that’s what we look at today.
So, if you’re not sure whether to send your baby, toddler or under-five to nursery/pre-school, or whether to send them to Little Acorns rather than somewhere else, do read on. Your choice for your little one’s childcare setting is incredibly important, for your child’s short-, medium- and long-term outcomes. The choice therefore needs to be right. Let’s set the record straight today and clarify some of the many benefits offered through childcare settings like Little Acorns Nursery, Hindley Green.
A Key Person for Your Child
First of all, a Key Person will be allocated to your child on Day 1 when they start at the nursery. The Key Person is a childcare professional that will look out for the child’s wellbeing in all manner of different ways. One of the most important is in the monitoring of the little one’s progress in terms of learning and development. From the day they help to settle the child into the nursery to the day they leave for school, the child’s Key Person will be there to ensure that all the child’s individual needs are being met and that they are fulfilling their fullest potential in every area. Part of that will be the oversight of the bespoke early years education programme, which we’ll come to next.
A Bespoke Early Years Education Programme for Each Child
At Little Acorns Nursery, a bespoke early years learning and development programme will be designed and implemented to suit the strengths and any challenges for each individual child. This is orchestrated by the child’s Key Person and nursery staff and, where needed, through cooperation with any external professionals, e.g. for children that have any special educational or developmental needs. The learning and development programme is tailored to them and them only. Using this approach bolsters the child’s stronger areas, so they can be further strengthened, and addresses any weaker areas that may require extra focus. It is also adapted as time goes by, as progress is made by the child. In this way, every child gets to achieve personal bests and optimal outcomes in every area of their learning and development.
Our Full EYFS Curriculum, Covers, Well … Everything!
There is a whole early years education curriculum at Little Acorns Nursery. As we said before, we’re not just looking after them — we’re educating and nurturing children too. And what a comprehensive education it is! We use the ‘Early Years Foundation Stage’ (EYFS) framework as a basis for our curriculum (and much more). What that basically means is that all the important areas of learning and personal development are covered so that every child gets a good grounding in all topics and areas. It’s rather like setting up good foundations for them, both educationally and personally. The key areas covered include overall literacy, communication and language, physical development, personal, social and even emotional development, maths, self-expression through art and design, and understanding the world. As you can see, it covers everything they need to absolutely thrive as individuals.
We Prepare Children to Flourish When They Begin at School
All of this nurturing, education and facilitation of their personal development does one other crucial thing too; it sets them up well for when they leave us around the age of five to start at primary school. By giving them the skills and tools they will need in every area, they are in a better position to absolutely thrive once they start school, right from day one. Indeed, many studies have shown that children who receive a good early years education go on to be higher achievers both at school and in their working lives. That’s gold dust, right there. Let’s take a closer look …
Studies over the years have highlighted many profoundly important benefits that a good early years education will bring to both children and their families. In fact, even society as a whole has been shown to benefit. Just a few examples of the benefits of a good early years education include: Our sister nursery in Clayton-le-Woods, Chorley, Lancashire has more details about the various studies into the benefits of a good early years education, and their incredible findings.The Many Benefits That a Good Early Education Brings
All the Benefits of ‘Forest School’
One of the exciting things we have planned for Little Acorns Nursery in Hindley Green is the introduction soon of our own Forest School. Once up and running, it’ll give our nursery and pre-school children unparalleled access to nature and the natural world. They’ll be able to learn and benefit from nature in an incredible array of ways (and that’s important). So, watch this space for more details in due course.
A Homely ‘Hygge’ Environment
‘Hygge’, pronounced ‘Hue-gah’, is another exciting initiative happening at Little Acorns Nursery in Hindley Green. If you’ve not heard of it, rest assured that it’s something that children will absolutely love and will benefit them in many ways. It’s also something that we’ll be pioneering in the area, so you may not find it in other nurseries and pre-schools around Wigan right now.
Hygge is a little bit like a lifestyle and will make the nursery and pre-school even more like a cosy home-from-home once fully implemented. It has been described as ‘a hug, except without the physical touch’ and involves warmth, cosiness and homeliness through the use of things like soft furnishings, cushions, rugs and music. It can also involve scents and often ‘mood’ lighting along with snug nooks for children to play or study in. There is also a focus on nature, natural materials, calmness and friendliness. Learn more about Hygge and its positive effects here.
A Purpose for Everything at the Nursery
Everything at Little Acorns Nursery is there for a reason. It’s all been carefully brainstormed, pre-planned and implemented with utmost care. Whether it’s the introduction of Hygge, the opening of our Forest School, the addition of a new piece of equipment or the purchasing of a specific toy or learning device, everything at Little Acorns has a purpose and is there to benefit the children.
Outstanding Leadership
At Little Acorns Nursery in Hindley Green we, and the children we look after, are fortunate to have an outstanding management team and nursery owners. They’re perfectly adept at delivering outstanding levels of childcare provision and are professional in every sense. Having already achieved a National award and ‘outstanding’ Ofsted status at our sister nursery in Chorley, we look forward to welcoming Ofsted inspectors when the time comes for them to make their first visit to Little Acorns in Hindley Green.
What Other Parents Say
Parents of children at Little Acorns Nursery also give us great feedback about the wonderful childcare provision at the setting. Browse the site for full examples of parent feedback received (it’s scattered around the site) but, to give you a taster, comments include, “My girls absolutely adore this nursery but most of all they adore the staff”, “thank-you for the bottom of my heart for what you have done for my girls”, “I couldn’t recommend this nursery enough, they care and love the children like their own and I couldn’t of ever felt more comfortable leaving my children with a nicer set of girls.”, “I would not hesitate to recommend this nursery to anyone!”, “You should all be very proud of the work you do. It really means so much to us every time we see those small steps forward and we appreciate it.”, and “If I ever had any more children, without a doubt they will be coming to this nursery even if I moved 500 miles away!”.
Still Not Sure? Come and Visit!
If you’re still not convinced, why not come along with your baby or child and see the nursery in action for yourself. You can either book in for a specific date and time, or simply turn up during our working hours (we just ask that you please avoid the busy drop-off and pick-up times). We’ll give you a guided tour and you can see the setting running on a normal nursery day — and see how well your little one fits in. We can also arrange settling-in sessions should you decide you’d like to enrol your child and would like to help them ease in gently. Please arrange a guided visit below, ask any questions or register your child for a place using any of the buttons below. We’ll be happy to help and also offer a variety of childcare funding options for eligible families.
Little Acorns is a high quality nursery & pre-school in Hindley Green, near Wigan, Bickershaw, Leigh, Atherton, Westhoughton, Ince-in-Makerfield, Platt Bridge, Tyldesley, Bolton and Greater Manchester.
What’s more, the boost in the child’s success is clear to see at all stages — in the short term, medium term and long term — right into adulthood. When parents are actively involved in a child’s education, that child will do better at nursery and pre-school, achieve better grades at school and go on to have more success in higher education and, ultimately, in their careers. It’s incredible, therefore, just how powerful proactive parental involvement in a child’s education can be. Let’s take a closer look at the findings.
The studies conclude that parents can help children — and boost their potential for success — in several impactful ways. We have picked out a few of the most powerful and easy-to-accomplish ways below.
To illustrate that point, just reading with them regularly can boost their language skills by a staggering 20% (we’ll write a separate post about the benefits of reading with children in due course).
This is all backed up by 
At Little Acorns Nursery in Hindley Green, we’re embracing Hygge (pronounced “Hue-gah”), which is becoming very popular around the globe. But what is Hygge and why are we embracing it? This article explains everything and you’ll soon see why Hygge is a very good thing for everyone at the nursery, including both children and staff. Take a look …
Hygge has been described as resulting in “comfortable conviviality” i.e. friendliness and warmth that makes everyone feel welcome and happy. It’s also been described as “the pursuit of everyday happiness … basically like a hug, just without the physical touch.”
There will be twinkly ‘mood’ lighting instead of harsh fluorescent lighting. Rooms will have real plants that bring nature indoors, natural materials and objects like wood, wicker, pine cones and pebbles. There will be calming music and perhaps even scent in the air. There will be cosy corners, dens and even teepees where children can ‘nest’ while they read, play or converse. Hygge gives a room a lovely atmosphere, often with flickering candles (or, at the nursery, the warm-coloured LED equivalents, for safety purposes).
Embracing all these aspects of Hygge will make children feel really at home, safe, relaxed, cosy and content. Their day will feel fulfilling and enriched. It will be calm and peaceful whilst also embracing nature both outside and indoors. Friendships will deepen as small groups of children play, converse, read or simply ‘be’ in the many cosy nooks and dens available to them. They are also free to have some solo time where they can explore a particular interest, relax with a book or engage in an activity in a calm and comfortable corner. Whatever they’re doing, children will enjoy and benefit from the mood lighting, calming surroundings, relaxing music and suchlike.
Hygge is like a warm cloak that softly embraces every child, allowing him or her to quietly blossom, learn and develop in the most homely and relaxed of atmospheres. With Hygge, they can embrace and naturally absorb everything that’s so good about the Hygge lifestyle, including it’s almost magical effects that will bring out the wonder in every child. Hygge instinctively appeals to a child’s very heart and soul, allowing their learning and development to blossom and thrive in the most natural of ways.
gives babies, toddlers and preschoolers the very best start in life and in their early years education. If you are looking for