We are very proud to share that we have finalists in not just one, but two categories at the Nursery World Awards 2026!

One of our fantastic educators, Martin from Happy Days Salisbury is up for Nursery Educator of the Year, what an achievement! Martin’s award comes very well deserved after receiving beautiful testimonials from parents, carers and colleagues.

One parent spoke: ‘Martin has been my daughter’s key worker for a number of months now and a consistent, positive presence in her nursery experience since she was very young. When she first started, she was quite shy and reserved towards him, but Martin approached her with such patience, kindness, and sensitivity, allowing her to build trust at her own pace. He never rushed her, instead creating a safe and nurturing environment where she felt comfortable to come to him when she was ready. This gentle approach made an enormous difference in helping her settle and grow in confidence around a new person. 

When my daughter transitioned into the eldest class and Martin became her key worker, she was genuinely thrilled. Each day, she comes home excited to share stories of the games they’ve played and the activities they’ve enjoyed together. It is especially meaningful to see how she carries his guidance into our home life—often repeating the values and routines Martin has instilled so thoughtfully with the children.

As a trained Norland nanny, choosing the right nursery for my daughter was something I considered very carefully. While the nursery itself stood out for many reasons, it is professionals like Martin who have made our experience truly exceptional. Having worked in nurseries myself, I am very aware of what distinguishes a great practitioner from an average one. Martin’s enthusiasm, attention to detail, and genuine care for each child are evident in everything he does—from the engaging activities he leads to the thoughtful and thorough handovers he provides.

He has a rare ability to make you feel that your child is deeply valued and understood. Every interaction leaves me reassured that my daughter is not only well cared for, but truly appreciated for who she is. His warmth, positivity, and passion for his role shine through daily.

I also had the pleasure of attending a parents’ evening that Martin presented. Despite his occasional natural shyness, he spoke with sincerity and pride about his work, clearly demonstrating how much he cares about the children and his role in their development. It was both touching and inspiring to see.

I am writing this with a smile, knowing my daughter has been supported and guided by such a wonderful individual. I have no doubt that every child in Martin’s care is valued, respected, and cared for wholeheartedly. He is an exceptional educator and truly deserving of this recognition. 

And our beautiful nursery Edward Bears Private Daycare has been shortlisted for the Enabling Environments Award.

Edward Bears believes in the holistic development of children. Their curriculum, inspired by the latest research in early childhood education, it is centred around the child and is tailored to meet the developmental needs of each age group, fostering emotional, social, physical, and intellectual growth.

Through a blend of structured activities and free play, children are encouraged to explore their interests, develop creativity, and cultivate a love of learning.

Our dedicated team of qualified educators and caregivers are passionate about making a difference in children’s lives. They provide personalised care and education to ensure each child feels valued, understood, and supported in their developmental journey.

Continuous professional development ensures our staff stays at the forefront of educational best practices, enabling them to offer the best possible learning experiences for our children.

Our role is to facilitate, guide, and support, rather than direct, allowing children’s natural curiosity to lead the way.

The 2026 Nursery World award categories provide the opportunity to celebrate and recognise the amazing work that goes on right across our sector and continues to be the most prestigious accolades in early years. Winners will be chosen by a distinguished panel of expert judges that represents the diversity of disciplines and organisations that make up the sector. These judges will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to evaluate each entry, considering how well it aligns with its stated objectives.

The Awards will take place in London on September 26th.

Both incredibly well deserved and we couldn’t be prouder. Well done team and good luck!

Last weekend was an exciting one at Happy Days Exeter, as we hosted Happy Days Fest, our summer open day! 

Our amazing team at Exeter organised the day with an animal theme, setting the rooms up with engaging activities so children could explore the space through play. In our younger rooms there was cave baby painting, jungles of Brazil Boogie Mites song, animal themed play dough tuff trays and water play outside in the garden. 

In our older rooms, the children had an exciting visitor from Simon from “Animal Activities”, who brought all of his animal friends along with him. The children loved holding, the rabbits and chinchillas, whilst having enriching conversations with the staff and other children around them, about what the animals feel like and look like. 

This was a great day filled with lots of fun and gave our new families the opportunity to see our nursery, meet our lovely team and ask any questions at all. 

A big thank you to all the families that came along. 

We’re super excited to announce the launch of our brand new Fee Calculator dedicated to help parents and carers understand the cost of childcare and how their fees can change with funding entitlement.

Our fee calculator will provide an estimate of what weekly nursery fees could be, before and after the Government Early Years Entitlement Funding, as well as an explanation on helpful need to knows such as stretched funding and SHINE (our nursery package).

Before you start, you can check if you are eligible for funding here.

How to use our calculator:

To access our calculator, head to our affordable childcare page: Affordable Childcare – Happy Days Nursery

• Step 1 – Select Your Nursery
• Step 2 – Choose Your Child’s Starting Age
• Step 3 – Confirm Funding & Discounts
• Step 4 – Read Over Stretched Funding Information
• Step 5 – Decide Sessions Required
• Step 6 – View Your Calculation
  
  We hope this new tool helps parents and carers see that planning the cost of childcare doesn’t have to be complicated.

Still have questions?
Below we’ve broken down everything parents need to know about funded childcare in England: who’s eligible, how to apply, what it covers, and the extra support available.

Who’s Eligible for Funded Childcare?

The government has expanded funding in recent years, meaning many more families now qualify for help.

Here’s how it works:
From 9 months old: Children of working parents/carers may be eligible for funded hours.
From age 2: Funding is available for children of working families receiving certain benefits.
From age 3 and 4: All children automatically receive 15 hours of funded childcare, regardless of income and many working families can access up to 30 hours.

Funding begins the term after your child’s birthday. For example, if your child turns three in October, their funding starts in January.

These entitlements are designed to make returning to work or balancing family life a little easier, supporting families right up until school age.

What Counts as a “Working Parent”?

To qualify for funded hours for under 3s (and the extended 30 hours for 3–4s), each parent/carer, or the single parent/carer in a household, must:
Earn at least the equivalent of 16 hours per week at minimum wage (around £9,500 per year) and earn less than £100,000 per year.
There are some exceptions, such as if a parent is on maternity or parental leave, or has a disability.

How to Apply and Key Deadlines

Applications for funded childcare are made through the government’s Best Start in Life website (formerly known as Childcare Choices).

You’ll need to:
Create an online account.
Enter details like your National Insurance number and employment status.
Receive your code. Once approved, you’ll get a unique “funding code”, this is what you share with your nursery so they can claim your child’s funded hours.

Important Deadlines

Applications must be completed the term before your child is due to start using the funding:
31st August (for funding starting in September)
31st December (for funding starting in January)
31st March (for funding starting in April)

You’ll also need to reconfirm your details every three months to keep your code active. If you forget, your funding could be paused, so look out for reminder emails from HMRC (they sometimes end up in your spam folder!).

If your circumstances change, for example, if one parent/carer loses their job, don’t panic. There’s usually a grace period while you get back on track.

What Funding Covers (and What It Doesn’t)

One of the biggest misconceptions about funding is that it covers everything. In reality, the government funding only covers the education and childcare hours themselves, not the additional services nurseries provide.

At Happy Days, we’re transparent about this. The funding doesn’t include:

• Meals and snacks
• Nappies and wipes
• Sun cream
• Enrichment activities

To keep things simple for families, we offer our SHINE package, which includes all these extras, so there are no hidden costs and everything your child needs is taken care of.

You can also combine funding with Tax-Free Childcare to make things even more affordable. For example, you might use your funded hours for your core nursery sessions, and use Tax-Free Childcare to help pay for meals or additional days.

Stretching Funded Hours Across the Year

The government funding is based on 38 term-time weeks, like the school year. But most nurseries, including Happy Days, are open all year round.
To make this work, we can “stretch” your funded hours over 51 or 52 weeks.

That means instead of receiving 30 hours per week term-time, you’d receive around 22 hours per week all year round, the total number of funded hours stays the same, just spread out evenly.

This flexibility helps families plan for consistent childcare without breaks during school holidays.

FAQs: What Parents Ask Most

Can I split my funded hours between two providers?
Yes! You can divide your entitlement between, for example, a nursery and a childminder. You just can’t claim more than your total allowance overall.

What happens if my income changes?
If your income drops below the minimum, your funding code might stop renewing, but you’ll usually get a grace period. If your income rises above £100,000 (per parent), you’ll no longer be eligible.

Can self-employed parents/carers apply?
Yes, absolutely, you’ll just need to confirm you expect to meet the minimum income threshold across the year.

Are grandparents or guardians eligible?
If they’re the child’s legal guardian and meet the criteria, yes.

Are there other types of financial support?
Yes and many families don’t realise they can combine schemes. These include:
Tax-Free Childcare (the government adds 20% to your childcare account)
Universal Credit childcare support
Disability Access Funding
Early Years Pupil Premium (to support children from lower-income families or with additional needs)

It’s always worth checking your eligibility through the Best Start in Life website, as many parents/carers qualify for more than they expect.

Making Childcare Affordable and Transparent

At Happy Days, we want every family to feel confident and informed about childcare costs. Funded hours can make a huge difference, especially when combined with the right support schemes and flexible options.

If you’re unsure what you’re entitled to, talk to your nursery manager or visit:

👉 Affordable Childcare – Happy Days Nursery
👉 www.beststartinlife.gov.uk (England)
👉 Childcare Offer for Wales | Help With Childcare Costs Wales | GOV.WALES (Wales)

And remember, while funding helps cover your child’s early education, choosing the right nursery means investing in their happiness, development, and confidence, something we’re proud to support at Happy Days every day.

🌈 Rainbow Run 2026 Raises a record breaking £110,000 for CHSW – And Happy Days Was Proud to Be Part of It! 🌟

On Saturday, community spirit took centre stage at Rainbow Run 2026, held at RAF St Mawgan and we were thrilled to once again take part in this unforgettable day in support of Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW).

Happy Days Nurseries & Pre-Schools proudly sponsored the Yellow Paint Station for the eighth year running, helping bring sunshine (in paint form!) to the course. This vibrant, high-energy event saw hundreds of participants run, walk, skip, and dance their way through a rainbow of paint to raise funds for a truly incredible cause.

This year’s Rainbow Run raised an absolutely phenomenal £110,000! Even more amazing, over its 12 year history, the event has now raised over £1,000,000 for this wonderful charity. We are incredibly proud to play our part in supporting such an important cause.

But our involvement didn’t stop with the paint-throwing! We also had 10 runners from the amazing team at Happy Days Treloweth and ran the Happy Days stand in the event village, offering £1 rainbow face paints to help boost the day’s fundraising even further. It was a brilliant way to connect with families, spread cheer and add even more colour to the atmosphere before the run began.

Once the event was underway, the Happy Days team headed to our Yellow Paint Station, where we had a blast covering runners in a cloud of sunshine yellow. It wasn’t just about raising money, it was a joyful, bonding experience for our support centre team, who threw paint and laughed together.

“It’s always such a special day,” said Alice Avery, Digital Marketing Executive at Happy Days. “We were honoured to sponsor the Yellow Station again and bring extra colour and energy to the course. The team had such a fun time, and seeing the total fundraising figure just makes it even more meaningful.”

A massive congratulations to the CHSW team for organising yet another great event, to the fellow sponsors who helped make the day possible, and to every runner, donor and volunteer who played a part in making Rainbow Run 2026 such a huge success.

We’re proud to continue supporting CHSW through events like this and throughout the year and we can’t wait for next time!

👉 Donate to our fundraising page today: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/happy-days-nurseries

There has been plenty of excitement at our brand-new Happy Days Nursery & Pre-School in Boorley Green recently! We were absolutely delighted to welcome local Hamble Valley MP, Paul Holmes, for an exclusive tour of our lovely new setting.

Having only opened our doors a few months ago, the visit was a wonderful opportunity to show off how quickly our children have settled in and highlight the brilliant facilities now available to families in our growing community.

Led by Nursery Manager Kim and her dedicated team, Mr. Holmes was shown around our thoughtfully designed, low level playrooms and fantastic outdoor spaces. He got a first hand look at our unique curriculum in action, seeing how our natural resources encourage the children to explore, experiment, and build confidence every single day.

Following the tour, Paul Holmes shared his support for the setting, noting what a privilege it was to meet the team and see how the purpose built nursery is successfully catering to the needs of local young families.

We are incredibly proud of our new home here next to Boorley Park Primary School, and we want to extend a huge thank you to Mr. Holmes for taking the time to come and play!