We are super happy to announce that our Happy Days Nurseries & Pre-School Penair chef, Yasmin has retained a 5* this week during her EHO inspection!

Yasmin has been at Penair for 3 years now, we’re so thankful for her dedication to the nursery and commitment to the role. The Manager at Penair spoke ‘Yasmin enjoys producing wonderful food daily and is great at accommodating any dietary requirements needed.’

So, what is an EHO rating and what does it cover? Ratings are a snapshot of the standards of food hygiene found at the time of inspection.

This includes:

• handling of food
• how food is stored
• how food is prepared
• cleanliness of facilities
• how food safety is managed

It’s More Than Just Play!

Happy Days Nurseries & Pre-Schools are inviting parents to join them at one of their nurseries for their Summer Open Day, It’s More Than Just Play!

Parents will be able to discover how play is at the heart of our innovative “Where Children Shine” early years curriculum, providing opportunities for children to learn, explore, and discover while attending nursery. The curriculum values children as unique, strong, and resilient individuals and recognises that play is a fundamental aspect of a child’s learning and development.

The open day is being held across all sites* on 22 June 2024, 10:00 – 13:00, and is the perfect opportunity to celebrate our colleagues and all that they do to ensure all children have the best possible start in life, enabling them to reach their full potential in becoming strong and motivated learners for life.

During the open day families will:

· Experience interactive activities for children to explore and learn through play

· Learn from our experienced nursery team about the benefits of play-based learning

· See firsthand how our curriculum fosters a love of learning in a nurturing environment

· Gain valuable insights on how play sets the stage for an exceptional start in life for your child

· Learn more about the government support available to help with the cost of childcare

Everyone in the local community is invited to attend along with our current parents, their friends and family. There is no need to book, just turn up.

We look forward to seeing you there. To find your local nursery, visit: https://happydaysnurseries.com/find-a-nursery/

*excluding Droitwich who are holding their on Saturday 6 July 2024, 10:00 -13:00

Happy Days Nurseries are looking forward to welcoming families into their nurseries for their first open day of 2024! On 2 March 2024 between 10:00 – 13:00 all sites will be opening their doors to new and existing parents, friends, family and the local community to enjoy lots of fun activities for all ages!

With British Science Week just around the corner, the open day will include a host of science, technology, engineering and maths activities around the theme of ‘Time’. It is the 30^th Anniversary of British Science Week and they are celebrating this milestone thinking about time since the week began and looking to the future!

It is also the perfect time for any new parents looking to secure a place for April 2024, to come and view their nurseries and learn more about the new government funded hours for working parents with children aged 2. Their friendly colleagues will be on hand to answer any questions about funding from how to access it, to the impact on fees. There will also be a special offer for any new parent that enrols on the day!

Happy Days open days are also the perfect opportunity for existing parents to come into nursery and spend time with their children in the nursery environment and chat to the nursery team. Existing families are being encouraged to bring their friends and family to enjoy the day with them.

The first open day of 2024 also provides an opportunity for Happy Days to raise money for their chosen charity, Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW). This wonderful charity has been caring for children with life-threatening conditions for over 30 years, by providing children’s hospice and professional family support services. They are dedicated to making the most of short and precious lives through the provision of the best possible hospice care for children and young people with life-limiting conditions. The care offered at each of their three hospices is not just about medical and nursing support for sick children but enriching lives of the children and their whole family.

Fiona Blackwell, Operations Director, said, “Not only will our March Open Day provide the perfect opportunity to cement our partnership with parents, as well as giving new parents and the local community the opportunity to visit their local Happy Days Nursery to see for themselves how their child will SHINE in our care, but it also allows us to raise vital funds for CHSW, a charity close to all our hearts.

We are looking forward to welcoming everyone into our nurseries and I want to thank all of our colleagues who are giving up their weekend to make this event a special occasion for all.”

For more details on the activities taking place at your local Happy Days Nursery, visit our Open Day event page.

Anyone interested in attending an open day can just turn up at their local Happy Days Nursery on 2 March between 10:00 – 13:00.

We are super happy to announce that our Happy Days Nurseries & Pre-School Charlton Heights Chef, Karina has achieved a 5* this week during her EHO inspection!

So, what is an EHO rating and what does it cover? Ratings are a snapshot of the standards of food hygiene found at the time of inspection.

This includes:

• handling of food
• how food is stored
• how food is prepared
• cleanliness of facilities
• how food safety is managed

Happy Days Nurseries & Pre-Schools is delighted to announce that our setting in Derriford has received a GOOD Ofsted result, following an unannounced inspection in early November. Opened in 2008, the nursery is situated in Derriford Business Park and offers children wonderfully spacious environments to support children’s learning and growth, with their own woodland area and outdoor space.

The report highlights how ‘children are cared for by welcoming and nurturing staff. Strong settling-in procedures and staff’s attentiveness to children’s care needs result in children who are happy and well settled. Staff have high expectations for all children. They help children to develop friendships with their peers and be kind to each other. Children behave extremely well. Staff are excellent role models.’

Zara Austin, Nursery Manager, shares her gratitude and pride for her team, “I am immensely proud of the team for their exceptional and consistent work and dedication to the children and families in our care”.  

If you want to work in this exceptional environment with our professional knowledgeable team or, are a parent looking for the best care and education for your child, then contact Zara, or the Derriford team, on 01752 786318 or email derriford@happydaysnurseries.com.

We are delighted to announce that Happy Days Nurseries and Pre-Schools have now launched the Boogie Mites programme in our nurseries to support goals underpinned by the ‘Strong and Confident Communicators’ aspect of our unique ‘Where Children Shine’ curriculum. Boogie Mites aims to offer early years educators and parents the knowledge, confidence, and resources to harness the brain-boosting power of music every day, encouraging children to move and develop through music.

In preparation for this exciting launch, our colleagues took part in training, hosted by Liv McLennan. Alex Venter, Quality Lead Manager, who attended training, shares her admiration for the team and excitement for this new instalment, “We had a brilliant time at training – it was incredibly engaging, and I cannot wait to continue sessions in the nursery. The children really enjoy this activity and training has only allowed us to enrich these experiences even further.”

Sue Newman, Operations Director at Boogie Mites, shares her excitement for this partnership, “We are delighted to be introducing Boogie Mites School Ready Music Programme to Happy Days Nurseries. Our trainer, Liv McLennan, has enjoyed working with such an enthusiastic team over the three Saturday training sessions. We look forward to working with Happy Days, supporting implementation, and extending music knowledge, confidence, and resources via our monthly webinars”.

Starting children on a musical journey in pre-school, develops auditory processing and rhythmic skills, laying strong foundations for language, literacy, and learning in a school environment. Click here to find out more about Boogie Mites, their missions, and how the programme can be implemented at home or nursery.

Happy Days are delighted to announce that they have commenced the roll out of ParentZone across their nurseries, with 80% of settings now using the app. This award-winning app is designed to build stronger partnerships with parents and caregivers, providing instant updates to involve families in their children’s day at nursery.

ParentZone has been developed by Connect Childcare and has been in the industry for over 18 years. They have won a number of awards and are loved and trusted by over 3,400 nurseries, 77,000 practitioners & 180,000 parents.

With ParentZone, parents can receive updates on the activities their child has been participating in throughout the day along with professional observations of their child’s learning and development through photos, videos and notes. It also allows the child’s Key Person to share important daily information like what food their child has eaten, nap times or nappy changes, too.

The ParentZone App allows parents to upload their own experiences with their child at home, making it quick and easy to share activities and their child’s developmental milestones between home and nursery. It even has a full parent hub that helps families facilitate their child’s learning from home.

At Happy Days, we believe that building relationships with our families is extremely instrumental to the delivery of care, and ParentZone has already highlighted strengths in communication.

Jackie Cambridge, Head of Quality, stated, “The introduction of the app has reduced the time practitioners spend completing paperwork to track children’s progress, make observations and assessments, allowing more time to be spent engaged in meaningful interactions with children.

The app has also strengthened parent partnerships providing an interactive two way communication between parents, nursery and the child’s Key Person, which effectively supports children’s learning and development both at home and at Nursery.”

Our parents are also delighted with the App.

Helen, a parent at Happy Days, Treloweth, commented, “I just wanted to say how much I love the ParentZone app and to tell you how much I appreciate it. I think it’s a credit to yourselves that this app is kept up to date daily regardless of what’s happening at the nursery. It’s great to see what she’s been eating but the best bit is the snap shots! These are amazing and gives us parents insight into what they are up to at nursery.”

Samantha, also a parent at Happy Days, Treloweth, stated, “ParentZone is fantastic! It’s so great to see snapshots of our daughter’s time at nursery and she loves looking at the photos each evening and talking us through her day. We like to upload things from home too, to share with her key worker, it’s perfect for creating a full picture of her early years.”

To find out more about ParentZone, including its features and set-up information, click here: https://connectchildcare.com/information-for-parentzone-users/