Crystal Childcare aims to meet the diverse and complex needs of each child as an individual. We work with children in a holistic way creating a happy, safe, secure and stimulating environment in which individual learning can take place.
Crystal Childcare Ltd firmly believes that parent/carers significantly influence their child’s learning it is important to promote an atmosphere in which parent/carers feel welcome, relaxed, comfortable and reassured. Effective learning can only take place in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect. It is essential that the care the child receives in the nursery complements the care received at home.
Crystal childcare believe children should be taught indirectly for most of the day in a well planned, rich environment which encourages personal and physical space and enhances a child’s self esteem.
Crystal Childcare employ staff who demonstrate a genuine interest and sensitive approach towards children. We believe the atmosphere of teamwork created in the company, the promotion of continuous professional development and the recognition and support of our highly skilled staff team is vital to maintain consistent reflective and quality care to the children and families who attend our establishments.
Mealtimes in our nurseries are happy times where children’s social and emotional skills can be developed. We provide the children with a wide range of tastes as well as a well-balanced diet. Each nursery has its own cook who prepares and cooks every meal on site using fresh ingredients, including fresh fruit and vegetables.
All of our meals are carefully planned to meet the individual needs and requirements of each child. Alternative meals will be provided for children with special dietary needs i.e. due to cultural or religious beliefs or for health and development reasons.
Pre weaning Parents bring in their own sterilised bottles containing the correct amount of boiled water and powdered milk in measured containers. Staff will work closely with parents of babies at all stages of weaning and will compliment care given at home. The baby room has high chairs for those early weaning stages; children will then move to small chairs and tables with the other children in their room and gradually experience socialising and being independent. We welcome parents input and ideas about menus and we are also happy to advise if parents have any concerns about their children’s eating habits at home.
Children usually sit at tables with their key worker and are encouraged to serve themselves from serving dishes and help each other by passing things or even by assisting each other to dish food up. We not only find that this encourages socialisation skills but also often gives even the most fussy eaters the confidence to eat a little more as they seem to enjoy having the option of helping themselves. This is of course closely monitored by staff who will assist children in making sensible choices. Staff also take note of how children eat throughout the day and feed this back to parents at the end of the day.
Drinks are provided throughout the day so children are kept hydrated especially during hot weather and a small snack is offered to children mid- morning.
Crystal Childcare acknowledges and recognises that parents/carers are the prime educators of their children. Staff must value the role of parents/carers in their children’s learning. We are committed to working in partnership with parents/carers.
The nurseries provide an atmosphere in which parents/carers feel relaxed, comfortable and reassured, where a genuine partnership can begin. Children’s previous experience at home and in wider community should be recognised and used as a starting point in planning.
An admission meeting – this is where time is set aside to share and gather information about the child/family and our nursery setting. Parents are given a prospectus and are informed of our relevant policies (see policies).
We recommend popping by a nursery before submitting an application for your child- that way you can see what Crystal Childcare is like first hand and ask plenty of questions. Here are a few FAQs to get you started:
How can the Nursery help me with the nursery fees?
We accept childcare vouchers from many providers including Edenred, Busy Bees, Care-4 and Sodexho PASS. If your employer uses a different provider, your nursery manager will be able to make the necessary arrangements. Nursery vouchers can save parents up to £930 per year by obtaining Nursery Vouchers via your Employers salary sacrifice scheme.
We are open 50 weeks a year, and close for a week in the summer and a week between Christmas and New Year during which time full fees are payable. We are closed for all public holidays, for which we charge full fees.
We discuss your child’s routine with you on a regular basis in order compliment the care provided by yourselves at home. At the end of the day, your child’s key person will feed back information about your child’s day. For the babies and younger children, this will include information about their sleep times, mealtimes and nappy changes which will be recorded in a feed back form for you to take home. The key person will also feed back information about activities and experiences that your child has been involved with over the day. If the key person is not there, the backup key person or another nominated staff member will be available to share that information with you.
