About us 

IDA Nurseries is a small privately owned company.  We take exceptional pride in promoting quality child centered nursery provision.  In every aspect of childcare we are committed to provide the best service encompassing the staff we employ, the security of our premises, the food we serve, the friendly atmosphere within our nurseries and the range of activities we offer
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The nursery environment 

Our nurseries have been refurbished to the highest standards reflecting a calm and welcoming environment.  

They have separate age-appropriate rooms for babies, toddlers and pre-school children and in addition every room is equipped with quality furniture and equipment, creating stimulating surroundings. Our approach is to have resources accessible to the children at all times, empowering them to make choices and facilitating child-led learning through play.  

This is vital for their development as they explore the world around them and develop and practice skills. 

Our Nurseries all have secure gardens where children can play freely and grow their own vegetables and herbs and learn about the world around us.

 

CCTV

Our Sawbridgeworth Nursery is equipped with CCTV throughout. We find this beneficial when a child first joins nursery as parents can come into the office and watch how their child is settling and leave with peace of mind that they are happy and well cared for.

 

Security

Our Sawbridgeworth Nursery is equipped with a video intercom door entry system so that we know exactly who is entering the premises as well as a second security coded entrance. 

We also ask for photos of anyone who may collect your child as well as a password and written consent

Meals

IDA Nurseries aim is to make mealtimes a happy, social occasion with a healthy and well balanced diet. 

We regularly send out questionnaires asking parents how they feel about what we have on our menus and try to keep them similar to the healthy meals that you would provide for your child at home. 

We offer breakfast, a mid morning snack, a warm nutritious lunch, a mid afternoon break and a delicious light tea towards the end of the day.   Our menu runs on a 3 week cycle and has been devised by a qualified Nutritionist.  Water is also available throughout the day. 

For babies under 1 year their weaning plan is discussed with parents so that any dietary issues we may not be aware of can be included.

  

Our parent partnership 

We recognise that children's first impressions of the world begin at home and it is therefore vital that both the nursery and parents work together. Parents are encouraged to share their ideas with us to help shape the service we offer to the children. 

We value the contributions made by parents and will actively seek a partnership through which the children will benefit by having continuous and consistent care.

This is an essential ingredient in supporting their confidence and developing their learning potential. At IDA Nurseries we understand that parents are the first and most enduring carers and educators of their children.

To assist the partnership the nursery will provide:

• A parents handbook
• Parent's evenings
• Regular social events at the nursery
• Information sheets and newsletters informing parents of our achievements and forthcoming events
• A parents notice board & whiteboard

 

Equal opportunities 

No child/adult will be excluded on the grounds of race, gender, religion, age, ability or sexual preference. IDA Nurseries reserves the right to refuse admittance to any person not complying with our full written policies.
 

Settling in procedure 

Once the nursery of your choice has received your registration form and fee you will automatically be sent a confirmation of place letter.  

Then, approximately one month before your child is due to start you will be contacted by the Nursery Deputy or Manager to arrange a family visit. 

 

During the family visit you will meet your child's Key Carer and some time will be spent completing the necessary forms and going through nursery policies.  The nursery will then arrange a subsequent visit lasting approximately 3 hours. This second visit will enable your child to get used to being left at nursery on their own.

  

Opening times 

The Sawbridgeworth nursery is open 52 weeks a year but will close on Bank Holidays, half day on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. 

We are open from 8.00am - 6.00pm Monday to Friday. 

We also operate an early risers club from 7.30am - 8.00am and an early evening club 6.00pm - 6.30pm
 

What is included in the nursery fees?

• Nappies (non specific brand) and sudo cream up until the age of 2 years
• Wipes (non specific brand)
• All meals from our menus
• Organic milk
• Aptamil and SMA formula milk up until the age of 1 year
• Calpol and calgel
• Non-specific sun cream
• French classes for Pre-school

 

What sessions do you offer?

• Full day - 8am to 6pm
• Morning - 8.15am to 1pm
• Afternoon - 1.15pm to 5.45pm
• Early risers - 7.30am to 8am
• Mini break - 9am to 12noon or 1pm to 4pm
• Evening session - 6.00pm to 6.30pm (booking only)
• After School Club (up to 8 years) - 3.00pm to 6.00pm
• School Collection Service
• Holiday Club (up to 8 years)
• Term Time Sessions for 3 to 5 year olds

We also endeavor to be as flexible as possible in catering for families individual requirements. Therefore, if you do require sessions outside of those listed above then, please speak with the individual Nursery Manager.

 

Baby room - (3 to 14 months)
When you make that decision to go back to work or just feel it would be nice for your baby to benefit from some extra social interaction you need to know you are leaving your precious baby somewhere you feel safe and he/she will be loved and cared for as an individual. Our baby room teams can offer you this and lots more. We offer a home from home environment which is cosy, calm and trusting.  Within our nurseries we understand that every single special baby has their own unique routine. We therefore ensure each baby has a key carer who works very closely with the parents to build a trusting relationship. The key carer will take extra consideration in making sure they know every little detail necessary about your baby and will regularly discuss their progress and development with you. You will also receive a 'My Day' chart at the end of every day letting you know that little bit more about what your baby one been up to.
We do lots of exciting things throughout the day within our nurseries - we introduce our babies to the fun of painting and getting messy and have a range of toys and natural resources to encourage the babies to explore using their five senses.
 
We also have many exciting treasure baskets which are full of natural materials such as scarves, wooden spoons, sponges, bottles, brushes and different types of materials like silk, wool, leather and cotton. A treasure basket brings many items within reach that a child may not have had the opportunity to handle. A child can feel items with their hands, feet, fingers and mouth. By having this opportunity they discover weight, texture and size. Does it have a smell? Can you taste it? Wave it, does it make a noise? Drop it and what happens? Can I put it inside another object? Can I join two items together? What happens when I bang one item against another?
Our Staff ratio for our baby room is 1 member of staff to 3 babies.
 

Sing and Sign 

Many of our staff are trained in 'sing and sign'. The 'sing and sign' technique is centred on singing and rhymes coupled with actions based on the Makaton principles of signing. We all feel this is a fantastic way to help stimulate language development and reinforce everyday activities to the babies before they are able to talk and express their needs. For more information please see www.singandsign.com

                                                          

Toddler room - (14 months to 2 years) 

As your baby gets ready for their transition to our toddler room this is a time when their learning is developing at a rapid pace. We now begin to introduce new experiences and opportunities so your child continues to progress in all areas of their development. 

During the day the toddlers do plenty of exciting messy activities using objects like cooked spaghetti, corn flakes, corn flour, bubbles, paints, water and sand. Through all of our carefully planned activities the children are developing and practicing the important skills required for later on in life.

 
During sleep times with use aromatherapy and relaxation music to make your child feel safe and secure and create a tranquil atmosphere to aid rest and relaxation.

 

Kindergarten (2 to 3 years) and Pre school (3 to 5 years)

As your child reaches this crucial stage in their development we believe it is important that they have a careful mix of structured learning and child initiated play. Our Sawbridgeworth Nursery's Kindergarten and Pre-school is divided in to areas/rooms and within these we cover all the areas of learning:

 

• Personal, social and emotional development: role play, emotion puppets
• Communication, language and literacy: mark making, 'sing and sign', sound lotto
• Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy: puzzles, problem solving, counting games and songs.
• Knowledge and understanding of the world: ICT skills, visits to local area, sand and water play
• Creative development: painting, model making, sticking, small world
• Physical development: mark making, cooking, garden play, music and movement

 

We ensure our Program complies with The Early Years Foundation Stage (Dfes) and Nursery Grant criteria with regards to children's learning and development and is regularly reviewed by a Qualified Teacher. 

The Pre School children also have French lessons on alternate Friday's in which they enjoy learning colours, numbers, food and lots more in French. 

The nurseries also organise regular visits from such organisations as the Police Force, Fire Brigade, Health Sector as well as music and movement sessions.

The Sawbridgeworth Nursery's pre-school operates the same as its Kindergarten but we are able to offer more flexible sessions. Pre-school children also have free access to the garden area as well as being able to operate independently through the specially designed areas in the class room. We also offer an after school service as well as a school drop off and pick up service and holiday club in our Pre School annex for children up to 8 years.

Registering authority 

Our nurseries are registered and regulated by OFSTED.

 

Fees

For our fee listing please contact the Sawbridgeworth Nursery Manager on 01279 600966.