Chipmunks Day Nursery – Our agreed values
Children: learn new things every day; learn through a balance of adult-initiated and child-initiated play; are independent learners – able to make their own choices and to pursue their own lines of enquiry; take part in sustained shared thinking with their peers and with adults; are inquisitive – they ask questions and are excited about what they are doing; are imaginative – they experiment with resources, and use them in many different ways; feel they belong – they feel valued and cared about, and have ownership of the resources and their environment; are confident and have high self esteem – they are unafraid to express their feelings and will try and try again.
Practitioners: care about the children, are patient, compassionate, understanding and supportive of each child’s self esteem; are knowledgeable about how children learn and develop, and how to keep children safe; update their knowledge through continual professional development; are loyal, reliable, meet their responsibilities and are supportive of Chipmunks’ agreed values; have a variety of valuable experiences and skills; work well as a team and are supportive of each other; communicate effectively and attend team meetings and staff training events; are passionate about what they do; are reflective; notice how the children play and learn and plan exciting and challenging activities for each child; encourage children to play and explore – they join in and support children’s play without taking over; encourage children’s motivation - they praise children’s efforts and help children to choose their own activities; encourage children’s thinking - they give children time to talk, value children’s questions, and encourage children to problem solve; encourage children to try new foods and eat a healthy and varied diet; encourage children to be independent and to manage their daily routines; encourage children to be kind, learn right from wrong, to take turns and share; challenge negative attitudes and stereotypes.
Parents: are interested in their child’s learning and work with practitioners to support their child’s development; attend nursery events and contribute to their children’s assessments by sharing information from home; are kept up to date with news from the nursery; are happy with the service we provide and recommend us to other parents; believe the nursery offers good value for money; build trusting relationships with practitioners and feel able to ask for support and advice if they need it.
The Learning Environment: is safe, secure, clean and tidy - there are clear policies and procedures and risks are managed and reviewed effectively; is welcoming and inviting – a “home from home”; has many possibilities for learning and exploration; children can free-flow between indoors and out; there is a good choice of resources, which children can access independently - many are natural, simple and open ended to encourage children’s exploration and imagination; there are healthy food choices and meals are enjoyed in a relaxed, social environment; is reviewed regularly, and treasures and intriguing objects are included to provoke a sense of curiosity and wonder.
Leadership and Management: is supportive of practitioners and committed to their ongoing development; is committed to developing a successful and sustainable business; listen to practitioners and parents and encourage them to express their views and opinions; is fair and approachable; ensures the business runs effectively ad efficiently; lead by good example; ensures that mandatory requirements are met and the nursery continues to demonstrate ongoing improvement.