Kiddies Dream Day Care

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide a warm and safe learning environment for all children. Leaders work closely with parents and other agencies to support the individual needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff work together to set targets for children to work towards. Staff are caring and nurturing towards the children, supporting them with their personal and emotional needs. Given children's starting points, they make good progress towards their targets.

All ages of children play well together. The most able children role model well to younger children, helping to support their emerging physical development. This helps to support younger children to pull themselves to standing and to cruise around furniture. Staff are consistent in their approach to teaching children the importance of sharing and being respectful to their peers.

Children thoroughly enjoy exploring water play. Staff talk with them, modelling and adapting their questioning according to the developmental stages of the children. Children are eager to explain to staff what they are doing, further extending their language skills.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• Leaders have worked hard to make improvements since the last inspection. They have reviewed the garden and made it safer for the children to play in. They have reviewed resources and extended the learning environment, enabling children to decide where they wish to learn.
• At times, the baby room staff do not support babies' emerging language development. When babies babble to them, instead of replying with words, some staff reply back with more babbles. This does not support babies to learn new words.
• Leaders have worked closely with the local authority to support staff's learning. Recent training has helped staff to assess and track children's learning and development, helping them to identify next steps in learning. This helps children to progress towards their learning goals.
• Staff are not always adept in allowing activities to flow naturally. Staff, at times, are too quick to change activities, stopping children's learning during child-led activities.
• Staff work closely with parents to support children's good behaviour. They share tips and advice for supporting children's behaviour, providing continuity of care for the children.
• Parents say how safe they feel leaving their children at the nursery. They find staff extremely nurturing towards their children, helping them to settle into the nursery. They are able to share any early worries they may have, and staff help them to find the right support for their children.
• Staff take the time to find out about the children when they start to aid their settling in. They use the information collected from parents effectively to gather starting points for them to work on. This helps to build a bond with the children.
• Children thoroughly enjoy exploring topics, such as the seasons. They explore the feel and texture of leaves and staff teach children how to make leaf prints. Children are able to choose which colours they would like to use, with staff talking with children about what they are doing. This further supports children's language development as well as their imagination.
• Leaders and staff provide an ambitious curriculum that supports children's learning and development. They are mindful of children's backgrounds and abilities and plan activities around them. For example, they are aware that some children do not have access to play spaces outside, so they give children plenty of time in the garden to explore and extend their physical development.
• Children are confident learners. They happily express their views to staff on activities as well as their likes and dislikes. Staff make good use of pictorial cards to aid children's understanding of what is happening next with routines. This further enhances children's personal and social development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support all staff to promote younger children's emerging language development effectively
• develop staff's understanding of allowing activities to flow better, to allow children to concentrate on activities.