0 – 2 years

Our 0-2 department is one large room which caters for 12 babies.

Our 0-2 years children learn mostly through sensory exploration, from treasure baskets with natural objects to books, musical toys and instruments. Our soft lighting gives off a warm and cosy glow where children can feel relaxed and comfortable in their learning environment.

 Our older children will be steadily encouraged to do things for themselves which is very simple tasks like collecting their jackets to go outdoors, encouraging them to feed themselves at lunch times and following simple instructions when partaking in activities.

Our room has a story area where the children can choose their own stories freely, construction area where they are encouraged to build and make. Sand and water troughs are at the children’s height so they can easily reach in to explore and discover, even our small babies are encouraged to splash about in our baby sized tub. Our messy table has activities such as gluing, painting, printing and modelling.

We chart each child’s progress using the “Pre-Birth to Three: Positive Outcomes for Scotland’s Children and Families”. This framework helps to acknowledge “brain development in babies from the pre-birth stage onwards, highlights the importance, for children’s future outcomes, of early attachment and bonding between young babies and caregivers.” The Pre-Birth to Three documents are based around four key principles through which effective support and learning opportunities for very young children can be promoted:  The Rights of The Child, Responsive Care, Respect and Relationships 

 Staff in the room are experienced to deliver a comprehensive learning environment where they can cater for children’s individual needs. They are competent in providing stimulating activities on a daily basis for all children in their care and will monitor and chart their progress. Learning Journals are completed for all children on a weekly to monthly basis and can be viewed at any time by the child’s own parents and of course the child themselves. This is a great way of keeping everything documented as the child learns and you can see a clear path of were they started out and where they are at now. Many parents like the Learning Journals as they can see their child’s learning journey from beginning to end.

A key worker system is in place for all children and this is helpful for parents who have any concerns our queries about their child’s learning. This helps to build positive relationships with children, parents and their families. 

Our changing room is situated outside the room and gives the children the privacy and dignity they all deserve when having their nappy changed. All nappies, wipes and nappy cream have to be provided for the children by their parents and we also ask that a few spare changes of clothes are provided. Any formula milk that your child may require should not be prepared beforehand. We ask that bottles are filled with boiled water and a separate container containing the powdered formula is handed in. Staff can then heat the water and mix the formula when required. Any breast milk that your child may require can either be given by mum coming into the nursery or by expressing into a bottle for staff then to give to your child. Cow’s milk is given to children who have moved on from formula/breast milk at their parent’s wishes. Children under 2 will be given full-fat milk, unless stated differently by parents. 

Sleep patterns can vary for very young children, especially babies, and that’s why we have soft-foamed mattress/beds that fold out onto the floor. All children are given clean bed linen, consisting of bed sheet and blanket, every day and we have laundry facilities to enable us to manage great hygiene practice.

At Breakfast, snack and lunch times, depending on the children’s home routine, we sit all the children together in safety checked highchairs which are at the level of the other children and captain styled table and chairs, depending on their age. This gives the children a chance to become socially aware of their peers and carers and also a chance to give much needed support and encouragement at mealtimes.

 As we have a separate outdoor area for your little ones, it means that they are able to play and learn using apparatus designed specifically for their own age group and also gives them the freedom to explore and investigate their natural surroundings. We aim to give the children outdoor experiences twice a day.We do have triple buggies that enable us to take the under two’s out and about our local area, which includes going to the park at Glasgow Green and also to Bridgeton Library.

Each day you can be sure to get daily feedback from staff about your child’s day which will include details of their sleeps, foods they have eaten, any milk feeds, nappy changes and activities they have took part in. All of this will also be noted down on a daily report sheet that you will get to take home as it is quite a lot of information to remember.