Caterpillar Class

Caterpillar Class

In Caterpillar Class, we take children from the age of 2. We have highly qualified and experienced staff (to degree level) to care for your child. We provide a variety of sensory play experiences to encourage language and develop explorative senses. We use 'Development Matters' to help shape our curriculum, focussing on the Prime Areas which are: Personal, Social and Emotional Development; Communication and Language, and Physical Development. Each child has a key person who will help your child to feel emotionally secure when away from home and thrive in a loving and secure relationship.  Your child’s key person will respond sensitively to their needs and extend their play and interests to develop specific next steps in learning.  Furthermore, they will be a reassuring point of contact for you.

We offer morning sessions - 8:40 - 11:40 am.

To apply for 15 hour free funding, go to Childcare Choices and find the options available for you and your family.

www.childcarechoices.gov.uk  

'Me' Books

During home visits, we will take photographs in the family home to use in 'Me' Books (and keyrings). We really appreciate parents/carers sending us additional photographs to add to these throughout the year. 'Me' Books help to share with us anything special you have done at home. We regularly look at the books with the children during the sessions to develop communication and language. Furthermore, having familiar faces from home in the setting has a positive impact on co-regulation and supports our trauma informed approach to building relationships.

Stay and Play

Stay and Play sessions for parents, grandparents and carers to spend time in Pre-School with the children happens daily. As part of our transition policy, adults are encouraged to stay in session for as long as they feel appropriate and parents tend to stay most days for the first 20 minutes to engage with welcome songs and sensory play. Having our parents stay in sessions also gives them the opportunity to see what the children do as well as promoting high-quality interactions.

In Caterpillar Class, we deliver daily supervised tooth brushing.  Children engage well with this and see it as a fun activity. 

www.healthboxcic.com/oral-health

www.supervisedtoothbrushing.com/information-for-parents

Parent Support

Please take a look at the links and websites below for ideas and information that you may find useful for supporting your child at home:

A GOOD PLACE TO BE TWO

IMPROVING OUTCOMES FOR 2-YEAR OLDS

Parent Feedback

Please read some feedback we received from parents:

"I'm so so grateful for the caterpillar team. You all go above and beyond every single day. You're all fantastic! Her confidence and speech have improved significantly; I'm so proud of her. The skills and knowledge you all have is truly amazing. I'm also so impressed with her learning journal and the references to different skills she is achieving. You're all stars!"

"I can't believe all of the things she gets up to every day. She is so busy! She loves coming to 'school'!"

"He absolutely loves 'school' and asks to come every day when I drop off his big sister. I'm so happy that he is enjoying it."

"He has settled in so quickly and is making so much progress and getting better and better every day. It is all because of the team and the hard work put into helping him. Thank you all so much."