The crèche provision for our project has made a huge contribution to the value of our project.  Young mothers are often nervous and reluctant to leave their children with professionals and often rely on friends for their childcare.  Our Fit ‘N’ Fun Kids Crèche has built up their confidence in professional childcare and the crèche workers aim to build good relationships with the young mums and can give them tips and advice on childcare issues.

We find that the babies develop really well in their time in the crèche.  As the crèche is on site of the project, it works really well with breast feeding mums and workers can call the mums into the crèches to consult if required to do so.

The Manager of the Support Crèches works in good partnership with our Co-ordinator and other staff involved in the project and we are confident in an honest and open relationship around any issues to keep the children safe and offer the best possible childcare provision within this flexible context.

Project Co-ordinator

St Austell

Our Programme is a 14 one-day-a-week group designed to help families with relationship problems with their children.

Skilled crèche workers are paramount in this programme to work alongside other professionals who are trained in delivering the programme.  The children and parents need to feel welcomed and comfortable for the day.  Some children may be experiencing attachment difficulties and a nurturing environment with friendly staff, will help to begin working on these issues.

The crèche staff can help encourage parental engagement and empowerment.  The main role of the crèche staff it to help parents to try out new play activities and to allow them to practise new sills and build up a repertoire of parenting skills.  This has to be provided in a non- judgemental and supportive way.

Programme Co-ordinator

Falmouth

I have two boys and two girls and when I was looking for childcare, Fit ‘N’ Fun Kids came highly recommended.  As soon as I went to look around I felt that it was welcoming and friendly and the staff were able to answer everything I wanted to know.

Lily started at eight months old and when I had Poppy, she started at three months old.

The way that the sessions are set up for the children are brilliant and Lily and Poppy always look happy and exhausted when I pick them up!

In the two years that I have been taking the girls I have never had to worry and don’t think that I ever will.

At fifteen months old, Lily suffered a febrile convulsion whilst at the Nursery.  When they rang me I was terrified but the staff were amazing and knew exactly what to do until the ambulance arrived.  The Manager came with me in the ambulance and I could never thank her enough for her support and the rest of the staff for everything they did. 

Since that first terrible experience Lily has been in and out of hospital quite a few times but the Nursery are always happy to help our family and go out of their way to make life easier, they have even had Poppy in for extra free sessions during times when Lily is unwell and offered free care to our two sons.  I know that they are just a phone call away. 

They even arranged for me to join them in Paediatric First Aid training to help me feel more confident in helping Lily when poorly.

Everyone there I feel deserves an award, they really are amazing and a friendly group of people.  My family are so grateful for all their support and congratulate them on the fantastic work they do.

Bridget

Parent Falmouth

I would just like to take the time and share my experiences of the nursery, Fit 'N' Fun Kids in Falmouth that my children have attended over the last 3 years. 

When my son Finn was 2 years old he received funding to enable him to attend nursery for three mornings a week.  He received this funding as he has Downs Syndrome and the accompanying global developmental delays associated with this condition. I was very worried about choosing a nursery for Finn as I had never really left him before and was worried that a nursery would not welcome him because of his needs or would be unable to cope with them.  I chose Fit ‘N’ Fun Kids on the recommendation of friends and have never regretted my decision. Far from being reluctant to take on a child with Finns needs the staff at Fit 'N 'Fun Kids have gone out of their way to make him feel welcome and an integral part of the nursery alongside his peers and make us feel secure in the knowledge that he is being well cared for.

One of the areas in life that Finn has the most problems with is speech and language and when he started had virtually no speech and still has very little verbal communication.  We communicate with Finn mainly through Makaton sign language and have done since he was a baby.  When Finn started the nursery they organized comprehensive training for the staff and anybody else that wished to learn Makaton and a notice on the door stated 'A child in our nursery communicates through Makaton sign language so therefore everyone in this nursery needs to be able to communicate in Makaton'. The training was attended by all the staff of the nursery including office staff and nursery workers from other rooms. The other children attending the nursery were also taught Makaton and they would have a sign a week that they would learn along with Finn.

Finn received a statement of special educational needs when he was two and a half this entitled him to one to one care so he could participate in activities more fully and to make sure his personal care was attended to. His one to one workers have always been fantastic I have always felt happy knowing he was in their safe hands, that they facilitated in his interaction with other children and activities and felt they genuinely cared for him. He attended in a water-sports outdoor activity season last summer with the other children and support from the staff and will do so again this summer.

Finn is in full time school now that he is five but continues to attend Fit ‘N’ Fun  Kids during school holidays, even though he is five his needs are still complex but it is never an issue in him enjoying his time at nursery and accessing they same benefit as the other typically developing children.  I would wholeheartedly recommend Fit ‘N’ Fun Kids to other parents of children with complex needs and have always found it to be a truly inclusive nursery.

Catherine,

Parent Falmouth