In our Teddy Bears 'House' we care for the youngest children in our nursery, Our dedicated and caring staff will help both you and your baby settle into Nursery life.

Babies, of course, determine their own timetable but your child's keyworker will take care of their every need throughout the day.
Your baby will have their own diary, which will go home each night with information about their day i.e. details of sleep, bottles, meals/snacks, nappy changes, fun, games and cuddles which your baby has enjoyed. The diary can be used by parents to write down any information they may wish to relay to staff.

However, it is important to remember, staff are always available to chat to you about your child's day, or about their overall progress and development.  Please don't hesitate at any time to discuss any concerns or needs you may have.

You will already have noticed your baby takes a lot of interest in their environment. Your child's keyworker will encourage them to learn and explore through a wide range of stimulating activities and conversation. Brightly coloured toys and natural sensory materials are used to help your baby develop both senses and physical abilities. Of equal importance is the time and caring given to your babies' emotional security with hugs & cuddles available in abundance.

This gives just a taste of the warmth, security, fun and stimulation which your baby will be part of in Nursery. Carousel Nurseries practice reflects the Scottish Executive 'Birth to Three' ethos focusing on the three aspects Relationships, Respect and Responsive Care. Please don't hesitate to speak to the Nursery Manager or a member of staff for more information.

When your baby reaches their first birthday or has begun to toddle around quite independently their keyworker will chat to you about the Bouncing Bunnies Group. Bouncing Bunnies new to the nursery will enjoy a settling in period with their keyworker in the Bouncing Bunny Room. This will be done gradually over a period of weeks to allow both you and your child to settle into their new 'home' and get to know new friends (both big and small!).

Bouncing Bunnies have a 'Baby Diary' as well as Teddy Bears and many more 'firsts' will be recorded in the year ahead. However, please remember our staff are always available to chat about your child's development.

From this age your baby will be experiencing widening horizons daily. Everything new is exciting and exploration of the environment is encouraged through carefully planned activities. We help your child to grow in all areas of development with little hands encouraged to glue, bake, build sand castles and paint, often with anything that comes to hand.

As your child progresses they will be encouraged to learn to be more independent at snack, mealtimes and messy play. Singing and music time are important parts of our daily routine and with stories and rhymes we will help your child develop language skills whilst having bags of fun.

By now your child has their very own individual personality and will be able to enjoy playing with their new little friends. They will be gently guided in the social skills needed to 'play', care and share with others by our qualified and experienced nursery staff.

A wide range of activities are provided to help each child to progress in all areas of their development with particular emphasis on their social skills. The children are encouraged to develop independence skills, choose what they want to play with and to share and play with their new found friends. In addition children spend time in smaller groups with their keyworker who, through carefully planned activities, makes sure that each child has the opportunity to talk, listen, think and build on their communication skills and confidence.

Staff with the children help to explore a different theme each month and are introduced to and become familiar with different shapes and colours. Extensive arts and crafts activities along with sand and water and outside physical play complement and add to the talents being developed in the playroom. Great fun is had by all when dressing up clothes are put on and imaginations run riot as the children indulge in their own role play activities!

There is great excitement and praise when any of use achieves something new and nursery life is peppered with truly great achievements every day, the patience and dexterity needed to get to the very last piece of a jigsaw puzzle being but one example.

Carousel Nurseries is in partnership with West Dunbartonshire Council to offer commissioned pre-school education and childcare places to all children in their ante-pre-school and pre-school year. This enables parents to feel secure that their child is receiving continuity of care in a familiar environment but also being stimulated and challenged by the pre-school programme specifically geared to meet the individual needs of our 'Butterflies' and 'Busy Bees'.

The ante-pre-school and pre-school programme works towards developing the four capacities outlined in a 'Curriculum for Excellence' to enable our children to become successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors. As always the children will actively learn through play - both social and purposeful. Our experienced and qualified staff will guide your child's learning through the use of 'themes and topics' to ensure their all-round development in the five curriculum areas specified by Scottish office. These are as follows:

• Communication and Language
• Physical Development and Movement
• Emotional, Personal and Social Movement
• Knowledge and Understanding of the World
• Expressive and Aesthetic Experiences