On Thursday, February 22nd, Happy Days Nurseries and Pre-Schools officially opened their new nursery in Yate, welcoming Deputy Mayor Councillor Ben Nutland for the ceremony. Deputy Mayor Nutland toured the setting, met the happy staff, and delivered remarks praising the beautiful environment and exciting learning opportunities offered to the children.

The highlight of the ceremony was the ribbon-cutting, where some of the children, proudly waving flags, assisted Deputy Mayor Nutland.

“We are thrilled to finally open our doors and welcome the Yate community to our new, state-of-the-art nursery,” said Kim Herbert, Managing Director for Happy Days. “This space is designed to nurture and inspire young minds, and we are confident that children will thrive here.”

Deputy Mayor Nutland commented, “The nursery is truly impressive, from the stimulating learning spaces to the beautiful outdoor area. I am excited to see this fantastic facility flourish and contribute to the Yate community.”

Happy Days Yate is now accepting enrolments and invites families to attend an Open Day on 2 March between 10am to 1pm, to experience the nursery firsthand. For more information or to schedule a tour, visit www.happydaysnurseries.com/our-nurseries/yate/ .

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Get to know your Key Person

The Happy Days Key Person approach ensures a tailored and highly personal experience for your child, and getting to know your Key Person early will help improve the process.

Your child will build relationships with and trust their Key Person who will give them consistent and continuous care and attention. That Key Person will be assigned before your child starts their nursery journey, so you and your child feels secure starting with one relationship already built.

Make use of our ‘settling in’ sessions

Happy Days are proud of our comprehensive and effective settling in sessions, they are designed to help both you and your child to feel comfortable in their new setting. These sessions take place before your child joins the nursery, allowing you and your child to meet your key person, and the wider team, and allows us to complete the necessary paperwork.

As these sessions continue, we will start to build up the time you are away from your child so that they can get used to being away from you. This helps to make their first full days much easier and leave your child feeling more comfortable.

During these periods apart, we also help your child experience all aspects of nursery life, including meal and nap times, outdoor play, structured activities, and more. By the time their first day rolls around, your child will be excited and ready to start their journey, and you can relax knowing that they will be carefully looked after and happy during their time with us.

Help your child get used to social activities

To help ease them into playing with other children, it could be worth organising or joining existing play groups.

These can be very beneficial for children and will help develop their social skills and understanding of concepts like sharing, while also making them more comfortable when meeting other children and new people. It could be especially useful if you can find others who are starting nursery at the same time, as you could help build relationships before starting at nursery.

Encourage some basic tasks at home

One of the best ways to help with the practical aspect of nursery is to encourage your child to practice some of the regular tasks that happen during your typical day at nursery. Encouraging positive characteristics such as sharing toys, playing games that take turns and putting things back.

To start with, you could ask them to put their toys in a toy box or to hang up their coat, developing good habits we can then build on once they join us!

Create a suitable morning routine

Getting your child ready for nursery while you’re also getting ready for work or trying to do essential tasks can often be a challenge. Before starting nursery, consider trying to create a consistent morning routine that you know won’t leave you rushing out the door.

By having a semi-regular time when your child should wake up, have breakfast, get dressed, and plan it around the time you have free to help them, you could help significantly reduce stress levels in the morning.

Practising this before nursery will also help your child to be more acclimatised to this by the time your child starts.

From February 5th to 11th, we’re joining the nationwide celebration of National Apprenticeship Week! This year’s theme, “Skills for Life,” perfectly reflects our commitment to nurturing young talent and empowering them with the knowledge and abilities to thrive in the early years sector.

Throughout the week, we will be shining a spotlight on our apprentices and the valuable role they play in Happy Days.

MONDAY 5 FEBRUARY 2024 – APPRENTICESHIPS FOR ALL!

We kick things off by highlighting the inclusivity of apprenticeships! Age (17+), background, or prior experience doesn’t matter – apprenticeships offer a fantastic pathway to a fulfilling career in childcare.

TUESDAY 6 FEBRUARY 2024 – EMPLOYER TUESDAY

We shine a light on our fantastic apprenticeship programs, showcasing the diverse roles and oppor-tunities we offer.

WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2024 – APPRENTICE WEDNESDAY

Hear directly from our inspiring apprentices! They’ll share their journeys, achievements, and why they love being part of the Happy Days team.

THURSDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2024 – OUR FUN FACTS

Get ready for some fascinating statistics about Happy Days’ apprenticeships and the impact they have on our nurseries and the wider community.

FRIDAY 9 FEBRUARY 2024 – CELEBRATION FRIDAY

It’s time to celebrate the incredible talent and achievements of our apprentices!

SATURDAY & SUNDAY 10 – 11 FEBRUARY 2024 – THE NAW WEEKENDER

We wrap up the week with a recap of our activities and a peek into the exciting future of apprentice-ships at Happy Days.

National Apprenticeship Week is a chance to celebrate the power of apprenticeships in shaping suc-cessful careers and contributing to a brighter future. Join us as we champion this valuable learning pathway and inspire the next generation of early years professionals!

SHARE YOUR STORY

We would like to showcase some motivational stories to highlight how your apprenticeship has helped during the year. If you would like to get involved, please get in touch with us via our socials to share your story.