Wraparound Care
2021 was an exciting year for Explorers, as we launched our brand-new Wraparound Care facility! In what has been a very difficult couple of years for everyone, this is something we are incredibly proud of and we are excited about what this facility will offer to families in our local community.
Our Purpose-Built Wraparound Facility
Our Wraparound Care facility has been purpose-built, and whilst attached to the nursery, has its own unique identity, allowing our Big Explorers to experience care and support in an environment created just for them.
The Wraparound Care facility has its own separate car park and entrance, providing a safe and secure place for drop-offs and collections. Once inside the building, parents/carers and their children can wait in the lobby area before handing over to a member of the Explorers’ Team. The Wraparound Room has a secure entrance, and once in the room, children have access to a range of resources, as well as their own toilet facilities, and a separate, free-flow outdoor space accessed by double-doors leading from the room.
Whilst our Wraparound Facility is a separate entity to the rest of the nursery, we still feel it is important that our Big Explorers feel part of the wider Explorers’ family. As such, meals are eaten within our fabulous new central dining area with children from across the nursery. For us, mealtimes are important: it is a time when we come together, talk, eat and develop essential social skills.
Breakfast and Afterschool Care
We know how stressful it can be to arrange childcare around a busy work schedule, and we’re here to make that as easy as possible for parents and carers. Our new service offers both breakfast and afterschool sessions for 4 – 11-year-olds.
Before school, children can be dropped off from 7 a.m., will receive breakfast with us, and then be taken to school.
After school, we can collect children from school using the community bus, and children can remain with us until 6 p.m., receiving a nutritious, light evening meal.
Whilst with us, our Big Explorers have access to a wide range of fun, engaging activities and resources, such as:
- A football table
- An air hockey table
- Hairdressing mannequins
- Craft activities
- Board games
- Jigsaws
- Books
- Outdoor sports equipment, including football nets and a basketball hoop
- Optional focused clubs for those attending afterschool sessions, such as Craft Club and Film Club (for which we use our wonderful new projector to get that full movie night experience!)
- Forest School sessions during which we take our Big Explorers out into our dedicated woodland area
The list continues to grow! As a new facility, we are listening to our Big Explorers and their parents/carers, and expanding the range of activities and resources we have on offer.
Holiday Club
As well as term-time care, we also offer a Holiday Club service in which children can participate in a wide range of focused activities. Our days are structured with fun-filled, action-packed, engaging experiences: from craft to sport to Forest School to expeditions around the farm: there’s something to entertain and engage everyone.
And, as with our Little Explorers, our heuristic approach is central to the ethos of our Wraparound Care: we will enable your child to discover and learn for themselves, giving them support and care in a nurturing environment that will help them develop the confidence to become independent, self-motivated, inquisitive young people.
Forest School for Big Explorers
Our Forest School is something we are particularly proud of, as outdoor education is an integral part of our curriculum and ethos.
Sessions are led by qualified Forest School Leaders and all take place in our on-site dedicated woodland areas. During Forest School sessions, children learn how to care for animals and habitats, take risks, respect and listen to each other, embed safety rules and boundaries and reflect on their learning.
Whilst in the woodland, we often build and maintain a campfire, embed fire safety and cook using a range of different methods. We also incorporate the use of forest tools, games, exploration, challenges, stories and songs into the sessions. Children are given independent tasks to complete, helping to build confidence, knowledge and a sense of responsibility.
We access the woodland areas at all times of the year as it is a wonderful learning opportunity for Big and Little Explorers alike to experience the natural world in different seasons.