Our Offer
A warm welcome to Robert Blair Children’s Centre. Our under 3’s offer is highly flexible, and provides a friendly, safe and inclusive space for our local community. We have a highly qualified, committed staff team who create a caring, stimulating learning environment, working in partnership with all families.
We offer childcare and education from 6 months and up to the term after the child’s 3rd birthday. Our opening times are from 8am-6pm, 49 weeks throughout the year, with term time only places available for 9am to 3.15pm, and extended day places.
We provide opportunities for families to learn, develop and have fun. The Children’s Centre brings together a wide range of services and support for families, including appropriate and accessible additional support where needed to provide the best start for all children.
Our aim is for children and families to thrive and be resilient, and for all children develop in a safe space where they can grow to be confident and happy, prepared for the next phase of their education and be given the opportunity to achieve their full potential.
The environments we spend time in have a profound effect on our wellbeing. In our centre, babies and toddlers feel confident and are eager to learn. They enjoy warm, close relationships with staff who take time to get to know them well in a calm and familiar space.
Baby Room
Babies learn to crawl, walk and balance; explore sounds, textures and feelings; moving watching; shaping and viewing though planned engaging play spaces and activities. eg dancing and playing instruments; learning to eat new food and making very healthy meals. We share daily reports to inform parents what they ate and how much, how long they slept for, and at what times they had their nappy change.
Toddler Room
Our toddler room is purposefully designed to help children start to become more independent. eg. putting coats and shoes on, washing hands, and starting potty-training. We have a wide range of opportunities on offer to allow children to develop physically and socially – engaging with each other through activities such as sand, water, mud kitchen, painting, drawing, building blocks, planting and preparing healthy meals. This is when children start playing with each other and making friends.
Our Children Centre Curriculum
Our curriculum is designed to incorporate children’s interests and natural curiosity in the world around them. Our staff plan weekly for their key children, incorporating ways to develop learning which is based on each child’s interests. This learning is supported by using a wide range of activities in the environment. Eg. Textured play, paint, sand, water and home corner role play. We know children benefit from play in these interactive areas with familiar adults. The children are supported to represent their findings in creative activities linked to experiences, storytelling and stories read.
Our Key Worker System
The key worker is the first point of contact for parents, and the person who will build a special relationship with each child. The keyworker is responsible for gathering information, through observation and assessments, from the other adults your child will be engaging with and have regular meetings with you to talk about your child’s development. We have parent/carer consultation meetings at two points across the year. We use an online journal – Tapestry- shared by key workers and parents, where they can upload photographs and videos of important events, making comments. Practitioners will also make suggestions of activities to do at home. It is very important that parents comment and upload photographs so that key workers can plan activities more effectively. Key workers plan focus activities weekly for each child, scaffolding children’s learning with language and by engaging in open-ended play. Each child interacts with a range of adults in the centre, all of whom are experience practitioners whom your child will get to know. The key workers’ role is to keep you up to date and share information about your child’s learning and development.