Bristol Childcare is a family run business. It started in 1971 when Bruce and Sue Farr opened Mornington House, one of the first day nurseries in Bristol. Over forty years later Bruce and Sue are still involved in the nurseries along with their daughter Saffia who is now Managing Director of Bristol Childcare. This longevity means that we really understand children and their needs and the breadth of experience across the family means that we can run a sustainable business while keeping a homely, personal feel.
What makes us different?
We believe Bristol Childcare is different from other nurseries because of what we believe in and how we operate. This is encapsulated in our Vision Statement and Ethos.
VISION STATEMENT
Our vision is to provide small, homely and flexible childcare to a high standard. We do this by ensuring our ethos permeates all aspects of what we do.
Small – our nurseries are in former homes so they are divided into rooms with attractive features such as bay windows. Where we have bigger groups, such as the pre-schools, we work in small groups so that we can nurture each child. Each room is set out to create welcoming spaces that encourage communication and language development.
Homely – we want to make you and your child feel at home. As a family run business we keep the needs of the children and their families at the heart of what we do. We create cosy rooms with natural, appealing toys and provide home-grown and home-cooked food. We are also proud of our warm and friendly team and work hard to nurture them, resulting in a low turnover of staff. Some of our staff have worked for Bristol Childcare for more than 25 years.
Flexible – with us you don’t have to do fixed sessions, you can book your hours to suit you and your child. All we ask is that your child is with us for at least 8 hours a week, spread over at least two days – this is because we have found, through experience, that too few hours, or only being at nursery one day a week is too unsettling for a child.
ETHOS
Our ethos is our distinctive spirit which guides all that we do. All decisions taken by senior management reflect our strong values and staff are encouraged and supported to understand these values and incorporate them into their work.
We are constantly asking, what is our vision for each child, how does it feel to be a child in this nursery, what can we do to improve? When reflecting on this, we are aware of our ethos. This also ties in with our Curriculum Intent.
We believe in:
- genuine care – if children feel happy and safe they will learn from all that is around them;
- role modelling as a learning tool;
- taking pride in ourselves, our environment and our work;
- being enthusiastic, committed, reliable and trustworthy;
- free, uninhibited play, especially with natural, open-ended materials;
- the joy of creativity and having fun;
- a healthy balanced attitude to life including what we do and what we eat;
- the importance of fresh air, nature and enjoying being outdoors, in all weathers;
- talking, reading and singing to children and in genuinely listening to them, respecting that children communicate in different ways;
- open-mindedness and understanding all cultures and traditions through learning and experiencing celebrations and festivals;
- friendship and team working, sharing difficulties and celebrating successes, respecting each other and displaying compassion at times of need;
- encouraging independence and experiencing life skills;
- true partnership, through honesty and openness between the children, staff, parents, agencies and communities we work with, encouraging open lines of communication;
- being the best we can be by reflecting upon all of the above.
We believe that every person is different and should be valued for who they are. All of these values are reflected in our policies which you can access through your parent login.
We hope that you and your child enjoy being part of the Bristol Childcare family.
