FAQ's
Frequently asked questions
Below are common questions from parents, please have a read through these before you contact us with a query as the answer may be below. If you have any further queries, please contact us at littlemuddyme@gmail.com. 

Are you open all year round or term time?

We're a term time only setting and follow RBWM term dates, we do run holiday clubs through the year.

Is there a minimum attendance you require?

In order to give children the best learning opportunities and the quickest settling in process we ask that children attend at least two sessions per week, these can be full days or half days. 

Can I visit Little muddy me?

Yes. It’s not a requirement that you visit before joining the waiting list but we encourage all prospective parents to come and visit us. This can be booked in by emailing our office at littlemuddyme@gmail.com

How do government funded child places work?

Your child is able to access 15 hours or 30 hours for working parents of free early education or childcare per week from the term after their second or third birthday. Little Muddy Me offers this funding applied across the school terms. For further information Apply for free childcare if you're working - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 

How do free child places work?

We offer funded places for two, three and four year old children who meet certain eligibility criteria, funded hours can be used between 9am-3pm, any wrap around hours are invoiced.

What do you do when it rains and is cold?

Play!! Remaining warm and dry is the most important element to create happiness and creative play regardless of the weather. Whilst the woods themselves afford shelter, we also have large, lightweight tarps that we rig up to provide wind-breaks and extra protection when we don’t want to let a sudden downpour disrupt our games. We find that as long as children have good outdoor clothing, are out of any biting wind and that their hands are warm, they are happy to play outdoors regardless of the weather.

We have a fire available at snack time on cold days, and will often have a hot drink. We are also fortunate to have skilled educators who are quickly able to put up cosy shelters, especially for the wettest and coldest conditions. If nurseries and primary schools in Scandinavia can spend the majority of their time playing in the woods in their challenging climate, we can certainly manage it in Bray!

What about severe storms?

Our aim is to be outdoors in rain, wind, or shine but in severe storms, where safety could be compromised, we may have to close. We will always provide you with as much notice as we can when this does need to happen. The safety of children and staff are are paramount. 

What happens in case of an accident?

Children who are used to playing outdoors are far less likely to injure themselves. They have developed a natural risk assessment process and are more stable and understanding of their capabilities than children who do not often spend time in such an environment.

We do however have an evacuation plan (as all nurseries do) for emergencies or incidents. In case of an accident a first aider will attend to your child whilst another member of staff will go to meet medical staff if necessary to bring them to the site. 

What about toileting?

We have compost toilets which get cleaned and emptied regularly. Staff are on hand to assist as needed. We provide water and soap for hand washing after toileting and before snack-time.

For children still in nappies, we have a mat and nappy changing area. Please provide nappies and wipes in their day bag.

Can children nap?

For those children who are still sleeping during the day, we provide a cosy hammock for sleep time. All that fresh air usually encourages great sleeps!

For drop-off and pick-up is there any parking available?

 Yes there is a carpark at Bray lake, please don’t use the postcode as it takes you the wrong side of the Lake, please enter Monkey Island Lane from the Windsor Road.

What3words ///given.limit.puff

Why don't you separate the children by age groups like other nurseries?

We believe that offering two to five year olds the opportunity to play together rather than separating them into different age groups and ‘rooms’ offers the best opportunities for all age ranges.

In a mixed-age group, younger children are capable of participating and contributing to far more complex activities than they could initiate if they were by themselves. Once the older ones set up the activity, the younger ones can participate, even if they could not have initiated it.

Research indicates that mixed-age groups can provide a therapeutic environment for children who are socially immature. Younger children will less quickly rebuff an older immature child than the child's same-age friends.

How is the safety of my child safeguarded?

Safeguarding is of paramount importance to our practitioners. 

To ensure safety, our staff have completed safeguarding training and our DSL (Designated safeguarding lead) attends Safeguarding Network meetings twice a year to receive any updates from the Local Authority. 

Little Muddy Me follows the strict ratio of one teacher to eight children (aged 3+), and one teacher to five children (aged 2+).

With one practitioner for every four or eight children they are always within immediate line of sight and proximity to a staff member, always within our boundary.

Further to this a key safeguarding practice is the games we regularly play with the children such as one-two-three where are you or our whistle, both of which encourage the children to stay save through play and therefore without feeling trepidation. 

What do you feed my children?

For their lunch we require you to send them with a packed lunch following our healthy eating and nut free policy. We see a big part of our role in our children’s lives is to promote the importance of a healthy lifestyle.