“Encouraging a child means that one or more of the following critical life messages are coming through, either by word or by action:
I believe in you, I trust you, I know you can handle this, You are listened to, You are cared for, You are very important to me.” ~ Barbara Coloroso

Our values, vision and aims for our setting are:-

Our Vision:

To promote a safe, secure, nurturing, fun learning environment in which children become confident, capable and responsible, individuals.

Our values…
… guide the way we work. Together we are a team – our team is not just staff who work here, it includes people who support you, your child and us, such as outside agencies like speech and language or the health visitor. And, more importantly, it includes you and your family. You know your child best, so by talking to us and sharing your ideas, thoughts and voice along with your child makes our nursery a family. Together WE are a team.
Earlier last year you were asked about what things did you think was important for our nursery. We had our own ideas and shared these and together we have created our set of values. RAINBOW is our acronym for our values:-

Respected – This is shown through communication; both verbal and non-verbal. How do we talk to each other, our behaviour and actions. We listen to each other. This is embedded in our daily life – as we are sure it is the same at home. We share this with all our children.

Achieving – As we go through life, we all achieve different things – some small others momentous. For our young children their journey has just started and as such they are achieving so much that at times it could be taken for granted or never noticed. In our nursery we celebrate everyone’s achievement through praise and recognition that everyone is unique – that includes you and I as well as everyone else! Recognising that we all learn and achieve things at different stages and at different levels or stages: understanding that little steps could be huge milestones for someone as they find something extremely challenging but they have persevered and succeeded. It is well worth celebrating!

Included – In our nursery we see ourselves as part of a huge family full of different characters where we are included in all we do. We have a say in where learning is going, through listening and observing we notice the little things such as someone’s feelings. An initiative we use daily is our Colour Monster where children can post their picture into a feeling jar. Quite clearly it works as children will confidently say how they are and include a reason for their emotions. Luckily most times they are feeling calm or happy, but for those off days we will inquire why. Our aim is that everyone feels included in our nursery through seeing, feeling and hearing.

Nurturing – In our nursery we provide a nurturing environment. We care for the needs of all children, individualising the care they need, by us knowing their likes/dislike. This is why it is important for us to share with each other information about what makes them happy, or something which may happen at home or nursery that upsets them – as we may know it can take a while before children process this – so we know to keep watching even afterwards.

Belonging – Everyone in nursery feels as though they belong together. We know this as children and adults take a lead in their learning/experiences. Our voice is meaningful as children voice their thoughts/ideas and information in our floorbooks, vote on what they want for snack or story, really everything! We all have choices to do something or not.

Opportunities – This is evident as children have lots of opportunities to express themselves. They confidently ask for resources, activities choosing to go with their friends or to participate with a group activity such as puzzles or board games. Families have opportunities to engage in PEEP sessions, answering questions on e-forms, Addiewell Community Cook Off and Nursery Natter as well as others.

Welcoming – Transition is crucial in nursery, whether moving from home to nursery or nursery to school it can be an anxious time both for your child and yourselves. It is important for staff to settle the child at the child’s pace. This ensures their needs are met and supports yourself and your child to settle in quicker. It is important for families to be supported and for them to know we will answer any questions they have in the process of settling in or indeed any other time.

As you read these values you will recognise that all of them intertwine with each other or overlap. It is hard to identify with just one value – all are important and none are more than any other – they are positioned laterally. Together we know incorporating all of these values will provide a great start to the child’s life journey. The Scottish Government “wants every child in Scotland to grow up loved, safe and respected, so that they reach their full potential. How we protect our children and young people is fundamental to enabling them to reach their full potential, by allowing each child to be safe; healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, support us to fulfill the Scottish Government’s vision of a future Scotland. In our nursery we whole heartedly agree! Every child should grow up knowing they are supported.

Our Aims –

In our nursery we aim to –

Create appropriate curriculum to meet the needs if each individual child.

Monitor and assess children’s development and learning, ensuring progress is made.

Provide stimulating and well balanced play opportunities which reflect children’s interests and experiences and stages of development.

Establish close home links and a sense of belonging to the school and wider community.

Evaluate our current practices ad policies ad continue to develop our skills as educators.