Under 5s Department

The Under 5s Department has two main branches:

Footsteps Preschool & Nursery

Footsteps is supported and managed by the Plymouth YMCA. All parents and carers are encouraged to become involved in the group activities and are welcome to contribute any ideas and expertise they may have.

All staff are qualified in Childcare and Education and hold first aid certificate. Room leaders are qualified to N.V.Q Level 3 or D.P.P. They have had previous experience of working in Childcare settings and are familiar with the requirements needed for the foundation stage. Assistants are qualified in N.V.Q. Level 2 Childcare and are working towards a Modern Apprenticeship in Childcare and Education. Student placements are working towards N.V.Q., Level 2.

We work with a ratio of 1 adult - 6 children in the Pre-school Room and 1 adult - 4 children in the Nursery Room.

Sessions

Footsteps operates during term time only

Tumble Teds & the Creche

Tumble teds sessions take place at the YMCA in Honicknowle Lane and are available for all children under 5 years. The sessions are based around soft play apparatus and helping develop physical and social skills in line with the stages of development. Carers stay with their children throughout the session and are encouraged to join in.

The creche is supervised by our qualified Tumble Teds staff and is designed to allow the parents/carers to make use of the facilities at Plymouth YMCA, alternatively for an additional cost the service may be used to go offsite.

Footsteps Nursery

The Nursery Room is able to accomodate children from the age of 2 and can cater for 8 children at each session.

We are also able to accept children who are still dependent on nappies and when ready will assist in your preferred method of potty training

Due to the high demand of places in this room you are advised to place your child's name on the waiting list when they are 1.5yrs old.

In the Nursery we aim to:

Develop confidence
Encourage independence (as appropriate for each individual child)
Set realistic expectations for behaviour
Have fun and be happy in the absence of the carer

We offer:

Caring support for both the carer and the child.
Activities to experiment and explore
Opportunities to play and learn
Social interaction with other children
A safe and secure enviroment

The activities for each session are planned and variable. They are designed for your child to HAVE FUN, to experiment, to explore and to interact with each other in an acceptable way. We acknowledge that each child develops at a different rate and when dealing with the children, our staff will take into consideration the stage of understanding of each individual child.

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Footsteps PreSchool

The Preschool room can accommodate up to 24 children at each session. The children already attending in The Nursery Room are able to make a gradual transition into the The Preschool facility. This transfer will occur automatically, however should you choose to wait for your child to join the group at the age of 3 years, you are advised to place their name on the waiting list a term in advance.

We aim to:

provide a community Pre-school that provides good quality care and education for children below the age and over the age of 3 prior to their start in mainstream school.
work in accordance to recommendations as set down for the foundation stage.
work within a frame work that ensures equality of opportunity for all children and their families.
provide a safe, secur stimulating environment
foster a good relationship with the Parent / Carer of the child and work together for the benefit of all the children

We offer your child:

fun and friendship with children and other adults
opportunities to learn through play
a specially tailored curriculum to assist them through the foundation stage.
individual care and attention made possible by a good ratio of adults to children.
the support of a keyworker .

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Footsteps Curriculum

Footsteps provides a balanced curriculum designed to help children develop their ability to learn .The activities provided and the adult support given will assist in the child developing to their full potential at his / her own pace.

Footsteps Pre-school will enable your child to learn through play, through practical experiences, exploration, discussion and through working individually with others.

Personal and Social

All young children need to learn how to get on with others and to explore their feelings and emotions. At Footsteps the children will be given many opportunities to develop confidence and self-respect. They will be encouraged to feel proud of their own individual achievements and assisted in their self-help skills. With out these experiences the child will be unable naturally to feed into other areas of learning. Whilst feeling supported and encouraged by the adults looking after them, friendships with other children will be formed and established.

Communication, Language and Literacy

Children are offered play and planned activities that will encourage and expand their language skills sometimes, in small groups or with other children i.e.: role play in the home corner and with books, stories and songs. By providing a variety of fun activities the children are encouraged to develop their early writing skills and everyday use of familiar words and symbols within the pre-school setting will assist in their enthusiasm for early reading.

Mathematics

By means of adult supported practical experience, children become familiar with sorting, matching, sequencing and counting which form the basis for early mathematics. They will be presented with opportunities to help solve practical daily problems. Activities such as water and sand play as well as cookery will provide fun ways of learning about weight, measure and mass.

Knowledge and Understanding Of The World

Through exploring their enviroment and the world around them the children will develop ideas that will form the basis of all their future learning. The Pre-School will provide the resources and equipment necessary to ensure that a variety of stimulating activites are presented to allow them to satisfy their natural curiosity about the wider world around them with out risking their safety.

Physical

Physical development is about the ability to move in many different ways and is a vital part of each child's natural development. It is an integrated part of the Pre-school curriculum, providing opportunities to develop both fine and large motor skills, co-ordination and physical control.

Creative

Children are encouraged to use a wide range of resources in order to express their own ideas and feelings, Glue, paint, crayons as well as natural materials provide for open ended exploration of colour, shape and texture. There are many opportunities for imaginative role-play both individually or as part of the group.

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