Exceptional Childcare in York
Welcome to Happy Jays Nursery York
We are renowned for delivering consistently high quality childcare in York. What makes us truly unique are our team members. We have many team members who have worked with us for many years. We invest in our team heavily with formal training and training that links to our children’s interests and needs at that time.
We take time to get to know you and your children. This means that we can tailor everything and really give your child a unique experience where they will make friends, develop their imagination, learn through play and be truly ready for their next adventure into school.
We use a system called In The Moment Planning and our team must be tuned into the children’s interest and adapt the environment and resources to support their current interest. Learning is all done through play. In our experience this is the absolutely best way to engage children and to develop their interest in learning.
In addition to this we believe that care is the basis of everything that we do. Respect is a large part of our learning process. Our team will always listen, always apologise to children if in fact the child is right, this frequently happens when it comes to Dinosaur knowledge and always ensure that each child has their coat done up and nose wiped.
We understand how difficult it is to leave your child in our care for the first time. We will work with you and your child to ensure that your settling in experience is specific to you. If you do need additional sessions to settle in we are more than happy to do this for you. If you do want to contact us regularly throughout the day to check on your child we are more than happy for you to do this.
A Tradition of Excellence
If you’re planning ahead and thinking about childcare in York for the first time or maybe you’re thinking about changing day nursery, we know it’s one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make. You will be looking for a day nursery that’s safe and clean, that’s bright and inspiring and with a family-feel.
At Happy Jays Nursery in York we pride ourselves on delivering excellent quality childcare and education to each child in our care alongside a "home from home’’ environment where children are encouraged to engage in new experiences and opportunities to learn through play.
Our Nursery in York is an inclusive setting, and we have a fully qualified Special Education Needs Lead. We can work with local authorities and other charities to arrange for training and support for children in our care who have specific needs.
All of our team members are First Aid trained including the Chef. Our staff repeat their Safeguarding training annually although the requirement is every three years to ensure your child is receiving the best childcare.
What You Can Expect
Caring And Nurturing Staff
Our main focus is our children and therefore, we have measures in place to ensure your child is getting the care they need. If your child has had medication prior to coming into nursery can you please notify the Room Leader. All medications are stored in a locked medical cabinet or where required a designated fridge.
Ofsted 'Good' Rating Across All Our Nurseries
The First For Childcare nursery group has an 'Good' Ofsted rating. We are constantly developing our methods and ensuring our quality and standards stay high.
Ideal Environment For Your Child To Grow
Our children LOVE getting messy. We do lots of creative activities that the
children really look forward to and fully engage in. We provide an engaging environment to enable us to produce intuitive and developing children. We very much see ourselves as a resource, constantly updating the environment and offering new and interesting opportunities to learn.
Safeguarding Measures
We ensure your child is kept safe at all times from any dangers. Our entrances are secure and we do ask that you do not allow any other visitors into the nursery. We have measures in place for the safety of your children whilst in our care.
Children Develop Into Fabulous Individuals
Everything that we do in our day nurseries is based around the children. Each child in the Nurseries has a designated Key Person and they will be responsible for ensuring that your child is happy, and engaged. Also, we celebrate every child’s achievement and successes equally. We display all children’s creations and recognise that they are unique.
Delicious Meals To Encourage
Healthy Eating Habits
We cater for all special dietary requirements and all our food is prepared on the premises. Our aim is always to create interesting and nutritious meals for children of all ages on a daily basis.
A Message From Our Manager
Hi! My name is Kerina Ridyard and I have worked at Happy Jays York for 14 years. I took a short break in 2017, then returned in 2018.
Happy Jays is a perfect setting for me, it has offered me support and has given me some amazing opportunities over the years. Starting out as a Nursery Nurse, and now being the Manager, I have watched the nursery grow and it has helped me grow with it.
We have an amazing team of passionate and enthusiastic people, who go above and beyond to support each other and the children.
We provide a home from home environment and use loose parts and natural resources to create opportunities for children to develop skills that will take them through nursery and beyond. Everything that we do is based arounds the children’s current interests.
Each child is different, but we give them all the same opportunities and respect and celebrate all achievements equally.
Kerina Ridyard
Manager
Key Contacts
Nursery Managers – Kerina Ridyard and Jenni Wilson
Deputy Manager – Sam Harding
Educational Lead – Lauren Sheldrick
Operations Manager – Helen Rickett
