About Us
JITTERBUGS CHILDCARE is a 72-place setting catering to children aged 0–5 years. The setting consists of four main areas:
- Eggs unit for under 2s
- Caterpillars unit for rising 2 year olds
- Cocoons is our lower pre-school
- Butterflies unit is our higher pre-school
The setting is open Monday to Friday, from 7:45 am to 5:45 pm, for 50 weeks a year, excluding bank holidays, two weeks and two training days a year for staff training.
LOCATION: Jitterbugs is situated on Trinity Road, at the bottom of Westbourne Grove on the left-hand side. It is easily accessible from both Filey Road and Seamer Road, with ample parking for dropping off and picking
Eggs (0-2-year-old room)
Our Eggs unit is situated on the first floor across numbers 5 and 7 Trinity Road. Babies and toddlers in this unit will receive continuity of care as the area is staffed with key workers who are qualified in childcare. The adult-to-child ratio in the Eggs unit is 1 staff to every three babies and toddlers.
To support smoother transitions, older children in the Eggs group will have the opportunity to visit the Caterpillar room, allowing them to become familiar with their upcoming environment. This is done by going down for small plays where they will have access to Caterpillar’s indoor and outdoor facilities.
Children in the Eggs unit are introduced to a ‘free-flow’ environment, which is implemented throughout the entire setting. This allows children to explore their interests in various areas, be it messy play, role play, small world, construction, etc. We also have areas for both babies and toddlers to enjoy ‘quiet’ time, whether it be looking at a book or carrying out an activity. In the Eggs room, children have daily access to outdoor activities through the Eggs balcony. This provides them with opportunities to engage in outdoor play, promoting not only their physical development but also other areas of their overall development. All the children’s educational needs and development are met through everyday play.
Due to the age of the children within the Eggs room, parents/carers will receive information via Parent Admin. This information is based on the children’s routine throughout their session at Jitterbugs, including feeding, sleeping, and nappy routines.
Within the Baby and Toddler unit, we incorporate treasure baskets into our everyday play. These baskets allow children opportunities to explore different textures and senses, targeting specific areas of development that will promote their interests and experiences.
WHAT YOU AND WHAT WE PROVIDE
We ask for you to provide your child’s nappies, wipes, and any creams you require us to use. You will also need to provide formula or breast milk if your child has any of these. We provide cow’s milk, so please inform us when your child starts on cow’s milk; we provide all food and other drinks.
Formula milk can be sent either already measured in individual containers and bottles, or you can send a tin of milk with a bottle, and we will make up the feeds when your baby requires it. We provide cooled boiled water for babies and drinking water for toddlers throughout the day.
We provide a morning and afternoon snack, a freshly cooked hot 2-course dinner, and a tea. Food will be liquidized for babies, and lumpier food will be introduced when your baby reaches that stage of development. We will discuss with you each stage of your child’s feeding development so we can provide the same continuity as your child receives at home. All food is cooked from fresh produce. Special dietary needs will also be met. Bedding, bibs, and flannels will be provided individually to each child and not shared. Babies and toddlers that are sleeping will be checked every 5-10 minutes; babies will only be placed in a cot on their backs to sleep. (This is for the baby’s safety).
Caterpillars (2 year old room)
The Caterpillar unit is situated on the ground floor of number 5 Trinity Road. The unit is designed for children aged approximately 2-3; however, if your child is ready for more challenges, they may move into this area slightly earlier or later than the stated age. This depends on your child’s stage of development. The unit is split into three main areas:
– Playroom: providing role play, construction, small-world jigsaws, book area, etc.
– Meal times and snacks also take place in the playroom.
– Creative room: with access to paint, collage, sand, water, and malleable activities alongside lots more creative experiences.
– Outdoor area: with planting, role play, construction, small world, and lots more outdoor activities.
Within the setting, we provide a wide range of educational activities and resources for the children to explore and access, ensuring all areas of the children’s development are met through The Early Years Foundation Stage. Your child is free to access all activities depending on his/her own interests.
Within the unit, we provide both adult-guided activities to ensure all their individual educational needs are met and child-initiated activities. This means if the children show interests in a certain area of development, we will then build upon these. For example, if a child has had a day at the beach with family and has returned to Jitterbugs telling us about their experiences, we would then plan activities based on the beach, encourage sandcastle building, and bring things into the setting, such as seaweed/shells and other beach objects for the children to explore. We also continue to encourage independence by offering your child opportunities to carry out small tasks such as putting on their coat, drinking without a lid and so on.
Cocoon (Lower pre-school)
The Cocoon unit is based on the ground floor in number 7 Trinity Road. The unit is our lower pre-school designed for children aged approximately 2 and half; however, if your child is ready for more challenges, they may move into this area slightly earlier or later than the stated age. This depends on your child’s stage of development.
The unit is split into three main areas:
There are three large areas:
- Playroom – providing: ICT, role play, mark making, music, small world construction and a book corner etc
- Creative area – opportunities for paint, gluing, sand, water and malleable materials
- Large outdoor area – situated on 3 levels providing opportunities for: music, physical, water, sand, painting, construction, planting, role play and exploration of the outdoor environment.
The Cocoon room provides an extensive range of educational activities for the children, on a free flow system both indoors and outside. Activities/experiences provided meet all 7 areas of the curriculum enabling the children to make independent choices about where they want to play and the type of activities they access. Within this area practitioners provide activities which follow the children’s interest in addition to adult guided activities. Snack time within the lower Pre-School unit is operated on a free-flow system. The children are offered a choice of two healthy snacks and a drink of water or milk and they are able to choose which they would like, and at what point throughout the session. This is to promote independence and develop their social skills.
Butterflies (Higher pre-school)
The Butterflies room is located within the Number 5 building on Trinity Road. This room comprises of two large areas and shares an outside space with Cocoons:
• Playroom – providing continuous provision: ICT, role play, mark making, music, small world construction, and a book corner, etc.
• Creative area – offering opportunities for painting, gluing, sand, water, and malleable materials.
• Shared Large outdoor area – situated on 3 levels, providing opportunities for music, physical activities, water play, sand play, painting, construction, planting, role play, and exploration of the outdoor environment.
Our Butterfly unit serves as a steppingstone to prepare your child for school, aiming to provide the very best educational start for each individual child by planning activities focused around the 7 areas of the curriculum. The Butterfly unit offers continuous provision through the free-flow system, enabling children to make independent choices on where to play within the different areas. We focus on providing stimulating activities throughout the day to help children thrive in their surroundings and reach their full potential.
Snack time in the Butterfly unit operates within the free-flow system, allowing children to make their own choices. They are offered a choice of two healthy snacks and a drink of water.
