Carlton & Gedling Day Nursery (Bear Care)

At Bear Care Day Nurseries, we recognise that starting nursery is a big step for both children and parents. To help every child settle happily, we take time to get to know each family before their first day. We offer flexible settling-in sessions, where children can visit with their parents, explore their new environment and begin building relationships with their key person and other staff.

Each child is assigned a dedicated key person who supports them throughout the transition, ensuring they feel safe, secure and valued. We work closely with parents to understand their child's routines, likes, dislikes and comfort items, so that familiar elements are part of their day.

During the early weeks, we provide extra reassurance, consistent routines and lots of positive attention, helping children gain confidence and form trusting relationships. We keep parents informed every step of the way, sharing updates and photos so they can see how well their child is settling.

Our goal is to make every child's start with us a gentle, happy and confident beginning to their nursery journey.

At Bear Care Day Nurseries, we believe that strong partnerships with parents and carers are key to every child's success and wellbeing. We maintain open, two-way communication to ensure families are always informed and involved in their child's learning and development.

Each child has a designated key person who provides regular updates on progress, achievements and next steps. We share information through daily handovers, learning journals, and written progress summaries. Parents can view photos, observations and developmental milestones, and are encouraged to share updates from home too.

We also hold parent meetings and progress reviews throughout the year to discuss each child's development in more depth and to plan together for future learning goals.

In addition, we keep communication open through newsletters, noticeboards, emails and informal chats at drop-off and pick-up times.

Our approach ensures that parents feel valued as partners in their child's early education, and that together we create a consistent, supportive environment both at home and in nursery.