Dawn

About Me

I am a registered Childminder with Ofsted and also a member PACEY. Dawnies Darlings celebrates its 13 year anniversary this year and has been graded as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted. My husband Andy and I run our business together with our two part time assistants. Dawnies Darlings is run from our 4-bedroom home in Minster-on-Sea and has its own separate entrance and cloakroom area, which leads into our main playroom. This area was converted from our double tandem garage, and every year we have looked at ways to improve our setting, to enable us to give our darlings the best start in life. The entrance hall displays my Ofsted certificate, along with all our qualifications, training, and Public Liability Insurance certificates.

Our aim is to provide a warm, caring and stimulating environment, where every child in our care feels safe, happy, secure and valued and is given lots of cuddles. We ensure that all children are treated fairly and have a sense of belonging. We observe and listen to children’s play and adult interaction to identify any bias or discrimination, then deal with any issues that arise. Children may come from diverse backgrounds, but we make sure they are always treated equally and inclusively. We offer all activities and toys to all children regardless of gender and developmental needs. We ensure no child, or their family, is discriminated against or prevented entry to our setting on the basis of gender, ethnic origin, race, colour, sexual orientation, marital status, family structure, nationality, age, disability, or social grouping. Every child is treated as an individual and respected regardless of their religion or culture. We help to educate and support our darlings to celebrate our diverse society, but also protect them from discrimination, creating a fair environment where each child can progress.

It is our role to provide children with opportunities and experiences that help them to develop and feel self-assured in many different situations. We value each person’s cultural capital and celebrate the richness and diversity of our setting. We work with families to share observations, information, knowledge, resources, and ideas with each other. We have tried to create an enabling environment to inspire and engage the children. We include activities and resources that are familiar to children, along with new opportunities.

Most of our indoor activities take place in the main playroom, including an area for craft and baking and structured learning. We have recently added a new toilet and sink within the playroom for the darlings to use and they have a potty and step to assist them with their toileting needs and to encourage their independence. We have tried to create an environment that promotes the Characteristics of Effective Learning, giving the children the essential knowledge they need to prepare them for future success and giving them the best possible start to their early education (cultural capital). We have tried to offer a more curious approach to our setting, introducing more natural resources for the children to explore and offer them a place they can feel at home, safe and relaxed whilst creating a fun atmosphere. We have a good balance between children making purposeful choices about their learning activities (child-initiated) and adult-led activities.

We have a large garden that is fully enclosed and secure, with immediate access from the main playroom, which is also our closest fire exit. We have an awning area to provide lots of shelter in the summer months and pots for the children to grow flowers and vegetables. We also have a very wide range of outdoor resources, including a trampoline, playhouse, pirate ship, climbing frame, slide, sensory wall, mud kitchen, chalk board and an area for reading and writing. We also have a sandpit, water play, ball pit and a variety of sit on cars and toys.