Parent Information

Your Child’s Key Person

At First Steps, we understand how important it is for your child to feel safe, supported, and valued as they grow and learn. That’s why, when your child starts with us, they will be assigned their own Key Person.

A Key Person is a dedicated member of our team who will take special responsibility for your child’s care, development, and well-being during their time with us. They will build a strong, trusting relationship with your child, helping them to settle in, feel secure, and develop confidence in their new environment.

Your child’s Key Person will also carry out regular observations, which help us to understand their interests, track their progress, and plan exciting, age-appropriate activities that support their individual learning journey. These observations are shared with you via the Famly app and through regular updates. The Key Person approach helps us create a warm, nurturing atmosphere where every child feels known, understood, and celebrated.

If you have any questions or would like to speak to your child’s Key Person at any time, we’re always here to help.

Healthy Eating

At our nursery, we believe that healthy eating is key to your child’s growth, development, and well-being. That’s why we provide a carefully designed, nutritious four‑week rotating menu, full of variety, balanced choices, and new flavours to explore. We worked closely with our parents to help shape our menu, gathering their feedback, suggestions, and favourite family recipes to create meals that are not only healthy but also enjoyed by the children.

Each day, we provide a variety of freshly prepared meals and snacks that are:

Rich in fruit, vegetables, and whole grains
Low in added sugar and salt
Adaptable to dietary needs or allergies
Designed to be fun, tasty, and child‑friendly

We cater for allergies and special dietary requirements, and all our staff are trained in safe food handling and allergy awareness. Our four-week menu ensures variety while supporting healthy habits from the very start. We’re proud to create a positive and social mealtime environment where children are encouraged to try new foods and develop independence.

We understand that some families may prefer to send their child with a packed lunch. That’s absolutely fine! We simply ask that packed lunches follow healthy eating guidelines so that children receive the nourishment they need during their time with us.

To support this, we recommend referring to the NHS’s guidance and recipes for healthier lunchboxes, which offer fantastic ideas, tips, and balanced lunch suggestions:
Healthier lunchbox ideas — NHS nhs.uk

We’re also happy to provide you with further advice, sample lunchbox ideas, or help you plan meals that meet the nursery’s food and allergy safety standards.

Allergies & Special Dietary Requirements

All meals for children with allergies or special dietary requirements are prepared with care to meet their individual needs.
A full list of our menus and allergen information is available on request. Please don’t hesitate to speak to a member of staff if you’d like more details or need to discuss your child’s specific dietary requirements.

Policies &
Procedures

Printed copies of all policies are available in the nursery office and can be viewed at any time. Please speak to a member of the team if you’d like to see or discuss any of them.

Complaints Procedure

You can request a copy of our full Complaints Policy at any time. If you feel your concern has not been resolved through our internal process, you can contact Ofsted directly:

Ofsted Contact Information:
Website: www.gov.uk/ofsted
Phone: 0300 123 1231
Email: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk

First Steps Day Care