Photo: outdoor play area at Kiddlywinks Nursery, Penrith

About Us

Kiddlywinks was set up in 2003 by Karen James. Since then, Kiddlywinks has forged a national reputation of excellence and has become one of the finest childcare providers in the UK, gaining several national awards and “Outstanding” status in their Ofsted inspections, twice at Kiddlywinks Penrith and during its first Ofsted inspection at The Meadows, Redhills.

Karen’s dedication to delivering the very best care and education for children is as strong today as it was when our story began. Through the support of a dedicated, long serving and passionate team, our Curiosity Approach and learning environments continue to evolve. Our ethos is to gently nurture children by providing inspiring environments both within our learning suites and outdoors that promote learning through play, natural curiosity and high levels of self-esteem.

Philosophy

Nursery is often a child’s first venture alone into the larger world outside the family and the home. What children experience and learn at nursery creates strong, lasting foundations which they build from in later life.

At Kiddlywinks Penrith and Kiddlywinks The Meadows, a world of wonder awaits

We believe it’s crucial these experiences are of the highest quality, all the way from the nutritious food the children eat to how they play and interact with each other. Our goal is to make this experience the best it can possibly be, with passion we construct environments that nurture every child’s physical, emotional and mental wellbeing.

At Kiddlywinks good old-fashioned fun and innovative forward-thinking practice is in abundance.

Kiddlywinks in the Community

Our nursery values itself as a strong member of our local community and we encourage the children within our nursery to view themselves and value themselves as valuable members of our society. We have good links with the local community and encourage the children to grow their understanding and empower them to make a positive contribution where they can. The children within our nursery are encouraged to help make a difference within our community and as such we encourage the children to fundraise or raise awareness for causes which are of importance or interest to them personally. We have held charity balls, quiz evenings, raffles all of which the children help plan for and contribute to through sharing their ideas.

The children are encouraged to bring happiness to others by visiting local community and sharing something they had made or taking them a treat not for reward but to bring a smile. The children have carol sung in a little local cafe bringing pleasure to the elderly community and those who may feel alone in some way. They have independently gathered food for the local food bank, delivering the food and singing songs for those who are there.

Our staff are honest and open with the children sharing the importance of considering others within the wider community and how the children can bring happiness through small kind deeds, not for reward but because the way they engage in society and with society can make a positive impact for all concerned. Hopefully these skills will be embedded for lifelong living and enhance the children’s abilities to be empathetic and understanding towards everyone’s unique place within society.

The future

Looking forward, we still dream big, and yet focus on how we can develop Kiddlywinks Nurseries' facilities and learning environments to provide our families with the level of care and learning they have come to expect from us.

Ofsted

In 2019 Karen changed the registration status of both nurseries from her being a sole trader to registering the nurseries under a partnership with her husband. As a result, both nurseries were given new registration numbers. Sadly this means, despite no changes to how the nurseries are managed or operate, we are unable to link our good and outstanding historical inspections to our website. However they can be viewed on the Ofsted website: Penrith: EY388855, Meadows: EY491824. We await new inspections linked to our new registration numbers and will update outcomes at a later date.

Logos: NDNA, Early Years Alliance, I Can, Sing & Sign, Smile 4 Life