Before the Christmas break, The Learning Zone Nursery in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, held a 'Santa's Little Helper' fundraiser where the children had to complete lots of different challenges throughout the month of December. These included:

• Helping Santa get all the presents down the chimney
• Getting all the hoops onto the reindeers' antlers
  
• A snowball and pan race
  
• A jingle bell toss, helping to get the reindeer bells into the basket
  
• Finding Santa's magic key
  
• Completing Santa's Christmas obstacle course
  

The nursery also held a Christmas raffle where families and some local businesses donated some wonderful prizes.

The team raised £780.30 in total, which was donated to the local Garden House Hospice, a charity very close to their hearts.

Owner and manager Annette Gasson said: “The children were incredible, raising lots of money and they thoroughly enjoyed completing the Santa's little helpers tasks!”

After occupying the bottom floor of their two-floor multi-occupancy building for over 30 year, the team at Twinkle Tots in Endon, Staffordshire Moorlands, threw caution to the wind when the opportunity to expand into a large unit upstairs arose - an opportunity which coincided with the 30 hour expansion and additional government support for expansion, along with a significant increase in requests for new places.

After winning some funding to help with the costs to renovate what was a near derelict space, the team battled through building control which stretched their budget to breaking point, but with the kind help of parents offering their services as tradespeople, the new space has started to take shape, with completion expected by summer term.

Director Neil Hemming said: "Our story proves that with the right will and self-belief, you really can still succeed and grow in early years!”

Happy Days Nurseries recently brought colleagues and managers together from across the group for its 2026 Managers Conference and Annual Awards.

With 39 nurseries across the South of England and Wales, the conference provided a valuable opportunity for teams to reunite, reflect on progress, and align around future goals. Designed to celebrate how far the group has come, the day focused on strengthening collaboration and energising leaders as they continue to support children, families, and communities.

A standout moment came from an energetic workshop by Boogie Mites, which introduced their new Music and Wellbeing package. The session, full of music, movement, and laughter, set the tone for the launch across Happy Days Nurseries, highlighting the power of rhythm, joy, and wellbeing in early years learning.

The celebrations continued into the evening with the Annual Awards. The evening recognised excellence across the business and showcasing the passion, skill, and commitment of the Happy Days teams.

Tops Bournemouth nursery recently took a unique and innovate approach to engaging with the community with a very special baby flashmob.

Senior nursery manager Stacey Nash came up with the idea to use the setting's much-loved Tops wagon to spread joy beyond the nursery walls.

The team decorated the wagon with care before taking a small group of babies to visit Bournemouth Hospital, with the simple but powerful aim of brightening days for patients, visitors, and hospital staff.

The baby flashmob included gentle music, soft lights, and lots of smiles and giggles from the babies, creating a moment of warmth and happiness in a busy hospital setting. The response was heartwarming, with smiles, waves and laughter shared across the space.

The Early Learning Camp celebrated the opening of their second nursery setting, The Browns Preschool, with an official opening with families, colleagues and members of the local community.

Director Helen Slater said: “Despite the very real pressures around funding, rising costs and ongoing uncertainty, we made a conscious decision to invest further in children. We have created a high-quality, inclusive environment where every child is valued, supported and given the very best start regardless of background or postcode.

“For us, early years provision in the private sector is not second best. We go above and beyond every day to ensure children are not subject to a postcode lottery when it comes to care, learning and opportunity.

“We firmly believe that all children matter, and that the early years deserve to be celebrated as the foundation of everything that follows. In a climate where negative headlines dominate, sharing stories of growth, resilience and continued investment in children feels more important than ever.”

The Lloyd Park Children's Charity is celebrating their status as the only cloth nappy nurseries in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, with all children at the charity's settings wearing cloth nappies (unless parents choose to opt out).

Helen Hinley, head of early years, said: "This supports children's toilet training. saves money as cloth nappies are much cheaper than disposables and helps the planet as the nappies do not end up in landfills letting off gases and polluting the atmosphere.”

The charity is partnered up with Nappyeverafter, a laundry service for cloth nappies.

Congratulations to Winford Village Pre-School, who have received a 'good' rating in their most recent Ofsted report.

The inspector noted that "Staff encourage children to manage their own self-care, such as toileting and putting on shoes, but remain nearby to give reassurance when needed” and that “as a result, children develop resilience and confidence and enjoy exploring the wide range of learning opportunities available to them."

The report also states that: “Through play and staff's modelling, children learn to share, take turns and cooperate with others. Children listen carefully to one another and to adults, contributing their own ideas and recognising that their voices and feelings are valued in the group.”

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