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Come along to Kids 1st Hexham on 14 July 2012 for a free Baby Massage Taster Session.

Between 10am and 1pm you can try Baby Massage and Yoga.

The sessions will be provided by the Newcastle Pregnancy and Baby Centre and will take place within the nursery. Cupcakes and coffee will be served after the classes in the nursery dining room.

This event is open to all parents and babies. To book a place for you and your baby at this new event please email: hexham@kidsfirst.net or ring 01434 605 629

This spring the staff and children at Kids 1st Wansbeck raised a grand total of £613.25 for Heel and Toe.

The money was raised at their annual Easter Fair where they had a raffle, cake stall, old fashioned sweet stall and jewellery stall.  The nursery also had an Easter obstacle course, tombola, colouring competition, pin the tail on the rabbit, name the rabbit, a messy lucky dip stall, an Easter egg hunt around the garden  and their very own Easter bunny.

Zoe Robinson, Nursery Manager said: “We are all thrilled with the amount of money that we have raised for Heel and Toe. We chose to raise money for the charity as the cause is close to the hearts of some of our families in the nursery.”

Heel & Toe Childrens Charity provides free therapy to children with Cerebral Palsy, Dyspraxia and any other movement condition. 

A big congratulations to everyone at Kids 1st Wansbeck!

Kids 1st Nurseries have some great artists in the nurseries as we found out in the CBeebies Live colouring competition!

Rachel Todd, Marketing Manager at Kids 1st, judged the competition this afternoon [29 March 2012] and the winners are:

1st Prize
Emily Ricketts – Kids 1st Wynyard

Runners Up
Ethan Gutridge – Kids 1st Darlington
Brooke Coles-  Kids 1st Hexham
Finn Walsh – Kids 1st Durham
Evie Hackworth – Kids 1st Rake Lane
Thomas Hoggarth – Kids 1st  Wynyard

Rachel said: “We have had a very high standard of entry into this competition and it was really hard to choose only six winners. Well done to everyone that has won a family ticket to CBeebies Live and thank you to Metro Radio Arena for donating the prizes to Kids 1st.”

The next Kids 1st competition has been launched in the Spring Newsletter this week. The winner of the ‘Why I LOVE Kids 1st’ drawing competition will win one free day of childcare at Kids 1st and the drawing will be used in our good luck cards for our pre-school leavers.

At the end of 2011 we asked parents to send in stories and photos of how their children have progressed since leaving Kids 1st. Over the next 12 months we will share their successes with you.

If your child is a graduate of Kids 1st, or you know somebody who is, and would like to be featured in the Kids 1st Hall of Fame please email: Rachel Todd at rachelt@hmcgl.co.uk.

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This Spring we focus on Advait Kini from Kids 1st Durham. Advait’s parents have seen a big difference in his self confidence since joining nursery and this has helped him enormously when he started school.

Advait was two and a half years old when he joined the nursery and at that stage, although he spoke his mother tongue fluently, his knowledge of English was limited to the names of various animals. He was also very anxious at the prospect of attending nursery.

Slowly but surely, Advait’s parents began to see progress in his all round development and this was reflected in school reports and various photographs taken throughout the year. By the end of his Kids 1st journey he had a big smile in photographs and looked comfortable in groups.

Advait left Kids 1st at the age of four and joined Bow School, and despite joining a cohort of children, most of who attended the nursery in Bow School, he socialised and integrated well. Advait is doing well in Year 2 at Bow School and his parents firmly believe that the foundation provided by Kids 1st was a contributory factor.

On 28 March 2012 Kids 1st Hexham officially launched the new Baby Lounge at The Garden Coffee House in Hexham.

Lindsey, Austin and Daisy Birney have opened the Baby Lounge  in their cafe as a family friendly area for parents to feed their babies and also be able to relax and play with them too.

Sarah Scandle, Manager at Kids 1st Hexham and the Starfish children walked down to The Garden Coffee House and enjoyed some delicious refreshments.

Kids 1st Low Fell opened its doors to the public for the first time on Saturday 24 March and invited parents to take a look around the new purpose-built facility. The nursery, which is managed by Amy Hedley, who has worked for Kids 1st for over six years, has 108 full time places, and nearly half of these are already booked.

Kelly Walsh, Area Manager at Kids 1st, is thrilled that the nursery has already been so successful and puts a lot of that success down to the staff, she said: “At Kids 1st we invest a lot of time and money into each of the nurseries we build and operate, however we wouldn’t be able to offer such a high quality of childcare without the enthusiasm, passion and commitment of all of the staff. Opening a new nursery really is a team effort and I am proud to say that we have a fantastic team in place at Low Fell.”

The nursery will bring over 30 jobs to the area and is the first Kids 1st Nursery in Gateshead.

The Ofsted registered nursery is split into rooms depending on age group and level of development. Each room leads to large, exciting gardens, where the children can get as much fresh air and exercise as desired. Outstanding features of the nursery include an onsite chef to prepare homemade nutritious meals and a fingerprint entry system to ensure the highest level of security.

Amy Hedley, Nursery Manager, said: “It was great to meet so many of the families who will be starting at the nursery over the coming weeks. It has been really hard work to get the nursery ready in time but it is worth it when you see how excited the children are to get started with us.”

Kids 1st Nurseries is a family run business with nine nurseries located across the North East. In the eight years that Kids 1st has been in operation seven of the nurseries have achieved an outstanding Ofsted report and in November 2011 the group was named the ‘Highest Quality Childcare Provider in the UK’ by Nursery World.

Exclusive to Kids 1st Families from Metro Radio Arena and CBeebies Live!

CBeebies fans will not want to miss this! Not only have we got family tickets to see CBeebies Live! brand new arena spectacular, Reach to the Stars, but one lucky family  will win a VIP prize to meet some of the cast and characters after the performance on Saturday 7 April at 5pm! Five runners up will win a family ticket each to see the show only. A family ticket is for 4 people, minimum 1 adult. CBeebies Live! will take place at Metro Radio Arena.

A host of the biggest stars from Britain’s most popular children’s channel CBeebies are coming out to play in this new arena tour. Robbie Rotten is determined to show that he is the biggest star on CBeebies! His dastardly plan involves the capture of the other CBeebies characters and it’s up to the audience to work with PC Plum and the rest of the Stars of CBeebies to find out what has happened and set them free.

Justin Fletcher MBE, Mister Maker, Postman Pat with Jess the Cat and the ZingZillas will be joined by CBeebies presenters Andy Day, Katy Ashworth and Andrew Agnew in this all-action show that will tour nine cities around the UK in Easter 2012. Combining big screen video footage and live performance, a host of CBeebies favourites including Squiglet and the stars of LazyTown will join in the fun, interacting with the audience for an incredible live experience.

To enter this fantastic competition you can download your colouring forms below or ask your Nursery Manager for a hard copy. To enter simply give your completed sheets to your Nusery Manager with your child’s name on the back. The designs will be displayed in the nursery and will also be uploaded to the website and Twitter. There is a choice of two colouring forms.

CbeebiesLive!_Colouring_Sheet_ZingZillas
CbeebiesLive!_Colouring_Sheet_Mike the Knight

Good Luck!

Closing Date: 24 March 2012

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This week  nursery children and care home residents  have shared timeless children’s stories together to celebrate National Storytelling Week.

During the twelfth annual National Storytelling week, family run businesses, Helen McArdle Care and Kids 1st Nurseries, have brought together two generations to read stories that have been popular throughout the lives of residents and their families, and that are now popular still with children.

Helen McArdle, Chairman and Founder of Helen McArdle Care and Kids 1st Nurseries, is delighted that the two are joining together to celebrate such a special week. As head of a big family  herself Helen has fond memories of storytelling: “My favourite children’s book, which I have read to many members of my family and still continue to do so, is ‘Guess How Much I Love You’ by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram.

Storytelling is something that everyone enjoys, whatever their age, and it is lovely to see two very different generations come together and find a common interest and it is interesting that the children are still enjoying stories that the residents have enjoyed for over 60 years.”

It was lovely to meet so many prospective parents at the Kids 1st Low Fell Marketing Suite before Christmas, but if you were unable to make it please do not worry. Until the nursery opens in March, a marketing suite, onsite at Joicey Road, will be open each week at the following times:

Tuesday 10.00-12.00
Thursday 2.00-4.00

At the Marketing Suite you can meet with Allison Winship who will discuss your requirements and our policies with you and show you the plans for the nursery.

Please note that this is by appointment only and you can book your appointment with Michelle Boyd on 0191 4618877.