Our Day
Newark & Sherwood Nursery
Every day at YMCA Nursery is a unique adventure, mixing child-led free play with structured activities to ensure a safe and engaging environment.
From circle time and group activities to special sessions in our facilities at the Village, our daily schedule is designed to encourage creativity, social skills, and a love for learning.
Daily Timetable
Daily Timetable
No two days are ever quite the same at YMCA Nursery. We encourage child-led free play as much as possible, taking a free-flowing approach to how we move between activities and learning.
That said, we do keep a healthy amount of structure within the nursery, so children feel safe, secure and can enjoy clear expectations and boundaries too.
Circle Time and Stories
This dedicated time to spend together sharing our thoughts, feelings and stories is an engaging, gentle way to set children up each morning. This much-loved activity builds community between the children, and gets their creativity started for the day.
Group Activities
We make sure that children have at least one group activity led by their Key Worker every day. This helps their Key Worker get to know children, and vice versa, whilst building friendships and learning vital social skills as they go. This could be group games, a shared art project or imaginative play.
Sleep
All this fun can be exhausting! After lunch, children can choose to have a rest should they need a little break.
Special Activities
We are incredibly lucky to be based at the YMCA Community and Activity Village. That means, unlike any other nursery in Newark, we can visit all the spectacular facilities on site for some special Nursery-exclusive sessions, like climbing or singing.
Food
Meals in the nursery are prepared daily by our dedicated on-site chef, where they have a choice of two meals a day to support their independence and choices. Our menu is on an 11 day rotation so they don’t get the same meal, and always has a variety of fresh, nutritious meals and snacks. Water is always available, and we encourage children to keep hydrated throughout the day.
We can cater for all nutritional requirements – please just let our staff know. We are a 100% nut-free nursery.
Children’s Choice
We believe it’s important for children to have say in what they eat, and so each day children have the chance to choose what they’ll have for lunch.
Our menu is full of delicious, nutrient-rich choices, so even the fussiest of eaters can enjoy having their say without compromising on quality.
Non-mobile babies enjoy a cooked tea, whilst other children choose their meals ‘finger food’ style.
Some examples of meals and snacks include:
Homemade pizza
Crackers and tzatziki
Tuna fishcakes
Banana bread
Sugar snap peas and hummus
Sweet and sour chicken
Turkey pasta Bolognese
Butternut squash and pea paella
Fresh fruit salad
Natural yoghurt
Cottage pie
Three-bean chilli and rice
Family Events
Wherever we can, we love to host special events for families to get involved and spend time with us at nursery.
We’ve had special lunches for Mother’s Day, our own Coronation Party, Sports Day, Grandparents Afternoon Tea and so much more!
Discover More
FAQs
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What is the YMCA Newark & Sherwood Nursery at the Village?
The YMCA Newark & Sherwood Nursery at the Village is a purpose-built, Ofsted-registered nursery that caters to babies, toddlers, and pre-school age children. It encourages curiosity and imagination through play and exercise, providing an inspiring place for young minds to belong, contribute, and thrive.
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What are the facilities at the YMCA Nursery?
The YMCA Nursery is situated on the ground floor of the purpose-built YMCA Community and Activity Village in Newark and Sherwood. It has six spacious rooms for children from three months to pre-school age. The setting also benefits from a fully fitted onsite kitchen, milk kitchen, sensory room, and a large, landscaped outdoor space for children to run and play.
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What activities are offered at the YMCA Nursery?
The YMCA Nursery offers a wide range of activities for children, from messy play, music, gardening, phonics, and exploratory art. It also benefits from the wide range of facilities in the Village, including the climbing centre, football, outdoor sports, dancing, and bike skills.
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What food options are available at the YMCA Nursery?
The YMCA Nursery has its own fully fitted onsite kitchen and milk kitchen. All meals are freshly prepared and cooked onsite by a chef, catering for all dietary requirements. For babies, the nursery follows the parents’ lead with their routine until they’re ready to explore all the delicious and nutritious foods on offer.
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What are the age groups catered to at the YMCA Nursery?
The YMCA Nursery caters to three age groups: Discoverers (babies from three to 12 months), Explorers (toddlers from 12 to 24 months), and Adventurers (pre-school children from 2½ to 5 years).
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What are the operating hours and pricing options for the YMCA Nursery?
The YMCA Nursery is open for children aged 3 months to 5 years old from 7:30am-6pm every weekday. Pricing options are flexible, with full day care from 7:30am-6pm starting at £50 per day and 9am-3pm starting at £44 per day. Funded places are available for children from the term after their 3rd birthday.
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What is the Care to Learn scheme at the YMCA Nursery?
Care to Learn is a government scheme that helps parents under 20 pay for childcare while they are in publicly funded education courses in England. It can help with the cost of childcare, including deposit and registration fees, a childcare taster session for up to 5 days, and keeping the childcare place over the summer holidays.