Hackney’s award-winning nurseries aim to give all children an equal start

Big step: choosing a nursery is one of the most important decisions you’ll make during your child’s early years

The London Early Years Foundation is a family of 38 community nurseries across London, with two in Hackney.

As a charity and social enterprise, we believe in giving all children an equal start in life. Our values of brave, inspiring, nurturing and fun. They’re at the heart of everything we do. We’re over 110 years old, and each one of our nurseries is unique and a real part of its local community.

We understand that as a parent, settling your child into nursery is a big step. Choosing who to entrust with their care is one of the most important decisions you’ll make during your child’s early years.

We pride ourselves on the relationships we form with parents, enabling us to support our families as they go through this transition. Our nurseries are welcoming, providing a safe and comforting environment, and from day one our fantastic staff teams ensure children and parents feel at ease.

We also provide great quality education. We were named Nursery Group of the Year for the last two years running, and out of our nurseries that have been inspected by Ofsted almost half have been rated ‘Outstanding’ and the others ‘Good’.

The Fire Station Community Nursery joined the family in late 2014. Since being part of the London Early Years Foundation, the nursery has been inspected by Ofsted and rated ‘Good’. Inspectors loved how “staff establish strong relationships with parents to help support each child’s needs” and “set children a good example. Children learn how to behave towards others and have positive attitudes.”

The nursery is located in the heart of Stoke Newington, which lends itself to many exciting opportunities for trips and outings. Some of the children’s favourite places to visit include Stoke Newington Common and the local library. Children also enjoy playing and learning in the vibrant, open-plan nursery building and adjoining outside play area.

Pembury Community Nursery, located in the Pembury Estate near Hackney Downs, is another recent addition to the LEYF family. The nursery has been serving the local community for over a decade, but joined the London Early Years Foundation early last year.

Children at Pembury enjoy two outside play areas and healthy meals cooked by an on-site chef. Daniel, a parent at the nursery, says “the staff at Pembury are simply amazing. They are kind, caring, warm-hearted and give the children the emotional support they need. They are also flexible and go out of their way to accommodate individual circumstances. We could not be happier.”

Both nurseries have places available for new children aged from six months to five years, including some free places for two to four year olds. For more information, please contact:

Fi O’Connor
Fire Station Community Nursery
61 Leswin Road, Stoke Newington, N16 7NX
020 7249 3234
firestation@leyf.org.uk
www.leyf.org.uk/fire-station

Jackie Mark
Pembury Community Nursery
15 Pembury Road, Pembury Estate, E5 8LU
020 8985 2304
pembury@leyf.org.uk
www.leyf.org.uk/pembury