We offer great facilities for your children but of course,there is more to nursery care than a good physical environment. Children need a happy and fun place – somewhere they can feel safe and secure. Creating the right emotional environment is down to our staff. Recognising the key role that staff play when it comes to quality of care, we ensure a full programme of initial training for staff joining Cranston Country Nursery and ongoing professional development for all staff working with us.
Additionally we access external training for areas including first aid; child protection. We believe in enabling staff to set and achieve greater goals in developing a creative and stimulating environment for your child. The staff caring for the babies are selected for their experience and we look for warm, mature and confident people who can give expert and professional care, responding quickly and accurately to meet the needs of the very young child.
The external and in-house training is to enhance our staff member’s already considerable skills. They learn about caring for different age groups, promoting positive behaviours, promoting development through play, baby care and working in partnership with parents, child protection
and first aid.
Creating the right emotional environment is down to the Management and Staff team of Cranston Country Nursery. We understand the importance of building a creative happy and stimulated staff team and feel that this is vital to delivering a secure and stable environment for your child.
Cranston Country Nursery is owned and managed by: Julie Wiechec NNEB and Jane Bergin CQSW
We all have many years experience in childcare and are totally committed to the development of children and working closely with parents / carers.
We have all undergone the much acclaimed Mindstore Programme, boosting creativity and promoting positive thinking.
We believe in enabling staff to set and achieve greater goals in developing a creative and stimulating environment for your child.
Cranston Country Nursery work with only quality staff and offer on-going training and support to staff to ensure the delivery of High Quality Childcare.
“The fun and pleasure of playing is a vital part of a happy childhood as well as being crucial to children’s development as individuals and members of society. High quality play opportunities and provision of a physical and social environment that supports play increase the likelihood of improved outcomes for children.”
The Scottish Government Play Strategy for Scotland
Cranston Country Nursery is in partnership with Midlothian Council to provide early years care and education. We follow the curriculums set by the Scottish Government. For children aged 3-5 years we follow The Curriculum for Excellence. For children up to aged 3 we follow the Pre-Birth to Three Curriculum. We provide all children with a variety of play experiences according to their individual needs. Planned and informal activities take place every day to help your child grow as a person and develop as:
• A Responsible Citizen
• An Effective Contributor
• A Confident Individual
• A Successful Learner
Through working and playing together, children grow into responsible and caring individuals. They learn respect for each other, sharing, caring and other vital social skills that will assist them as they grow and develop.
Cranston Country nursery sits in a rural setting, surrounded by fields, containing horses, cows, sheep and the occasional hare or two. Your child will be cared for in a setting that does not have traffic fumes and introduces them to the animals housed in the surrounding fields. We have wonderful, safe outside areas for all our children including :
• Wild Garden
• Hard Surface Play Area
• Grassed Area
There is a large climbing frame, a trampoline for physical play: a sand tray. a large mud kitchen for imaginative play. A water area for scientific play. A large boat in which the children travel to many far flung destinations. For our very young children we have a separate area used only by them. This has both hard and soft surfaces with a variety of resources suitable for the very young child. We encourage the children outside regardless of the weather. Find out more about our outside facilities!
At Cranston Country Nursery we have separate play rooms for all ages. The children are split into age groups:
• Poppy Room for 0-18 months
• Sunshine Room for 18 months – 2 years
• Ladybird Room for 2-3 years
• Rainbow Room for 3-5 years
All rooms are bright, spacious and provide a stimulating environment. There are child safe outside play areas again separated for the different
age groups.
We have a dedicated music room and the children work with a musicality programme which includes:
• Listening
• Moving
• Sounds
• Singing and Creating
• Using sets of instrument bags which support the programme
We organise outings both locally and further afield visits to parks, Vogrie Country Park, local farms, Deep Sea World and other interesting venues. Each summer we hold an annual Barbeque involving all children in 3-5 years group in Vogrie Country Park.
To mark the end of their preschool journey we hold a Graduation Ceremony involving all the children who are leaving us to go to school. This ceremony is held at the end of June each year.
Cranston Country Nursery is situated in a wonderful rural setting enabling us to offer great facilities for your child.
Our spectacular child-safe outside play areas provide your child with opportunities to:
I always feel people are quick to tell you when things are wrong, so I thought I would drop you all an email to tell you the things you and your team are doing right.
Both Anthony and Lucy are so happy and settled and this is due not only to the facilities within the nursery, but more importantly, the staff that make it such a warm and happy place for the children to grow.
Every member of your team who I have been in contract with all have a professional attitude and a sincere fondness towards both Anthony and Lucy. This has made my transition back to work so much easier as I know they are both given such a high standard of care and without exception always have a great day.
This is credit to the three of you for your hard work and dedication, you’re nursery is second to none.C.D
I took my son out of a large nursery chain in Edinburgh and put him into Cranston. Best thing I ever did, he is so happy there. The facilities are second to none and more importantly the staff are amazing. They have restored my confidence in childcare.Charlotte
My little girl goes here one day a week & she loves it. The countryside location is fantastic, the staff are brilliant and really attentive to each of the children’s individual needs.Jane
As soon as my partner and I set foot in Cranston Nursery(when I was 8 months pregnant), we knew this was just what we had been looking for. Our daughter has been going to Cranston 4 days a week since she was 6 months old, she has just turned one.
The staff at Cranston are wonderful, I couldn’t speak more highly of them. I see my daughter developing her social, mental and physical skills through the work the staff do with the children. Would highly recommend this nursery.Joanne
After searching for a nursery for ages, this nursery was recommended and on seeing it was blown away – facilities are great and staff fantastic!!!! My LO starts in the new year – well worth a look.Louise
We couldn’t be happier with the service Cranston Country Nursery offers. Our child has thrived on the quality of care given to him in such a safe and happy environment. We know that the staff are dedicated to his development and wellbeing and we feel so fortunate that we have this excellent service near to us in the country.H.D
Richard & I cannot thank you all enough for the WONDERFUL care they’ve received while in your charge. SO many brilliant staff who’ve made a big impression on P & A not least among them Marie, Rachel, Lynsey, Yvonne, Abby, Megan, Jennifer, Sarah, Brenda, Tracey, both Emmas, Joan (Penny basically only eats her food!). I’m sure I’ve missed people – forgive me! Don’t think there’s anyone the girls haven’t been looked after by in the time they’ve been there. NG
We wanted to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone at Cranston for the wonderful job you did in looking after our son over the past years, and the superb start you gave to his experience of education.
He absolutely loved coming to your nursery, and has made the transition really well going into Primary, (apart from him and H being a little high-spirited in the first week! Something I am sure you are familiar with.)
This is a reflection of the great start you gave him in numeracy, reading, socialising, and just generally bringing him on so well.
It is a very rare thing in life. But to have entrusted an organisation with something so precious, over such a long period of time, and to honestly be able to say we never had a moments doubt about the attention and commitment you put into his care, and to really have had no worries or reservations about any aspect of the service you have provided is remarkable, and a great credit to you all, and to the way you are doing things.
Thank you all so much!
Our Best Wishes
P & J and A
