Little Munchkins Childcare

Family photographs, daily movement to Sticky Kids music and outings to local parks give Little Munchkins Childcare in Chard a recognisable everyday character. Learning starts with familiar people, stories and experiences, then extends into the community. The setting serves children from 3 months to 5 years at Bell House, Crimchard.

At its June 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, while identifying improvements needed in group activities and the space used by younger children. Those are useful distinctions for parents: the overall judgement was positive, but the organisation of shared learning and the youngest children’s surroundings deserve attention.

Term-time contracts, year-round attendance and flexible hours give families different ways to use the nursery. The practical detail matters as much as the activities: childcare is charged in quarter-hour increments, with a minimum booking of 3 hours a week.

Rooms and Ages

An under 2's unit and a pre-school room provide separate areas within the nursery. Staff are assigned to these areas to maintain familiar relationships, and activities take account of children’s interests and needs. Indoor play is complemented by an outdoor area, so the day has more than one setting for exploration.

In June 2024, younger children’s rooms contained an excess of resources, restricting movement and exploration. This was an issue of usable space, rather than simply how much equipment children had. Group activities also needed better organisation: some questions were too simple for the children answering them, reducing their engagement. Parents should weigh those findings alongside the activities themselves.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS sets the expectations for children’s learning, development and care; here, its areas of learning are approached through stories, creative play, movement and everyday exploration. It is the common framework for early years provision. Little Munchkins adds its own concrete routines, including Sticky Kids, a CD used daily for music and movement to support physical development.

Family Tree brings photographs supplied by parents into nursery life, giving children something personal to share with friends. Song Time and Story Time involve children across the age groups in singing and stories to develop communication. Story sacks and daily circle time provide further opportunities to explore books and imagination.

The physical surroundings carry learning prompts too. Posters support language, while shapes and numbers in the large playroom introduce mathematical ideas through play. A role-play corner gives children space for imaginative expression, alongside art, singing and movement. Cooking activities add another practical experience, with children putting on aprons and making things themselves.

Outdoor and Community Life

Local park outings extend the space children can use and include learning about road safety along the way. Community visitors include librarians, police and firefighters, introducing children to different jobs and skills. These experiences connect nursery learning with people and places beyond the playroom.

In June 2024, outdoor play included babies experimenting with balls on a slide and practising standing, while older children used steps and a climbing frame. Waiting for a turn was part of that experience. Water play, paintbrushes and chalk also gave children opportunities to experiment with movement, marks and changing colours.

Relationships and Communication

Settling starts with two sessions lasting two hours each, included in the set-up charge and normally arranged 1–2 weeks before the child starts. Parents meet the key worker, who uses their child’s all about me information and starting points to get acquainted. Activities then draw on interests noticed during settling and information shared by the family.

Famly, the nursery’s communication app, carries daily information about sleep, nappy changes and food, alongside messages between parents and the room team or manager. That makes routine care information accessible beyond a conversation at collection. Parents can also request a key-worker meeting and look at their child’s development pathway.

At the June 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that children had close relationships with their key person and that staff sought outside professional support promptly when developmental concerns arose. The finding gives substance to the key-worker arrangement: it concerned how staff knew and responded to individual children.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Two SENCO roles, based across the playrooms, work with key workers and parents to monitor development. Both use Somerset Total Communication (STC), an approach described here as helping reduce communication barriers for children with learning difficulties or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language. The mechanism is specific: communication support forms part of daily practice, alongside liaison between staff and families.

In June 2024, independence developed through mealtimes: babies practised feeding themselves, toddlers learnt to handle cutlery, and older children served food and cut it up. Room changes involved a meeting with the parent and key worker followed by gradual time in the next room. Children approaching school also met their prospective teachers, helping make the next stage more familiar.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. Full-day sessions are offered, alongside flexible attendance charged to the nearest quarter-hour; the minimum is 3 hours per week. These are different practical options, rather than a requirement to book the whole opening day.

Contracts cover term-time attendance for 39 weeks, full-time attendance for 49 weeks or school-holiday care for 10 weeks. Closures include bank holidays and a week at Christmas. Holiday cover extends to children up to 7 years old, separately from the nursery’s early years age range.

Getting There

The address is Bell House, Crimchard, Chard, TA20 1JP, with access from the A303. Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes the Universal Entitlement for three- and four-year-olds, beginning in the funding period after the third birthday, and funding for eligible two-year-olds. The extended entitlement, presented as 30 Hours of Funded Childcare, is for qualifying working parents of three- and four-year-olds. Entitlement claims are processed through the nursery, with families completing the relevant forms.

Private childcare is charged by time used. Breakfast, cooked lunch and high tea are charged separately, so meals need to be considered alongside attendance costs. Families can contact the nursery for current prices; the help with fees page sets out the charging structure.

• Space for younger children. In June 2024, excess resources restricted exploration in the youngest children’s rooms. During a visit, ask how those areas now allow children to move and investigate.
• Group learning. June 2024 group activities did not consistently stretch children’s thinking. Ask how shared sessions are adapted for children at different stages.
• Attendance costs. Quarter-hour charging and a 3-hour weekly minimum support flexible bookings, while meals carry separate charges. Compare attendance and meal costs for your chosen contract.
• Settling arrangements. The set-up charge includes two two-hour settling sessions, normally 1–2 weeks before starting. Discuss how that arrangement will work for your child and your timetable.

Little Munchkins suits families seeking either term-time attendance or year-round childcare, with flexible hours and school-holiday cover adding further options. Daily Sticky Kids movement, family photographs and community experiences give the nursery day a clear identity, while Famly and the key-worker system connect care with home.

The June 2024 Good judgement supports a positive view, with specific reservations about younger children’s space and the challenge offered during group learning. For parents, the decision rests on that combination: practical booking flexibility and recognisable daily routines, assessed alongside how those two improvement areas have been addressed.