Supporting our Families
Nurturing Children by Supporting Parents
Being a parent is one of life’s greatest joys—and one of its biggest challenges. From the very beginning, we all want our children to feel confident in who they are, to know they are heard and deeply loved, and to have the support they need to learn and grow.
We hope to give them the life skills they need to grow up happy, healthy, and successful. At the same time, we know that parenting can sometimes feel overwhelming. That’s why it’s so important that we also nurture and support our parents and carers—because when they feel confident, supported, and understood, they are better able to support their children on their own unique parenting journey.
Support we provide includes:
Monthly Coffee Mornings
Every month at Mansel Park Nursery, we host designated coffee mornings for parents and carers. We invite outside agencies to take part. Each coffee morning offers families opportunities to seek advice or learn about support networks that are available for them. For example, once month we could have a mental health support worker, the school nurse, our nursery leaders and at another session you will meet our SEND team. We use these sessions as a way to link parents and carers to outside agency support. Sessions come with a key focus which may include support with routines and sleep, toilet training, behaviour management, dealing with emotions and more.
Early Reading Workshops
We host dedicated sessions throughout the academic year where parents and carers are invited to the nursery for story time. Practitioners will share familiar stories and rhymes with parents and their children and bring them to life through music, objects and movement. Those books are then on offer so children can take them home from the “books for bedtime” box each day.
Extended 6 Week School Transition Schedule
On transitioning into Year R parents and carers are invited in to the nursery or one of our school settings to do a series of 6 workshops linked to school readiness. Beginning in June each year, the sessions run as follows:
Session 1 - Coffee morning with presentation on school routines and expectations
Session 2 - Focus on our Pip and Pap Rainbow Phonics scheme (reading and language)
Session 3 - Focus on storytelling
Session 4 - Focus on numbers and rhymes
Session 5 - Teddy Bears’ Picnic - Meet our school catering team and trial school lunches with a teddy bear from home - make friends with other children
Session 6 - Stay and play without parents and carers there - The children are invited into Year R to play by themselves.
This combines with home visits ahead of starting school after these transition sessions have been completed.
Free Stay & Play Sessions for Parents & Toddlers
We offer a weekly programme of free ‘Stay and Play’ sessions for parents and carers and toddlers to promote the prime areas of learning ahead of their children starting nursery. The sessions focus on communication and language skills, social skills and physical development. The sessions give children an opportunity to have fun, get creative, and cause lots of mess using our set up activities. We have a fantastic team of practitioners who lead these sessions and make all our families feel welcome.
Open Door Policy
We have an open door policy to cater for each child's individual needs. We will always support our families who are facing everyday struggles such as with toilet training, losing the dummy, constipation and other challenges that we face as new parents. We set up links and workshops where applicable to support the development of each child. This may include one to one meetings, creating social stories to guide families, or linking families to the outside agencies that we work closely with to ensure the best outcome.
Our Local Partners & Other Agencies
Southampton Children’s Therapy Service (NHS) - Click Here
Southampton Family Hubs - Click Here
Dingley’s Promise, Southampton (SEND Support) - Click Here
Pip and Pap Phonics - Click Here
Our Partner Nursery Settings
Bitterne Park Nursery, Southampton - Click Here
Hardmoor Nursery, Southampton - Click Here
Sinclair Nursery, Southampton - Click Here
Useful Downloads & Links
Starting Reception - Potty Training Guide - Click Here
Eric Toilet Training Website - Click Here
Sleep Guide - Click Here
Best Start in Life Parent Hub - Click Here
Childcare Support Checker - Click Here
School Readiness Booklet - Click Here
Parenting Tips - Click Here
Our own phonics scheme, Pip and Pap Phonics, has a programme specifically curated for nurseries with free resources available for families.
