New Year Honours
Jean Gross, Communication Champion for children, and Jane Plumb, joint founder of charity Group B Strep Support, have won accolades in the Queen's New Year's Honours List.
Ms Gross, who was appointed to the post last year, received a CBE in recognition of her work to raise the profile of children with speech, language and communication needs.
Ms Plumb was awarded an MBE in recognition of her work to prevent group B streptococcal infection in newborn babies.
Namesake Baby
A baby born in Gambia, west Africa, has been named after Sharon Alexander, managing director of Rosy Apple Childcare, which runs six day nurseries in Preston and Lancashire.
Noel Baker, who works at the Rosy Apple Nursery School in Kerewan, Gambia, named his child after Ms Alexander in recognition of the support she and members of staff from the UK nursery chain have given to the Gambian setting over the past four years.
Outstanding again
Pennywell Early Years Centre in Sunderland has just received its fifth outstanding grade from Ofsted. Inspectors commented on the centre's inclusive approach in offering the highest standards of care, with excellence in teaching and learning.
Head of centre Judy Donnelly said, 'To be recognised as a consistently outstanding school is a real credit to the dedication of the entire staff team and governors and an incredible achievement for everyone involved.'
Happy Birthday
Blue Giraffe Nursery in Acton, London, celebrated its third anniversary last month, while bidding farewell to a child going up to 'big school' who had started at the nursery when it first opened.
Reaching their peak
Twelve employees of the Childbase nursery chain battled snow, ice and oxygen deprivation to climb Kilimanjaro in Africa, the world's tallest free-standing mountain.They raised £14,000 for the charity Ikamva Labantu, which supports disadvantaged people living in South African townships.
On the climb were area manager Liz McLean; Holly and Emma Willshire from Woodlands Day Nursery in Milton Keynes; Christine Walters, manager of Seabrook Day Nursery in Luton, Bedfordshire; Louise Campbell, senior HR officer, and practitioners Donna Wallace of Highfield in Edgbaston, Birmingham; Emma Jestice from Meadow View in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire; Gemma Leotta Cedars from Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire; Michelle Nokes of Cherry Trees in Cranfield, Bedfordshire; Sarah Hetherington from Westwood, Coventry; Hewi Davis from Beech Tree in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire; and Mark Savage from the University Nursery in Cambridge.
Montessori graduation
More than 100 Montessori graduates, a record number, gathered to celebrate their achievements at the Montessori Centre International graduation ceremony and MEAB Awards, held at the Institute of Education, University of London, last month.
Speakers at the event included Barbara Isaacs, academic director of Montessori Centre International, and Dr Martin Bradley, chair of the Montessori Schools Association, who presented the MEAB accreditation awards.
Walk this way
The local postman bumped into children from Highfield Nursery School in Chorley, Lancashire, as they went on a walkabout as part of their Stay Safe and Healthy Heroes topic. The children were practising road safely and keeping fit through walking.
Fundraising fun
Buddies Nursery in Durham held a fun day to raise more than £300 for children's cancer charity CLIC Sargent. Activities included guessing how many jelly babies were in a jar.
