A warm and very personal welcome awaits children, parents and carers when they come to the drop-in at Dorothy Gardner Nursery Centre. The Centre has been open for nearly 30 years in a bustling and densely populated corner of Westminster in central London. The staff are especially proud of the drop-in, says headteacher Pat Lacey. 'We welcome all people to the Centre, and the drop-in is usually the first point of call,' she says. 'We try to make people feel wanted, appreciated and valued. We've found that they often appreciate us in the same way.'
The Centre provides integrated nursery education and care for children aged from one to five. It also offers a range of services for the local community, such as classes for parents who speak English as an additional language and weekly workshops on young children's learning and development. The drop-in runs every morning and afternoon from Monday to Thursday. Users include parents, aunts, grandparents, childminders and nannies - and up to 25 young children.
'It's a special drop-in because we have such an educational focus,' says Lynda Pearson, the early years educator who co-ordinates the project. 'We specifically encourage parents and carers to play with their children. When carers come for the first time, they get a personal welcome and I talk them through our leaflet, which emphasises the importance of play, and also equal opportunities. Everyone is welcome here. It's not at all cliquey. Some people come because they have felt lonely or isolated looking after their child, and they can make friends and get help or advice.'
The Centre and its drop-in have improved the lives of numerous young children and their families. 'We had a baby recently who first came to us at 14 months, a late-developer who wasn't walking yet and wasn't playing,'
says Lynda, with evident affection. 'We watched her gradually beginning to explore and move about. By the time she was 18 months, she was into everything and rushing everywhere.'
The drop-in enables parents and carers to 'grow' with the children. 'They have made it their drop-in, not just somewhere that they come and visit,'
Lynda tells me. 'You see them developing, and see their children developing, getting ready to move on to nursery. And when they start, they adjust to it so well because coming here has helped them become confident.'
The drop-in at Dorothy Gardner Centre is organised around the philosophy that children learn best by exploring and playing freely with a wide range of materials. Because children need to interact with each other and important adults, parents and carers are encouraged to join in with the play. They are also expected to help the children tidy up at the end of the session, after the singing, which is always accompanied by props and puppets.
The drop-in offers a whole range of play experiences including construction, tactile play with clay, dough or cooked spaghetti, a home area, books, mark-making, soft play, painting, puzzles and sorting activities. Sand is available to play with on the floor, enclosed within large wooden blocks, so that toddlers can get right in it and experience it to their heart's delight.
There are also regular days out at places like the local city farm, Kew Gardens, and a multicultural picnic in the park.
Julian Grenier is deputy head of Woodlands Park Nursery, part of the London borough of Haringey's Early Excellence Network
