Parent Resources

Every child settles differently, and there’s no test to pass or “normal” amount of time it should take.

At Mini Miracles, our settling programme is flexible. We can extend it, repeat parts of it, shorten it or slow things down depending on your child. We’ll never try to push them faster than they’re ready for.

On average, children are usually well settled around day 9 or 10, but we look at much more than whether they’ve stopped crying. We’ll also be looking at things like eating, sleeping, playing, building relationships and feeling secure with the wider team.

Tears at drop-off are really common, especially during times of transition. They can even happen with children who’ve been coming happily for quite a while.

In lots of cases, children settle shortly after their parent leaves and quickly become busy with friends, activities or their usual routine.

And if your child stays distressed for an extended period, we’ll always get in touch - we won’t leave you wondering how they’re getting on.

We take settling gradually and treat every child as an individual. There isn’t a fixed, “one-size-fits-all” programme; it’s tailored to what your child needs.

Sessions gradually build towards your child feeling confident experiencing a full nursery day, including meals, sleep or rest, activities and the different transitions throughout the day.

Our team will keep a close eye on how your child is coping and adjust the pace as we go.

Where possible, yes.

Having one consistent parent attending the early settling sessions can help things feel a little more predictable for your child.

It’s a recommendation rather than a rule though. Both parents are absolutely welcome, and we’ll always work around individual family circumstances.

Before settling starts, we’ll arrange a settling call with you.

It’s our chance to get to know the little things that make your child who they are: their personality, interests, comforts, sleep, food, routines, things they find difficult, words they use and any small habits or details that might help us understand them.

Some of those details can seem tiny, but they can make a really big difference when it comes to helping your child settle.

We won’t disappear after you enrol and then suddenly see you again on day one.

We’ll stay in touch, guide you through what needs to happen, introduce you to Famly, check your registration details, arrange your settling call and make sure you’ve got the practical information you need before your child starts.

You can also come along to our Coffee Mornings and Parent Workshops while you wait for your start date, and if you follow us on socials, you’ll be able to see what the children are getting up to each week.

We’d also encourage you to pop back into the nursery closer to your start date, so you and your child can refamiliarise yourselves with the setting.

Absolutely. In fact, we’d encourage it, especially in the weeks leading up to their start date.

You’re very welcome to arrange another visit, whether you want to see the rooms again, meet more of the team, ask a few practical questions or simply help the nursery feel a bit more familiar before settling begins.

We’re very proactive when it comes to communication, particularly while your child is settling in.

You can contact the nursery by phone, message, email or in person, and Famly will keep you updated on things like meals, bottles, naps, toileting, photographs, observations and activities.

But - at the same time - we don’t believe an app should replace conversation.

Our team will also speak to you at drop-off and collection and give you an honest picture of how your child’s day has gone, including anything they might have found difficult.

Famly is the nursery app we use to help keep you connected with nursery life.

You’ll be able to see information including meals, naps, bottles, toileting, photographs, observations and other updates, and we’ll introduce you to the app before your child starts.

It’s there to support communication, not replace it. You’ll still have direct conversations with the nursery team too.

Yes.

We believe in being open with parents. We’ll tell you about all the lovely bits of your child’s day, but we’ll also let you know if there’s something they’ve found difficult.

We’re not interested in sugar-coating things. We’d much rather work openly with you as a family.

Every child at Mini Miracles is assigned a Key Person.

They’re the member of staff who takes particular responsibility for building a close relationship with your child and your family, supporting the settling-in process and monitoring your child’s development.

They’ll work with you to settle your child into nursery, write your child’s observations and keep an eye on their developmental progress.

Your Key Person will also keep you informed about what’s happened during the day, including sleep, toileting and feeding patterns, and they’ll be your main point of contact for any developmental issues.

That said, we don’t want your child to feel comfortable with just one adult.

The whole Mini Miracles Montessori Team works closely together, and we deliberately help children build secure relationships with the wider room team too.

That’s especially important for babies, who will naturally need to seek comfort from a familiar face more frequently.

Once your child is fully settled, any educator in the room will be able to give you daily feedback under the guidance of your child’s Key Person – the more familiar faces the better!

There are a few everyday bits we’ll ask you to bring.

Your child will need appropriate indoor and outdoor shoes, complete changes of clothes, weather-appropriate clothing, a water bottle and, where needed, a milk bottle.

If they need individual items such as prescribed creams or medication, you’ll need to provide those too.

And if a comforter, dummy, blanket or favourite item helps your child feel secure and settle in, that’s absolutely fine to bring along as well.

Mini Miracles provides our standard formula milk, nappies and wipes.

If you prefer to use different brands, you’re welcome to provide your own.

Child-specific products such as prescribed creams, nappy creams or other individual items should also be supplied by parents.

Consumables may be charged for funded children.

Babies can come to nursery in their own clothes.

From the toddler stage, children are encouraged to wear Mini Miracles uniform. We supply this directly, so there’s no need to go off and source it yourself.

Some of our graduates also donate their old uniforms back to us, which means we can sometimes (subject to availability) pass them on free of charge to environmentally conscious or more economically challenged families.

No. Absolutely not.

Children do not need to be toilet trained before joining Mini Miracles.

We treat toilet learning as a developmental step and work with parents when the individual child appears ready, with the aim of keeping things as consistent as possible between home and nursery.

Potty training is absolutely not a prerequisite for starting.

Our nurseries are open 50 weeks of the year, from 7.30am until 6.30pm.

Our core hours are 8am-6pm.

Getting outside is a regular part of nursery life.

Children use the nursery’s outdoor spaces at least twice each day, unless the weather is unsafe.

We also like to get out into the local community where appropriate, with walks and visits including regular trips to parks for Forest School, libraries, shops and other local points of interest.

Children are given nutritious meals and snacks appropriate for their age and the time of day.

Our meals are varied and aim to reflect the cultural backgrounds of Mini Miracles families too.

For babies, food and weaning needs are managed according to their individual developmental stage and in partnership with parents.

Fussy or hesitant eating is really common, and we don’t treat it as a problem or a failure.

Depending on your child, our team might use things like smaller portions, gradual exposure to foods, positive encouragement and greater consistency between nursery and home.

We’ll work with you to find an approach that suits your individual child.

It’s really important that you tell us about any allergies, intolerances, dietary requirements and relevant family preferences.

We can then plan around your child’s individual requirements and make sure those needs are clearly communicated to the team members responsible for preparing, serving and supervising food.

Yes.

Every baby’s eating needs are different, so we manage weaning individually and work in partnership with you.

We’ll take into account your child’s developmental stage, the foods they’ve already been introduced to, textures, allergies and your family preferences.

In simple terms, children are encouraged to learn by doing.

They’re given opportunities to choose, explore, concentrate, repeat activities and gradually learn to do more for themselves.

Everyday practical experiences such as pouring, dressing, tidying and caring for their environment help children build independence, coordination, confidence and self-belief.

The environment and the adults around them are there to support each child’s individual pace rather than constantly directing them.

Where it’s appropriate, we give children the opportunity to have a go for themselves rather than automatically stepping in and doing everything for them.

The environment, activities and everyday routines are all designed to support growing independence at each child’s individual stage.

For us, school readiness is about much more than academics.

The Montessori approach helps children develop independence, communication, confidence, concentration, self-care, social skills and the ability to make choices and manage everyday routines.

During pre-school, children also build the foundations they’ll need for literacy and mathematics, while being supported through the transition into school.

Our practitioners observe carefully, prepare the environment, introduce activities and support children when they need it.

Just as importantly, they know when to take a step back.

We try not to unnecessarily interrupt a child’s concentration or take over something they’re capable of attempting for themselves.

Yes.

Eligible working parents can access up to 30 funded hours per week from the term after their child turns 9 months until school age.

All 3- and 4-year-olds continue to receive the universal 15-hour entitlement, and some 2-year-olds receiving additional support qualify for a separate 15-hour entitlement.

We can explain exactly how funded hours are applied across our 50-week operating year and what arrangements apply to your individual child.

Government-funded hours fund the childcare place itself.

Government guidance allows providers to charge separately for extras such as meals, nappies, additional hours and activities, subject to the rules around voluntary extras and alternatives.

We’ll explain any additional costs clearly before your child starts.

Yes. Our standard minimum booking is three full days per week.

There’s a reason for that.

Regular attendance gives your child more consistency, helps them build stronger relationships and routines, and supports a more settled nursery experience overall.

Mini Miracles is open for 50 weeks of the year, which means families can choose when they take their own holidays.

For ordinary privately paid sessions, booked nursery days remain payable during family holidays or absence in line with our terms and conditions.

Yes. We offer 10% off the lower invoice.

There is a £100 registration fee and a £300 deposit.

The registration fee is non-refundable.

The £300 deposit is refunded if you give us two months’ notice of your intention to leave.

There is also a fee of £100.00 to join our waiting list, which is fully refundable once you join the nursery.

There is, however, no guarantee as to when a place will become available. If you decide to take a place at another nursery in the meantime, you will lose this fee.

Keeping children safe is obviously hugely important to us.

Entry to our premises is controlled through facial-recognition access, and CCTV operates across the settings.

Children are only released to authorised adults, and if somebody unfamiliar is collecting your child, we’ll check their identity and the collection arrangements before allowing your child to leave.

We have health and exclusion procedures in place to help reduce the spread of infection and protect both children and staff.

If your child becomes unwell while they’re at nursery, we’ll contact you and agree the appropriate next steps.

Medication can also be administered in line with nursery policy and the required permissions and documentation.

Yes, where appropriate.

Medication can be administered in accordance with our nursery policy, provided the necessary permissions and documentation are in place.

Strong, secure relationships are right at the heart of the way we work.

We take the time to understand each child as an individual and notice the things that reassure them, interest them and help them feel safe.

We support children as individuals and make reasonable adjustments where they’re needed.

We work closely with parents and, where appropriate, outside professionals to identify needs, adapt the environment or our approach and help each child participate fully in nursery life.

That’s absolutely fine.

We don’t expect every child to learn, communicate, eat, sleep or settle in exactly the same way.

If your child needs an individual approach, we’ll work with you to understand what will help them thrive.

Yes.

We run parent workshops and coffee mornings, giving families the chance to spend some time in the nursery, ask questions and meet other parents.

There’s also a parent-led WhatsApp community, separate from Mini Miracles and not administered by the nursery.

Yes.

We regularly hold Parent Workshops covering subjects around child development, parenting, Montessori and the early years.

They’re designed to give parents useful information while also strengthening the partnership between home and nursery.

Yes, there’s a parent-led WhatsApp community that families can choose to join.

It’s completely separate from the nursery and isn’t administered by Mini Miracles.

Parents use it to connect with each other, ask parent-to-parent questions and organise things such as birthday parties and playdates.

Absolutely, and we strongly encourage it.

We think prospective families should see the setting for themselves before making a decision.

Visits are arranged in advance so you can see the environment, meet the team, ask questions and get a proper feel for the nursery, while keeping disruption to the children to a minimum.

Yes. Each Mini Miracles setting is individually registered with Ofsted.

Saint Faith’s last inspection was November 2022, with the next due at the end of 2026.

At Saint Paul’s we’re awaiting our first inspection due anytime between now and Summer 2028.

Saint Faith’s: view the Ofsted report

Saint Paul’s: view the Ofsted report

There isn’t just one thing, but perhaps the biggest thing of all is that Mini Miracles was specifically designed to be a place our founders would be happy to send their children.

We’re a family-run organisation with a Montessori approach, a strong focus on relationships and an individualised approach to settling.

We put a lot of emphasis on communication with parents, helping children build independence and practical life skills, and making nursery feel like part of a wider community.

But perhaps most importantly, we make a deliberate effort to help parents feel known, involved and supported rather than simply providing childcare.

Because we’re parents too.