Started at a kitchen table, not a boardroom.
Little Garden Gate began in 2016 when two former kindergarten teachers got tired of watching good children's programs get bigger, louder, and less personal. So they opened one small room with eight cubbies and a promise: every child would be known, not just tracked.
Our EthosEvery child arrives as a seed, not a finished plant. We don't rush growth or compare one child's pace to another's — we give each one the light, room, and steady care they need to unfold in their own time.
Our Approach
Play-led learning
Children learn best through hands-on play, not worksheets or drills.
Real relationships
Every child is known by name — by their teacher, and by us.
Full transparency
You'll always know what your child ate, learned, and enjoyed each day.
A second home
Warm, unhurried, and familiar — the opposite of institutional.
Our Curriculum
Built on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), and shaped by early-years experts, our curriculum blends influences from several respected approaches to childhood learning.
The world outside is part of the classroom.
Fresh air, real dirt, and small everyday adventures — we believe children learn as much from a walk to the post office as they do from a lesson plan.
Community
Children explore and connect with the world beyond the nursery through everyday outings — building a sense of belonging in the community around them.
Physical Health
Our outdoor spaces are full of opportunities to climb, balance, ride, and play — helping children move confidently, build strength, and take healthy risks.
Environmentalism
From a young age, we encourage children to connect with the natural world. Our planting stations and vegetable patches let them grow their own food and take pride in caring for it.
Every corner has a job to do.
Each room is built around one kind of play, so children learn to move between quiet and active, messy and calm, on their own.
Outdoor Play Yard
A shaded garden with a vegetable patch, sandpit, and climbing frame for gross-motor play, rain or shine.
Reading Corner
Floor cushions and a rotating shelf of picture books, sorted low enough for even the youngest to reach.
Art Studio
Paint, clay, and collage supplies that wash out — because the mess is the point, not the mistake.
Nap & Rest Corner
A dim, quiet corner with individual cots and white noise, kept on the same nap schedule every day.
Meal Program
Home-style meals cooked fresh on-site each morning, with menus posted a week ahead for allergies.
Music & Movement
A soft-floored corner for singing circles, simple instruments, and dancing off the morning energy.
A typical day
Safety & care
Secure entry
Keypad entry and sign-in/sign-out for every drop-off and pickup.
CCTV monitored
All play and rest rooms are monitored during opening hours.
First-aid trained
At least one paediatric first-aid trained staff member on-site at all times.
Cleaned daily
Toys, cots, and surfaces are sanitized every evening after closing.
Enrichment activities
Beyond the daily routine, weekly specialist sessions round out each child's week — because quality care means a rich curriculum, not just supervised hours.
Yoga
Gentle movement and breathing to help children settle and focus.
Cooking & Baking
Simple, hands-on recipes that build fine motor skills and confidence.
Doodle Dance
Free-movement dance sessions that mix music, art, and imagination.
Foreign Languages
Playful, song-based introduction to a new language each week.
Registered & inspectedLittle Garden Gate is a registered childcare provider, DBS-checked staff throughout, first-aid trained teachers in every room, and inspected annually against national early-years standards.