Busy Bees at Canterbury

Just some of the facilities to be found at Busy Bees at Canterbury
Manager
Jenny Shaw
Address
The Riverside Children's Centre
Kingsmead Road
Canterbury
CT2 7PH
Map
view a map of the location of our childrens nursery
Telephone
01227 475556
Hours
8.00am - 6.00pm, Monday to Friday
Ages Taken
6 weeks - 5 years

Why choose Busy Bees at Canterbury: -

Busy Bees at the Riverside Children’s Centre is a single storey, purpose built facility. We are situated within a children's centre that provides support and advice for families with children under five.
The nursery has a large well equipped outdoor play area for the children to enjoy as an outdoor classroom and physical play area, with lots of shady trees and awnings. The nursery was redecorated in December 2011.
The Nursery is situated close to the City Centre with easy access to both Canterbury East and West train stations and bus routes.
We are fortunate enough to receive support from the team of professionals at the Children’s Centre. For example, our Staff have regular training from a qualified teacher to ensure that they are making the most of learning opportunities for the children. The teacher also runs parent workshops so you can find out more about how we support children’s learning and development within the nursery. We also work closely with the health visitor who has run activities for children and training for staff. She will also meet with parents if they ever have any queries or concerns about their children’s health and development.

We pride ourselves on providing delicious home cooked food from our nutritionally balanced menu. The menu is written with support from our National Support office and parent involvement so you have the opportunity to let us know what your children enjoy eating at home. The Manager and Assistant Chef both hold a Level 2 Qualification in Nutrition and Food Safety in Catering and the Chef holds a Level 3 in Food Safety in Catering.

We have excellent communication with parents including daily sheets detailing information about your child’s day as well as verbal feedback, learning journals, My Unique Stories, parent’s evenings and parent workshops. We have an open door policy and welcome parent feedback and input.

 

A look inside one of the nursery rooms at Busy Bees at Canterbury

Facilities at the nursery include: -

  • Awarded 5* from Enviromental Health
  • Awarded Kent Quality Mark 2009
  • Cooking with Me initiative for all those little chefs in the family
  • Wake and Shake to give your child a healthy start to the day
  • Our Imagination Station for all those little explorers
  • Busy Babies initiative to enhance your babies senses
  • Kinder Musik to encourage your child's hidden musical talents
  • Large, well-equipped garden which is used daily
  • Healthy meals, freshly cooked on the premises by a qualified chef using locally sourced produce
  • Good parental involvement through home observations and using a government initiative being piloted in Kent called 'My Unique Story'
  • Regular visits from the local hairdresser (additional charge)
  • We have a great parent liaison Group
  • Based within a Riverside children's centre with whom we work closely in providing links and easy access to other services and professionals
  • Nappies inclusive to all children within nursery
  • Sensory room for those quiet moments 
  • Offer 4% for parents using 'Real Nappies'

 

I have worked at Busy Bees Canterbury since we opened in August 2006. I am currently Acting Manager while our manager Lisa is on maternity leave.

I have worked with children for 14 years and have a BTEC National Diploma in Childhood Studies and a Level 4 Advanced Diploma in Childcare and Education.

I started my childcare career working for Social Services as a play worker for a children’s centre. This led to me training as a Speech and Language therapy assistant within the same team. The skills and knowledge I gained working within this multi agency team have been invaluable as our nursery is situated in a children’s centre and I work on a daily basis with the professional at the centre.

While working for Social Services I also worked part time for a large retail chain as a manager and I completed a managerial course while working for them.

I then worked as an Assistant Manager at two nurseries; one in Faversham and one in Whitstable before becoming the Assistant Manager for Busy Bees Canterbury.

I am passionate about delivering healthy meals for children and getting them excited and interested in food. At Busy Bees I oversee the day to day running of the kitchen, write the menus including parent suggestions and cover for the chef when he is on annual leave. I have gained a level 2 in nutrition and food hygiene while working for Busy Bees.

I am also the health and safety representative for the nursery and hold a British Safety Council Level 1 qualification.

I genuinely believe that working with children is the best job in the world. Our team at Canterbury know how privileged we are to be working with children in some of the most important years of their lives. It is an honour that parents entrust us with their children’s care and we do our best to ensure that they have a fantastic nursery experience while learning so much at the same time.

Our Staff hold qualifications ranging from Level 2 in Childcare and Development to a BA (Hons) Degree in Primary Education. Our baby room manager is due to complete her Early Year’s Professional Status this year. Our team at Canterbury are dedicated to providing the best possible standard of care for children’s learning and development and work hard to ensure individual children’s needs are met.

First and foremost, I am a Mum to Harry who came to Busy Bees when he was of nursery age. He loved his time at nursery and blossomed under the care and guidance of the warm and friendly staff.