New ‘micro home nursery’ opens in Portslade

Bright Sparks is the first nursery in the city to be established by tiney, a pioneering early years initiative which was launched by the founder of Teach First, Brett Wigdortz.

Based on the principle of affordable, community-based childcare, tiney provides training, support and qualifications to enable people to open up nurseries in their homes.

Bright Sparks tiney home nursery is being run by newly-qualified tiney childminder Charlotte Howard, 29, and assisted by her partner Tom Warwick, 35.

With a background in professional music, the pair are offering a rich, creative curriculum designed to support physical, mental and social skill development and prepare children to flourish once they reach school.

Their ‘home away from home’ setting prioritises outdoor exploration and child-led learning, and provides healthy home-cooked meals and sensitive support for childrens’ emotional development.

Charlotte said: “Opening my home nursery has been an incredibly rewarding experience so far.

“I finally feel like I’ve found a career in which I can make a difference to the life chances of local children and provide support to families in my community.

“I was apprehensive about launching my own business, but tiney have helped me every step of the way - from marketing and billing to securing DBS clearance and EYFS training.

“Having the opportunity to share my passion for music and song with the children is definitely a highlight of each day, and I’m looking forward to integrating musical education further into my curriculum delivery and creative play.”

The tiney initiative has already successfully established over 120 ‘micro nurseries’ across London and the Home Counties.

It is currently welcoming applications from prospective childminders based in Brighton and Hove.

Its nursery leaders are fully trained in the latest pedagogical methods by leading experts.

Ofsted-approved tiney also supports new recruits to secure First Aid qualifications and DBS certification.

The nurseries are set up at the tiney childminder’s home, which studies show is the best learning environment for preschool children, according to tiney.

Brett Wigdortz, the founder of tiney, said: “We’re thrilled to see the first tiney nursery opening in Brighton and Hove and delighted to be welcoming home nursery leaders like Charlotte to the tiney family.

“Every new nursery means another group of children inspired to love learning and another talented professional joining the childcare sector.

“We’re also keen to offer more options to parents juggling both work and childcare commitments: a struggle that has been particularly keenly felt during the pandemic.

“From my many years in the education sector, I cannot overstate the importance of early years education.

“By the time children are five, the development gap between disadvantaged pupils and their advantage peers is already well established and persists throughout their education journey.

“Unless we work hard to strengthen our early years provision, we cannot hope to support child development during those crucial 0-5 years.

“That’s why tiney is working tirelessly to recruit and train new nursery leaders, so together we can deliver best-in-class care to children in Sussex and across the country.”

For more information visit www.tiney.co