Parent FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
We understand that navigating your child’s early years can come with many questions and considerations.
On this page, you’ll find answers to common enquiries we receive from parents and carers about daily routines, registration, nutrition, and how we support your child’s development at Little Stars.
If you have any questions not addressed here, please do get in touch.
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Our prices vary depending on whether or not your child's place is funded. You can find a price list for non-funded and funded places below.
Non-funded:
Full Day (7am-6pm) - £60
Half Days (7am-12:45pm or 12:45pm-6pm) - £32
Midi Day (9am-3pm) - £45
Funded:
The following pricing applies to the 15 hours and 30 hours funding structures.
Hours can be used anytime between 7am-5pm (anything after 5pm is charged at £8 for the hour).
Full Day (7am-6pm) - £6
Half Day (7am-12:45pm or 12:45pm-6pm) - £3
Midi Day (9am-3pm) - £4
We also offer sessions that have no extra costs between the times of 8:30am-11:30am or 12:30pm-3:30pm.
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At Little Stars we accept bank transfers, Tax-Free Childcare payments and funded childcare spaces.
Any and all sessions can be booked and accessed as a paid-for place where the parents/carers pay the nursery directly, either as a bank transfer or a payment from their Tax Free Childcare account.
Invoices are sent directly to parents/carers and are payable on the 1st of each month. All invoices are issued for the month ahead.
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You can check your eligibility, whether tax-free childcare is the best option for you, and apply here.
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You can check your eligibility and apply for funded childcare here.
For specific funded childcare information from Stockton Council, visit their website here.
Little Stars accept funded childcare spaces and works with all families to ensure a flexible and affordable childcare offer.
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To book a space for your child at Little Stars, you can get in touch with us via any of the methods below.
Please ensure you address any correspondence to or request to speak to the manager or deputy manager for these enquiries.
Email: littlestarsthornaby@outlook.com
Call: 01642 133 630
Website contact form
Or via Facebook.
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You can find our application form to sign your child up for Little Stars on our Downloads page.
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We do not charge a registration fee, however fees are to be paid in advance monthly on the 1st of each month.
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There is no set time frame, but we do recommend securing your child's placeas soon as possible to avoid disappointment in the event of an increase in numbers.
Registration, Fees & Funding
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All meals and snacks are provided within the cost of your child's care at Little Stars.
However, please note that if your child is attending an afternoon half day session (12:4pm-6pm), lunch will have already been served and is therefore not included.
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Once you register your child with us we will discuss the date you would like them to start.
Once your child's start date is set, we will book 'settling in' sessions which will be arranged close to your child's start date.
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Our nursery cook prepares and cooks meals fresh each day, which allows us to ensure any dietary requirements are accommodated for any children at nursery on that day.
However, if you are more comfortable sending a packed lunch or specific snacks to nursery with your child, that’s absolutely fine, too.
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With our cook’s input, we have designed a menu for our Little Stars that ensures they get a balanced, healthy diet while at nursery.
You can find a sample menu here.
Please note, this is changeable and provided as an example of what your child may eat while with us.
Dietary and nutritional requirements can also be accommodated, and meals will be adjusted where required.
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For non-funded spaces, we offer Full Day, Half Day and Midi Day sessions (find more information about these under 'What are Little Stars' Prices' at the top of this page)/
For those with funded spaces, hours can be used anytime between 7am-5pm.
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Yes, following registration, we will arrange 2x 2-hour sessions for your child.
These will be close to your child's starting date and are free of charge.
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We use the Famly app at Little Stars, which allows us to update you on your child’s progress from the very start.
We will also give you an update at pick-up time to reassure you of how their day went.
It’s important to understand, however, that every child’s experience is different, and while some settle in very quickly, it can be more challenging for others.
Our staff are trained and experienced in supporting children during this often difficult transition.
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The Famly app is used at Little Stars from day one until your child’s very last day with us.
The app is very user-friendly, and allows us to give you updates on everything from what and how much they have eaten during the day, what activities they take part in, to general behaviour and mood.
The app allows us to upload photos for you to see how your child is spending their time with us, too.
You can find more information about the Famly app on their website.
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Yes, we have two outdoor spaces for the children to enjoy at Little Stars – a garden at the rear of the property, and a number of raised planting beds at the front of the nursery.
Both spaces are enclosed, and the rear garden is completely private.
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At Little Stars, our favourite phrase is: "there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing".
We have wet suits, wellies and other necessities here for children to use on wet days. When the sun is shining, we have hats suncream etc. and will take the children outside during cooler hours.
We will get out twice a day, unless we are experiencing extreme weather which will cause health and safety issues for outdoor play.
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We don’t have any screens at the nursery and ask parents not to send any screens to nursery with their child to avoid them getting damaged.
We encourage the children to choose their own activities and believe in child-led play. This allows them to develop and use their imagination, independence and ability to self-regulate.
Life at Little Stars Childcare
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Yes, DBS checks are required for anyone working at Little Stars Childcare.
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Our minimum staff:child ratios can be seen below:
Tiny Stars (Baby Room Under 2s) - 1 staff : 3 babies
Mini Stars (Toddler Room) - 1 staff : 5 children
Big Stars (Pre-School Room) - 1 staff : 8 children
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Yes, all staff are Level 3 in Early Years, and we currently have one apprentice working towards their Level 3.
Our Nursery Manager has a Foundation degree in early years education.
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If we have any open vacancies at Little Stars, you’ll be able to find them on our careers page.
Little Stars Staff
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Absolutely! We encourage parents to come and visit us before registering so we can really show off our spaces, give you more information on what your child’s time at Little Stars will look like and answer any questions you may have.
We also encourage parents to bring their child with them so they can see the nursery, too.
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We are open from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.
We are open 51 weeks per year, with a one-week closure over Christmas.
We also close on Bank Holidays.
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We don’t offer before or after-school sessions and are unfortunately unable to accommodate children over the age of 4 (school-age).