ChirpyChicks

About Me

Patchway-based, seasonal, home-from-home childcare.

“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing!”

At Chirpy Chicks, we embrace every season and spend as much time outside as we can—enjoying everything from sunshine and blossom to crunchy leaves, puddles and muddy boots.

I provide a warm, welcoming and nurturing home-from-home setting, combining many years of childcare experience with newer ideas about how young children learn and develop.

Chirpy Chicks is a Hygge in the Early Years-accredited and Curiosity Approach-inspired setting. I believe children learn best when they are given the freedom, time and space to explore through play.

“Play is the work of the child.”
— Maria Montessori

Every child is welcomed, included, encouraged and supported as part of our Chirpy family.

Our own family is neurodivergent, so we have real-life experience of different ways of thinking, feeling and experiencing the world. It has taught us that there is no single “right” way to be. I offer a patient and understanding environment where children are accepted as they are, without pressure to fit into one particular mould.

Takiw?tanga is a te reo M?ori term for autism, meaning “in their own time and space.” This beautifully reflects my belief that every child should be given the time and space to simply be themselves.

Life moves at a gentler pace here. We slow things down so we don’t miss those small moments of wonder and curiosity that are so important during childhood.

I encourage children’s natural curiosity using sturdy, interesting and open-ended resources that can be explored in many different ways. Chirpy HQ is filled with wonderful treasures rescued from car-boot sales and charity shops, alongside natural materials and familiar toys.

These resources give children opportunities to touch and compare different materials, investigate how things work and use their own imaginations. There is no expectation to create a perfect finished product—the joy is in exploring, experimenting and playing.

We are working towards making Chirpy Chicks as environmentally friendly as possible. We are still learning and adapting, but by choosing second-hand resources, reusing and repurposing what we can, spending time in nature and reducing unnecessary waste, we hope to help children understand that even small, everyday choices can care for our planet.

We certainly aren’t perfect—and we don’t expect children to be either!

Above all, Chirpy Chicks is a calm and caring place where children can feel safe, enjoy their childhood and be completely themselves.