Outdoor learning
Open 7.30am - 6.00pm
Open all year round
Community links
Located in the lovely seaside town of Whitstable, our nursery was formerly the Whitstable Railway Station. Our three open plan ground floor rooms are full of engaging resources, all designed to create a home-from-home nursery environment.
With large windows and high ceilings, the nursery is light and airy for all Whitstable nursery children to flourish in. The nursery is complete with its own safe, secure and stimulating garden environment.
We love to explore the local area with the children and will go on frequent outings; making the most of our seaside location with lots of walks to the beach as well as the harbour, castle and park.
Our Whitstable community is important to us and so we have regular visits from our blue-light services, we visit the care home and support the Whitstable food bank.
We pride ourselves on providing exceptional childcare for families so you can rest assured and feel confident that your children are in a caring, safe, stimulating and fun environment where each child is listened to, valued and heard.
View Ofsted report
The Brighter Learning Approach (BLA) is unique to The Old Station Nursery group and is our advanced approach to the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum and core pedagogy. It differs from traditional nursery teaching methods by providing real-life opportunities to enhance children’s natural curiosity, with emphasis on hands-on experiences, child-led learning, and whole development.
The six core areas promote active engagement and critical thinking whilst encouraging exploration, creativity, and collaboration. Each child learns at their own pace and is challenged and extended at appropriate times.
The best place to see the BLA in action is via our local nursery Facebook page, where each post explains which part of the curriculum the children are working on. Our parents also receive updates on the Parent App too.
Championing children's holistic health and laying the foundations for a happy, healthy and successful life.
Helping the future generation of global citizens to understand the world they live in and to believe they can make a difference.
Enabling early experiences in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM). Nurturing our next generation of investigators, inventors and innovators.
Enticing children to develop a life-long love of books and reading through engaging and interactive storytelling experiences. Building strong literacy skills while sparking imagination and creativity.
Engaging children in meaningful mathematical learning. Developing knowledge, building skills and exploring concepts, through purposeful play and plenty of practice.
Developing confident communicators by engaging in quality conversations with children every day, in a language rich and communication friendly environment.
We run a mixture of extra clubs that enhance our Brighter Learning Approach, our bespoke version of the Early Years Statutory Framework and in-the-moment activities that scaffold the children’s interests at the time.
We love developing our language at Choochoos Day Nursery Whitstable.
Each week we learn a new sign language sign from the Makaton programme which encourages inclusivity and supports the children’s overall language development.
Breathing and stretching our bodies is a life-skill that sadly us adults often forget about as we age.
Introducing children to yoga poses may help form a lifelong appreciation of the practice and is a good, calming activity in a busy environment.
Our chef has been with us for nearly 20 years and the children love nothing more than when Chef calls time for ‘cooking around the world’ or works with the children to produce a teatime dessert or baking morning.
The children learn so much in these activities including measuring, counting skills and following instructions.
At Whitstable Nursery our budding movers love Little Kickers football and Rugby Tots each week, delivered by external early-years professionals, as well as daily exercise activities that help the children develop their gross-motor skills.
Messy Mornings is a firm favourite for the children and our parents tell us they would rather have the mess on our nursery floor rather than on the home carpet! These activities can include anything from paint to flour to leaves, playdoh, lentils, shredded paper and glue to name a few.
In essence, Messy Mornings uses items that the children love to get their hands on, bringing their creative development and fine motor skills to the fore.
Our nursery environments are designed to support messy play and we can easily tidy up, spik and span in time for lunch.
Music Stars is the name of our weekly group where the children bring out their inner-beat, dance and artistic expression through a whole host of music, stories and rhymes.
Come rain or shine, we tend our vegetable plots, teaching the children about the different stages of growth cycles and exploring the different tastes and textures of the produce.
As budding gardeners, children learn about the environment and gain lifelong sustainable growing skills and enjoyment, which they will carry with them throughout their lives.
The children have lots of questions about the world around them, particularly living creatures and how they change.
Alongside bug hunting, each year we hatch ducklings and watch the lifecycle of caterpillars into butterflies; a much loved and important part of the curriculum.
The local community near our Whitstable nursery is really important to us.
We visit the railway station and watch the trains, visit the harbour, the RNLI and Kent Fire and Rescue Service to name a few.
Our nursery group is passionate about the link between home and nursery; the nursery experience is just as much about the parent as it is for the child.
Choochoos Day Nursery Whitstable commits to verbally updating you about your child’s day at pick-up time and also via digital updates on the parent App.
We are here at any time should you wish to call us or want to discuss any area of your child’s care. Our aim is to look after our parents as well as our children, so you can carry on with your day, work and career with a sense of peace.
First and foremost, you and we need to know that your child is safe. Before we can deliver the excellent curriculum that makes our nurseries so special, robust policies and procedures are followed to meet the exacting standards of Ofsted, building and fire regulations, food safety standards and staff DBS background checks and references.
Our staff are trained in numerous areas and we offer further training opportunities for staff who have an interest in a particular area.
For example, some of our nurseries have attained Millie’s Mark, an accreditation gained by having 100% of staff on site trained in paediatric first aid.
Nutritious hot meals are prepared on-site at Choochoos Day Nursery Whitstable by our chef Sarah, who has been with us for nearly 20 years. Good nutrition is essential during childhood as it is a time of rapid growth, development and activity.
Our chefs are trained using the Eatwell NHS guidelines to ensure mealtimes are delicious, packed with good things that enjoyable for children to eat.
Every child has a nursery key person who knows them best and who will be the child and parent’s main contact. Your key person at our nursery will update you about your child’s day and is there to answer your questions.
When your child moves to the next age group room, we hold several settling sessions with a new nursery key person.
We encourage our parents to view the new room too and we will work with you to discuss the new routines, just like we did when you first started nursery.
It is wonderful to nurture our children and see them graduate to primary school, many of whom go to the Primary right next door to us.
Part of the unique offering of Choochoos Day Nursery Whitstable e is our focus on the next stage of your child’s learning journey. We prepare the children through school activities, teacher meet and greets and graduation ceremonies.
Our commitment is to support our parents too by providing child learning journey updates, parents evenings or one-to-ones and home link learning kits to enhance the link between nursery and home.
All our nurseries follow the Brighter Learning Approach, our bespoke version of the Early Years Statutory Framework and within this, each nursery chooses extra clubs, activities and enhancements that are suitable for their space.
At Choochoos Day Nursery Whitstable we enjoy our local environment, being so close to the harbour and beach as well as weekly clubs including language skills, cooking with chef, yoga Budding Movers and Budding Artists’ clubs. We also hold parents and carers events every six weeks where everyone is encouraged to come along and meet other parents to build your own personal friendships and networks ahead of primary school.
Choochoos Day Nursery Whitstable commits to providing a simple fee structure so you can manage your nursery costs.
At this nursery we provide private and government funded sessions for eligible parents. Contact us for the nursery fee that is correct for your individual circumstances.
Our baby room is in a separate building to create a home-from-home cosy atmosphere. Full of sensual play, the design of the environment is to help babies settle quickly, with the staff following the same routine that has been set at home. The opened planned spaces are based on one level with access to a carefully constructed garden equipped especially for children under two as they start to explore the world around them
The Caterpillar room for 2–3-year-olds, encourages free flow play inside and out, where children can explore many activities. The environment is oozing with a wealth of resources, which aim to inject fun into every child’s day and encourage a zest for learning.
As children progress into the Butterflies room learning continues to be enjoyable and rewarding, with a good balance of child-initiated play and adult led activities. The room is spread over two areas and our children have the choice to move around, which ensures they access all areas of the curriculum.
Our Guinea pigs and fish live here, and the children can take these home at the weekend whenever they like to help them learn about caring for others and taking responsibility.
The children will prepare for their big move to school in this room through enrichments and spontaneous learning opportunities. Being ready for school includes meeting their Primary school teachers, looking at the uniform, dressing for PE, holding a pencil and learning to read.
The new funding term is starting again in January and it’s important to understand the different kinds of funded childcare available to you and when you need to apply before the deadline closes on 30th November.
We have online experts who are on hand to answer any questions you may have via a web chat service, whether you’re a new or existing nursery parent.
Find out how you can save money on nursery fees through funding.
“A big warm welcome to Whitstable Choochoos! At Whitstable Choochoos, we build the foundations for your little one to give them the best start in life. Whitstable Choochoos has highly qualified staff which are positive and passionate about ensuring every child meets their highest potential. Myself and my team pride ourselves on delivery the highest quality of education and care. No question is silly and we would love to hear from you!”
Harriet Barnes, Nursery Manager at Choochoos Day Nursery Whitstable
A huge congratulations once again to Harriet for her incredible achievement! We’re all so proud of you—and grateful...
Please note that this is not a confirmation of your tour. One of our nursery team will endeavour to get back to you ASAP to confirm your date and time. Thank you.
If you are looking to arrange a tour within the next 48 hours, we recommend calling the nursery directly.
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