First Steps Junior Academy

My 4 year old son has been going to First Steps Junior Academy for almost 9 months now, and he absolutely loves it. They are very flexible and have great hours. I can see the growth and learning every day! All of the carers in the senior room love having him, and he loves seeing them too. And best of all, the children seem very happy there and love First Steps. When I see my son interact with the other kids, they are attentive and share toys with him and always welcome him whenever he comes every morning. It’s very nice to know that he is in a caring environment while he isn’t home. I couldn't ask for a better daycare.

I was afraid at first for my child to attend a daycare nursery only due to the fact she had no experience of other children due to the pandemic. First Steps Junior Academy staff immediately made my child feel safe and confident and interaction with others was amazing how quickly she was supported by the staffing team. My child was always excited to attend nursery and home time she did not want to leave. I praise the staff so much, very highly recommend to anyone looking to send their child here. From Personal care, meal times, story times, nap times, play time inside and outside. I'm so happy I had great people to look after my daughter. The staff are so precise in giving you a handover each day, explaining what my child did throughout the day when I'm collecting my child at home time. I'm very grateful for the hands on with my child and I'm so thankful to each and everyone in my child's care.

I’m all happy with First Steps Junior Academy.

Activities are great, and the nursery is very clean.

I am very happy with the care provided at First Steps Junior Academy to my son. The management and staff are friendly, helpful and every day they make time to chat and let me know how he is getting on. Often I will get a picture, card or craft which he has made that day. Staff are genuinely interested in the children and child development. The nursery is clean and tidy, the children are well fed and the children seem happy and playful. My son loves to go and when I'm leaving him to go to work it means so much to know he's happy, well cared for and safe. I would and have recommended First Steps to anyone.

I have had both my son and now my daughter with First Steps and have never had any issues at all. All staff are very friendly caring and helpful. I can leave my daughter off going to work knowing she is safe and happy every morning. Would recommend first steps to anyone and have done to various parents over the years. The only one thing I would love is if there was an app of some sort for pictures updates etc of the kids.

The staff are excellent and take great care of the children.

There is great toys for inside and outside play and lots creative crafts are sent home.

My child appears to be very happy in First Steps. Thank you for all your hard work!

I recommend first steps to all my friends. My child was extremily happy here as a baby right through to after schools. He enjoyed meeting new friends and all the leaders were fantastic with him, helping him settle in and adjusting to different rooms, as he moved up. He loved the food and on the rare occasion if he didn't like something they were quick to offer something he does

This is a wonderful nursery with wonderful staff. My children have made great friends there, both with the staff as well as the children. They absolutely love it there and I would recommend it to anyone!

Both my children have been very happy in First Steps over the years and never heard a complaint. I know they are safe and well looked after and happy there. I have no concerns while they are in their care.

First Steps have diligently cared for all three of our children. Each room is great at meeting the needs of the children and encouraging them in developing their personal and social skills. Our children have loved doing crafts and learning all about age-appropriate topics including colour and shape. The food provided is always brilliant quality and the facilities are clean and well-kept.

Staff are great and take every effort to keep us informed about our children’s progress.

I love everything about First Steps. My daughter has been going since 2017 and my son started almost a year ago- in that space of time I have watched the staff learn and adapt to building a relationship with my kids as individuals and not just a number in a class. To have so many workers pour their passion for teaching and caring for kids into my children is amazing.

The communication between staff and parents is great and we are always greeted with a smile. My 2 kids are learning and developing, they feel safe, they are cared for and they are happy. What more could a parent want?

The nursery and its staff are fantastic. They welcomed my little one straight away and implemented her routine really well, including changes we made to nap times etc. I've always found the girls really open with me and my partner and our parenting style and they take everything on board that we say and try to keep the same behaviours with her so it's consistent with how we deal with things at home. Her eating habits and range of food have improved a lot and she loves to go to nursery, we never have any tears which shows her great bond with the nursery assistants. Although still very young, it would be great if she learnt more skills like baking/cooking which she did at her previous nursery. I also feel like the variety of food could be turned up a notch, with more fresh foods.

That being said, I highly recommend First Steps.

The nursery is always clean and tidy. My daughter always smiles going in and coming out. She looks forward to going to nursery. We have had no issues at First Steps. Would definitely recommend to others.

My little girl has been at First Steps since she was 18 months old, she is now 8 and is at the after-schools. My child has autism and they are amazing with her. The staff are all lovely and treat the kids like they are their own. I couldn’t recommend First Steps enough. I’m so glad I chose first steps for my wee girl they definitely helped with her progress as she was non-verbal when she started, they worked alongside me when she went through her behaviours etc amazing.

This nursery is fantastic. Each of the staff is fabulous with the kids and have lots of time and patience with them. They genuinely seem like a happy team. The manager is great when you need to request additional days or hours and is always very helpful when I need to email regarding school pickups etc. My son went to another nursery prior which he hated, so this has been a complete turn around for him. No tears on arrival which makes all the difference for us. Collecting my son this week I realised that they also take fewer holidays. Driving past the old nursery I noticed they were closed, then I remembered they were obviously off the entire July week, and perhaps two full weeks at Christmas which isn't really realistic for working parents. I can't thank the girls enough for how they have treated my son, their reliability and their friendly and fun personalities. I would recommend this nursery to anyone.

My little boy started in this nursery almost a year ago at 13 months and has came on leaps and bounds since. He just loves to go! The staff and management are extremely friendly and make time to chat and let me know how he is getting on. The facilities are great and the children well looked after and fed and outdoor play encouraged. I'm updated daily on his activities and how he is progressing. They take part in lots of seasonal activities and he brings home lots of crafts and paintings and he's formed lots of friendships with staff and other children. I can go to my work and not feel guilty as I know he is well cared for and having a great time.

My son loves going into his nursery, he has learned a lot and loves the staff, I would highly recommend them to anyone. The outside equipment is amazing and all the kids love getting outside to play they are always so happy.

Holly House is a brilliant nursery. The girls are all amazing and so lovely. The kids are so well looked after here, I wouldn’t send my kids anywhere else and would highly recommend to anyone that they use the nursery!

What a fabulous place for my child! She just loves it and has made great progress from being in First Steps. I know that I can go to work in the knowledge that my child is happy and content in such a secure and loving learning environment; that means a lot! All the staff are great and they know and treat every child as an individual. My child goes in happy and leaves happy and well-fed every day who could ask for more! Well done First Steps!