Trusted by Families, Rated Good by Ofsted
Our Story
“Where Little Ones Grow Big Ideas”
Once upon a time (well, 19 years ago to be exact), a lady named Edwina had a dream. Not the ‘I’m flying’ kind of dream. A proper, eyes-wide-open, change-the-world kind of dream.
She dreamed of a place where little ones could grow big ideas. Where ”messy was just another word for ‘learning’. Where ”oops was the start of every great discovery.
Fast forward through years of teaching, head-of-schooling, and probably a few too many nursery rhymes stuck in her head, Edwina decided it was time. Time to create that magical place she’d been dreaming of all along.
And just like that, Wonder Haven was born. (Okay, there was a bit more paperwork involved, but you get the idea.)
Parent Buzz
Have a swipe to see what some of our Wonder Parents are saying!
Our Approach & Curriculum
| Our secret sauce: The Three I’s | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intent | We aim to wow, inspire, and feed young minds. (Not literally. That's what our chef is for.) | |||||||
| Implementation | We mix a dash of traditional learning with a heap of hands- on fun. | |||||||
| Impact | We measure success in smiles, 'aha!' moments, and the occasional 'look, I did it!' happy dance. | |||||||
Most nurseries are just about keeping children alive and teaching ABCs.
What if a nursery could be the first step in creating future innovators?
At Wonder Haven, we don’t just babysit, we’re more like professional wonder cultivators. Think Mary Poppins meets Bill Nye the Science Guy.
Along with what is outlined below, we have curated our own schedule inclusive of languages, music, yoga and sports, which is taught weekly by specialist teachers.
We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum which covers the 7 areas of learning (below) which we use to record the development of each child, all documented on the ‘Famly’ app.
But we don’t just follow it – we dance with it, sing with it, and sometimes finger-paint with it.
We borrow a bit from here and a bit from there, all while understanding that all children learn differently, so we adapt to our clients’ ways of thinking and serve it with tasty snacks (they help!).
Personal, Social and Emotional
Building confidence and making friends
Communication and Language
Expressing ideas and paying attention to others
Physical Development
Moving, handling, and staying healthy
Expressive Arts and Design
Messy arts & crafts, role play and moving creatively
Literacy
Mark making and exploring imaginative stories
Numeracy
Understanding quantity, shapes and patterns
Understanding the World
Investigating the world around us and building cultural capital
A Day In The Life
8:00 AM:
Doors open. Cue the excited chatter and pitter-patter of tiny feet (sometimes tears if we haven’t had our 4th breakfast…)
9:00 AM:
Circle time. We discuss big ideas. Like why the sky is blue, or where socks go when they disappear from the dryer.
9:30 AM:
Outdoor play. We test gravity. (Spoiler alert: It still works.) Then, we are served a snack. Today, we have homemade protein pancakes, yum!
10:00 AM:
Time for specialist classes. Today’s lineup: Mandarin or French, interpretive song & dance, or quantum physics. (Okay, maybe not that last one. Yet.)
11:30 AM:
Lunch and naptime. Growing brains need fuel and rest. On today’s menu, we have chicken pot pie; munch munch chicken lunch! Now to find my picture on my bed and request a back rub…Zzz…
1:30 PM:
Some children go, more children come then we repeat! More learning through play. Building towers, making art, solving world peace. You know, the usual.
4:00 – 6:00 PM:
Tea, some more play and preparation for home time, our favourite part of the day; we’ve missed our adults and our teachers could do with a break. But the wonder doesn’t stop here!
Ask to see ur events book when you come in for a tour!
Meet Our Team
Some of Our Wonder Gurus
Wonder Haven
Your child’s second home, where every moment matters
At Wonder Haven, we’re rewriting the childcare story. Forget the old tale of drop-offs and pickups.
We’re crafting a new narrative – one where you’re always present, even when you’re not.
How?
We take you along for the ride with us, capturing those blink-and-you’ll-miss-them moments that make parenthood magical & the ‘Famly’ app’s to thank for that.
Think of us as your parenting paparazzi, but with better intentions; we’re here to ensure you never miss a beat, even when you’re hitting your work deadlines, so say goodbye to nursery anxiety and hello to nursery anticipation.
Because with Wonder Haven, you’re not just choosing childcare, you’re choosing peace of mind, sprinkled with a hefty dose of joy.
Ready to reserve a place?
Let’s chat about making your child’s (and your) nursery journey unforgettable.
Safeguarding
We are completely committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children & young people and expect all staff to share this commitment.
The essence of safeguarding is having measures in place that are followed, to ensure that individuals are safe and protected from being a subject of harm.
We are trained to look out for signs of atypical circumstances and to seek advice and/or report such incidents, using the correct and appropriate procedure, if necessary.
We want to make clear that any decision to follow protocol and pursue action, where necessary, will not have been made lightly.
Your children deserve to be protected in all areas of their lives and we play a part in upholding that standard.
Click here for our Safeguarding Policy.
Frequently Asked Questions
(or as we like to call it, “stuff parents REALLY want to know and ask multiple times”)
Is my child too young, old, loud,quiet, sticky for your nursery?
Well, the ages we currently accommodate are between 6 months and 5 years old & nope, we love, have seen and catered to ’em all!
What if my child’s a picky eater?
We’ve got Jedi mind tricks… and really tasty meals!
Really though, we hear this VERY often; most children eventually end up inhaling what our chef has cooked if they start out picky, plus we include some simple meals as a part of our menu to ensure they have something that they like as a choice.
Having alternative options is key!
See our ‘Nutrition Information’ page to learn more.
How qualified are your staff?
We’re entertainers, human climbing frames and cuddle machines, with hard earned college and uni qualifications.
Think Super Nanny and Gracie’s Corner, with a dash of Einstein.
Currently, the positions held are:
Management, Class Teachers, Private Speech and Language Therapist, Chefs & Housekeeping Gurus, Languages Teacher, Yoga Instructor, Music Teacher, Sports Coach.
We also occasionally have students who come to complete work experience for short periods of time.
What makes Wonder Haven different from other nurseries?
First of all, our communication & flexibility is second to none; I mean we offer un-billed sick/wellbeing days, have you ever heard of that at a nursery before? Ask us what this means.
(Our staff are also awarded the same). Peace and savings make for productive people!
We’re also not just a nursery – we’re the patient, hand holding extension of your family and serve as a safe space for both you and your children. We offer support where we can, which sometimes goes beyond the realm of our usual interactions.
Please feel free to ask if you need any.
We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum, but our curated schedule goes beyond the basics to teach cultural capital and a lifelong passion for discovery.
Do you offer temporary spaces?
We’re pleased to share that yes, we do! We’ve catered to a number of families who have needed temporary placements due to work circumstances.
What does settling in look like at Wonder Haven?
We believe that there is no particular limit to how long a child can settle, however we will offer suggestions along the way.
We want both parties to feel comfortable with this new adjustment (sometimes it’s harder for the adults than the children) so we hand hold both through the process.
The short answer is, there is no fixed amount of days to settle, although the very first day is always an hour long and free. We can speak more after that!
The best part, what’s the damage and how do you calculate it?
| Our Fees | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Half Day (8am-1pm) (1pm - 6pm) | £47.50: A proper morning or afternoon of learning through play - your little one gets messy with paint, makes new friends, and learns something brilliant while they're at it. | |||||
| Full Day 8am-6pm | £85: Ten hours of adventures, from morning stories to afternoon garden explorations. While you're getting on with your day, we're busy turning junk into art and climb-framing our way through learning. | |||||
Important bit: From January 2025, we’re adjusting our fees to align with borough rates (see ‘Government funding…’ tab below).
This is how we calculate our minimum fees.
We’ll share the exact figures once decided but each rate may move up by at least £2.
(All fees include nappies, wipes, fresh, healthy & homemade snacks/meals, and dedicated staff who are simply magic!)
How many weeks a year do you open & do you have a minimum attendance requirement?
We open 50 weeks a year, closing for approximately one week during the festive period and one week at the end of August.
Whilst we’re flexible, we do have a minimum 2 day a week requirement for attendance.
From experience and generally, children settle in quicker in newer places the longer they attend.
Currently 2 half days is the minimum however from January 2025, the new minimum requirement will be 2 full days or 3 half days.
We also offer both term time only and all year round spaces. Any billing due for term time only spaces will have half term weeks omitted and will cover at least 4 whole weeks at a time.
(NB: Half term attendance is not covered by government funding)
Government funding is soo confusing, what does it all mean?
Understanding government funding is a nightmare, especially at the moment with all the new changes (even though they’re good changes!)
We’re here to help though; please see our breakdowns below.
(…and if you’re still scratching your head, call up the school’s office and ask for Edwina, or pop in for a chat!)
| Funding rate per age group in Tower Hamlets | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Months - 2 Years: Working Parents. This is the first time EVER that the UK government have funded childcare for under 2s so this is ground breaking stuff! Eligible hours per week: 15 hours only from September 2024 - July 2025, 15 & 30 hours from September 2025 | £14.45 per hour | |||||
| 2 Years: EL2 & Working Parents. They’ve expanded eligibility to more families with 2 year olds therefore have risen the rate per hour by just under £3 from £7.40 Eligible hours per week: 15 hours only from September 2025 | £10.35 per hour | |||||
| 3 Years - 4 Years *15 hours Universal Entitlement *Universal Entitlement means ALL 3/4 year olds get 15 hours free childcare per week Eligible hours per week: 15 hours from September 2024, 30 hours from September 2024 | £7.75 per hour | |||||