Welcome to Merry Go Round Preschool

Explore. Discover. Grow.

Our Preschool

Merry Go Round Preschool in Stokenham, Devon is a magical, joyful place where children are free to run, play, discover, and be loved and accepted for who they are.

Merry Go Round has been established for almost 50 years and is based in the grounds of Stokenham Area Primary School in the South Hams.

The preschool is open to all children from the surrounding areas including Stokenham, Chillington, East Portlemouth, Prawle, Stoke Fleming, Dartmouth, Blackawton, Kingsbridge, Slapton and many more villages in between. Places are available for children aged between 2 and 5 years.

Contact Us: 01548 581440 / info@merrygorounddevon.com

About Us

We strive for a happy balance between play, academic skills and social skills, with the goal of promoting a friendly, positive first-school experience that will last a lifetime.

Our ethos is to create an environment that gives children a feeling of security and happiness whist encouraging curiosity, exploration and experimentation – the foundations of learning.

Discovery and play in the outdoors are an important part of Merry Go Round life. We have a beautiful, natural garden which allows our children to enjoy the many benefits that exploration in the outdoors offers.

Our Ethos

Provide a nurturing, child-led, supportive environment - focus on the emotional wellbeing of the children to maximise their development

Celebrate individuality - engage every child in ways that are appropriate and meaningful to them 

Encourage play-based learning - support healthy brain development, curiosity, exploration and confidence

Foster a family-like atmosphere - encourage relationships, kindness, empathy and compassion

Provide regular opportunities for learning in the outdoors - regular beach trips and outings, as well as daily use of the preschool’s natural outdoor space

 Encourage involvement in the wider local community - visit other groups within the community, regular fundraisers, organised beach cleans and other community events.

Indoor Learning

Our indoor space is designed to encourage free play and creativity, with a cosy book corner to snuggle up and read, a fun home-corner where the children can play dress-up and 'make' tea, and a daily creative zone where they can engage in activities to celebrate festivals, holidays and other significant or topical events.

Our lunch-club sees all the children sit down to eat together with the staff. Children are encouraged to make healthy eating choices to set them up for the future.

Our Garden

We have a very strong belief in the importance of learning through play, particularly in the outdoors.  Being in the outdoors has all sorts of benefits for mental health and wellbeing, as well as utilising the natural environment to encourage creativity, exploration and discovery.

 

We are fortunate to have a fabulous garden and covered outdoor space meaning the children can spend time outside whatever the weather. 

In recent years our fundraisers have paid for a new vegetable garden and greenhouse where the children can get involved in planting, growing and ultimately eating their own veg!

The Team

Merry Go Round Preschool is an independent, charity preschool run by a passionate team of staff and committee members, all of whom are committed to making Merry Go Round the best it possibly can be for nurturing our young children. We are committed to creating a positive, team environment where our staff feel valued, enabled to grow and to reach their full potential. We are constantly looking at ways of supporting staff professional development with relevant training opportunities so that they can best support our little people in line with the Merry Go Round values.

As an independent, charity-run preschool we cannot operate without our committee of hardworking, volunteer parents (both past and present).  The committee are responsible for the regulatory, administrative and financial processes of Merry Go Round, as well as organising a number of fundraising and social events throughout the year.

When a child joins Merry Go Round their parents or carers are encouraged to play an active role in shaping the preschool, by contributing their time, skills or experience in a variety of ways.  This could be as a committee member, by contributing to a fundraising event or participating in a community workday. If you are interested in getting involved, please get in touch with Rosie our Chair, either in person or by email - chair@merrygorounddevon.com

 

What does your child need for preschool?

Preschool Kit List

All children attending the setting will need to bring:

• Spare clothes

• Wellies and suitable outdoor clothing

• Sunhats (we ask all parents to ensure in summer months that children have suncream already applied before arriving at preschool).

• Parents of children who are not fully toilet trained are asked to provide enough nappies to last the day

All clothes and wellies should be clearly labelled with the child’s name.

Our Policies

Merry Go Round’s policies are reviewed on a regular basis to ensure we adhere to the latest guidelines and best practice for early years care and education.  You can view a copy of these by clicking on each link below.   A hard copy is also available in the setting.

What Parents Think

"My young boys were partly brought up by the staff at Merry-Go-Round and I can confidently say that they benefited greatly from the experience. It set both of them up with all the mental, social, physical and academic skills needed to make a success of entering foundation stage, but it also set them up to be confident young boys.  My wife and I also have fond memories of the time and all the friends that we made while being part of the committee."

“I cannot recommend Merry-Go-Round highly enough. Excellent standards of care where staff went above and beyond to ensure my child was safe and happy at all times. The balance between learning and play, an amazing Forest School and the sound of laughter the minute you step through the gate .... what more could you ask for!”

“My daughter loved her time at Merry-Go-Round, from age 2 until going to school. It was a caring environment with great staff who are genuinely interested in nurturing your child. I'd encourage anyone to consider Merry-Go-Round as their pre-school of choice.”