Business Details
Community Childcare & Early Years Support in Bath
Established in the early 1990s, First Steps Bath was founded by local families, health visitors, and teachers to address the urgent need for high-quality, flexible, and affordable childcare. Our mission has always been to remove barriers to employment while ensuring every child receives the best possible start in life. Rooted in the community, we prioritise recruiting and training local people, offering fair pay and good working conditions to support families into work. Despite significant deprivation in Twerton and Whiteway, we provide quality childcare and family support, enabling parents to engage in education and employment. Our services include community nurseries, specialist early years education, and therapeutic support for children with additional needs.We operate as an Early Excellence Centre and Sure Start Children's Centre, delivering holistic care through partnerships with health visitors, educators, and local authorities. Our pedagogy, represented by the 'Pedagogy Rainbow', integrates research-based learning concepts to strengthen children's development. We also offer room hire facilities and collaborate with the community to maximise access to mainstream education. With a focus on transparency and data protection, we work closely with families to secure positive outcomes for children.
Services
Community Nurseries
Early Years Education
Specialist Preschool
Family Support Services
Room Hire Facilities
Highlights and features
- We have over 30 years of experience in community childcare and early intervention
- Our staff maintain exceptional staff-to-child ratios for personalised care
- We offer specialist therapeutic services for children with additional needs
- Our pedagogy integrates research-based learning concepts for holistic development
- We partner with health visitors and educators for comprehensive family support
What people say
Exceptional learning progress
Dedicated, skilled staff
Positive transformation in children
Strong family support
Excellent relationships built
Services
Community Nurseries
Our community nurseries provide safe, stimulating environments for children aged 0-5. With qualified staff and research-based pedagogy, we focus on holistic development through structured play and learning activities. Services include sessional care, wraparound provision for working parents, and integration with health visitor programmes.
Specialist Preschool
Bath Opportunity Preschool offers tailored early years education for children with additional needs. Our high staff-to-child ratios and partnerships with health professionals ensure individualised care plans. We facilitate transitions to mainstream schools while providing specialist therapeutic interventions in a supportive environment.
Family Support Services
We deliver comprehensive family support through stay-and-play activities, parenting workshops, and health visitor collaborations. Our services help parents access education and employment while addressing child development needs. We also provide nutritional meals and enrichment activities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Room Hire Facilities
Our Twerton centre offers flexible room hire options for community groups, meetings, and events. Facilities include family rooms for small groups and a conference room for larger gatherings, available during extended hours including evenings and weekends.
Early Years Education
We deliver curriculum-based early years education aligned with Ofsted standards. Our programmes focus on communication, physical development, and social skills through play-based learning. Staff maintain detailed progress records and work closely with parents to support each child's educational journey.
Questions
What childcare services do you offer?
We provide community nurseries, specialist preschool for children with additional needs, family support services, and room hire facilities across Bath.
Do you accept 30-hour funding?
Yes, we support families with the new 30-hour funding for working parents across all our nursery locations.
How do you support children with additional needs?
Our Bath Opportunity Preschool offers specialist therapeutic services with high staff-to-child ratios and partnerships with health professionals.
How can I book a nursery place?
Complete our Nursery Enquiry Form online or contact our Twerton nursery directly at 01225 444791 for registration details.
Are your nurseries Ofsted registered?
Yes, all our centres are Ofsted-registered with unique reference numbers displayed at each location.
