(Image: Supplied)
A husband-and-wife team have taken over a York nursery.
Laura and Dom Caunt have bought the Wendy House nursery in Dringhouses, renaming it Nest Nursery.
The couple, from Fishergate, said they decided to purchase the nursery in St Helen’s Road after being drawn to the Wendy House’s “family atmosphere and close-knit community”.
Laura, 36, a primary teacher with more than 14 years’ experience, most recently at Hempland Primary School in Heworth, said they wanted to create a “small, welcoming nursery in York”.
“My career has given me a strong understanding of early childhood development and the importance of creating an environment in which children feel secure, confident and excited to learn,” Laura said.
Laura said she will lead the day-to-day management and educational approach of the nursery, while Dom, 37, whose background is in business advisory, will support the commercial and operational side.
The nursery is registered to care for 22 children at any one time, from nine months to school age.
Laura said the nursery’s smaller size is “one of the things we particularly value, as it allows the team to get to know every child and family properly”.
“Our intention is to build on the care and relationships already in place,” she said.
Laura and Dom said they aim to update the nursery over time and create a calm and inviting space influenced by Scandinavian ideas and the Montessori child-centred educational approach, focused on self-directed learning, hands-on activity and collaborative play.
Laura said there will be “carefully chosen resources” ensuring the nursery has “plenty of purposeful play and opportunities for children to develop independence by following their natural interests and curiosity”.
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Laura and Dom have three young sons, Fin, Max and Felix, and said parenthood will help shape the nursery.
“Our experiences as parents have been central to the kind of nursery we want Nest to be,” Laura said. “We understand how important it is for parents to know that their child is genuinely understood, cared for and happy.
“Becoming parents has also reinforced our belief that children thrive when they are given warmth, consistency and the freedom to develop at their own pace.
“Our own children will be part of the Nest community too, so this is a very personal project for our family.”
She added: “We want to create the kind of nursery we would choose for our own children: somewhere warm and nurturing where every child is known as an individual and feels safe, happy and completely themselves.
“Our ambition is for Nest to become a trusted part of the local community and a place where children, parents and staff all feel that they belong.”
For more information, visit www.nestnursery.uk