Little Acorns

You might say that we began as a little acorn, and have grown into a mighty oak! We began operating in 2016 as a childminding service. Little Acorns was founded by Emma Smith, who as a school teacher, has a passion for teaching and learning. After having her daughter (Evie), Emma wanted a way to spend as much time as possible with her young daughter, while still being able to help other children with their learning. So, Little Acorns was born!

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In the time since, Little Acorns has gone from strength to strength! For a while, Emma's mum Belinda worked with her as an Assistant. Then, in 2018, Emma's sister Louise Mullen joined the team, following the birth of her daughter (Maddie). Louise brought a new dynamic to the team, particularly with her flair for arts and crafts! As childminders, we were graded as an Outstanding Provider by Ofsted. With a an ever growing waiting list for places, Emma and Louise then decided that they wanted to be able to offer their childcare service to more families. So, in January 2019, Little Acorns relaunched as a nursery, based above Runamokka, a soft play in the centre of Whitley Bay. By May 2019, we'd taken over the whole building, incorporating the former soft play into our setting. While we have grown from a small, home-based setting to a nursery, we endeavour to maintain the same, homely feel in our new setting as we did as childminders. In 2021 we were graded as a Good Provider by Ofsted, which is an amazing achievement for our first ever inspection as a nursery.

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You can read more about our history on the North Tyneside Council website, or watch a video about us.

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Prospective families, please read on for further information about Our Philosophy, Our Setting, Our Rooms and Our Staff.