Care home and village operator Belong has been granted planning permission for the 25-place nursery at its newest development, which is currently under construction.
The nursery, open to children from birth to age five, will feature a sensory nature and play garden, and operate flexibly over six days a week to accommodate the work and shift patterns of staff.
It will be managed by national charity Ready Generations, which specialises in intergenerational learning.
A previous winner of Nursery World’s Team Initiative award, Liz Ludden, who owns Dukes and Duchesses Nursery School in Liverpool, has been appointed to run the setting.
She told Nursery World, ‘Our vision is to create a vibrant nursery which is fully integrated into the heart of the care village. We will develop authentic relationships between young and old through meaningful activities which stimulate and extend the minds of all involved.
‘The nursery has been made possible through years of preparation, practice and research and has allowed us to develop professional partnerships across several sectors.’
Belong’s deputy chief executive, Tracy Paine, added, ‘We are particularly excited about the unique possibilities of having an integrated intergenerational nursery on site. By working closely with Ready Generations, we have been able to access the most advanced knowledge from research and practice to take this a step further.’
