CHESTER-LE-STREET PARENT & TODDLER GROUP

A warm welcome awaits you at our parent and toddler group, which has now been running for about 18 years. We are open to children from birth up to the time they "graduate" and leave us to go on to nursery.

Despite the title of the group, we have in our number, apart from the children, their parents, grandparents, other relatives, friends and childminders.

We are open every Monday & Wednesday morning, between 9.30-11.30 during term-time, though we are flexible, understanding that carers of young children cannot always be there promptly. Our fees are very reasonable, £1.00 for a child and carer plus 50p for each extra child they bring. For this, we provide a safe, indoor play area with small toys, see-saws, slides and push-along toys. At a certain point in the morning, we have the children sit around small tables for juice and snacks (fruit, crisps, biscuits) while the carers enjoy tea or coffee and biscuits. Then, while seated in a circle on cushions, we share birthdays and special occasions and sing nursery rhymes, after that the larger toys come out (trikes and pedal cars).

Our staff are all Salvationist volunteers and are police checked though we do expect the carers to stay and supervise their children.

Many friendships have been forged while watching the children play, old friends have become reunited and while we do not actually teach the Bible to our young members, we do encourage old and young alike to visit the Corps on special occasions and maintain links.