Opening hours
Monday – Wednesday: 09:00 - 14:30; Thursday: 09:00 - 12:00; Friday: 09:00 - 14:30
Twinkletoes Preschool
Ofsted: Good
(Oct 2021)
Number of places
24 places
Age range
2–4 yrs
Last inspected
Oct 2021
Local authority
Kent
About this day nursery
Twinkletoes Preschool, with locations in Dartford and Horton Kirby, provides early years education for children aged 2-5. Established in 2018 with the Dartford branch, and expanding in 2023, the preschools offer both half-day and full-day sessions.
They focus on creating a safe, happy, and stimulating environment where every child is seen as a unique individual and is supported by qualified practitioners. The curriculum emphasises play-based learning and active exploration, fostering confidence, creativity, and a love for discovery.
Twinkletoes Preschool aims to build strong partnerships with parents and the wider community to ensure each child thrives. The preschool accepts various government funding options, including FF2, 15-hour, and 30-hour funding.
They also offer an all-inclusive programme for children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum. The preschool uses an online system called 'Baby's Days' to keep parents informed about their child's daily activities and progress.
Each child benefits from a dedicated Key Person approach, ensuring individualised learning, development, and emotional security.
Our ethos
At Twinkletoes Preschools, our aim is to place each child’s welfare at the heart of everything we do, fostering learning through play, exploration, and meaningful first-hand experiences. We focus on building every child’s confidence, self-esteem, and resilience, tailoring our approach to meet individual needs through our key person system and supportive adult guidance. We value parents and carers as a child’s first educators and work in partnership to create a warm, inclusive, and nurturing environment where everyone feels safe, respected, and free from discrimination. Embracing diversity and individuality, we continually listen, reflect, and improve our practice to provide the possible early years experience for every child in our care.
What it's like
Children have close relationships with staff and make positive friendships, confidently inviting staff and other children into their play. They show fascination and wonder, for example, excitedly showing everyone a snail they found. Children display good levels of focus and concentration, with staff encouraging them to complete their play to their own satisfaction.
Play-based learningQualified educatorsKey Person approachOnline parent portalGovernment funding accepted
Pricing & funding
The nursery charges a daily consumables fee for half-day and full-day sessions, which is invoiced monthly. This fee covers all meals, consumables, and enhanced learning provision.
Funding accepted
15 hours — eligible 2-year-olds15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)
Good to know
- Consumables fees are invoiced monthly.
- Fees include all food, consumables, and enhanced provision.
Key facts
Age range
2-5
Term time / All Year
Term Time
Ofsted Inspection
Ofsted rating for Twinkletoes Preschool
Last inspected 1 October 2021
Overall effectiveness
Good
What it's like to attend
Children have close relationships with staff and make positive friendships, confidently inviting staff and other children into their play. They show fascination and wonder, for example, excitedly showing everyone a snail they found. Children display good levels of focus and concentration, with staff encouraging them to complete their play to their own satisfaction.
Inspector highlights
- Children value other children's contributions to their play and understand rules and boundaries.
- Children are very aware of their surroundings and confidently explore their play environment.
- Staff provide experiences and activities that relate to past conversations with children, helping them to express their imaginations and recall skills.
- Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive very positive interaction and engagement.
- Children's speech and language is continuously encouraged, and they learn to think for themselves and share ideas with friends.
Areas to develop
- 1support staff's understanding of using information and identified next steps for individual children more effectively to further promote their progress in all areas of learning.
Inspection #10190599 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report
Inclusion & environment
How they support every child
SEND provision
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive very positive interaction and engagement. Staff successfully implement plans using observation, information and advice from other professionals and parents. This helps to provide a consistent personalised approach to children's ongoing care and development. Parents express their appreciation for this support and recognise progress their children have made.
Outdoor space
Children are very aware of their surroundings and confidently explore their play environment. They choose to play indoors or outdoors at any time during the session. Staff provide a range of bicycles to extend children's abilities to balance and propel forward.
Parent Reviews of Twinkletoes Preschool
5.0
(14)
Katy harston
3 months ago
We couldn’t be happier with this pre-school. From the moment you walk through the door, it’s clear how much care, dedication, and love goes into everything they do. The children are exceptionally well looked after, with a strong focus on their wellbeing, happiness, and emotional security. Every child is truly known as an individual, and all needs are met with patience, understanding, and professionalism. The learning environment is nurturing and engaging, helping children grow in confidence while developing key skills through thoughtful, age-appropriate activities. Communication with parents is excellent, which is incredibly reassuring and gives complete peace of mind. Knowing our child is safe, supported, and thriving has made such a difference. We are so grateful for the amazing team and would highly recommend this pre-school to any family.
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Cody
5 months ago
Twinkletoes preschool is just amazing! I couldn't have wished for a better pre-school to look after my children. They are all so kind and caring. I love that they keep you updated every day with what the children had done, what they had eaten, what they had for snack ect. Also with photos each day too. This was nice because the amount of times I asked my children what they had been up to and I got the answer 'nothing' . So this helped me when having that conversation with my little ones. They always go the extra mile when it comes to occasions too, so the kids always came out with lots of things they had been creating. They helped make my children more independent which was nice, so instead of my kids expecting me to do everything they begain wanted to try and do stuff themselves first. I.e. putting shoes and bags on, gathering their stuff together ect. Twinkletoes preschool are loving, caring, personal, approachable and have amazing communication. Just perfect.
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Kirstie McGonagle
7 months ago
Twinkletoes is such a lovely pre-school. Both of my children attended Twinkletoes from the age of 2 to 4. The staff are wonderful and both of my children ran through the door happily every morning. The bonds between the children and the staff are lovely and I shed a tear when my youngest finished her time here! Thank you Twinkletoes for caring for my babies and keeping them safe when they were in your care.
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Rachel Tume
8 months ago
I cannot speak highly enough of Twinkletoes. They have been absolutely fantastic with my children. My daughter, who is non-verbal, autistic, and has a learning disability, attended here and the support, patience, and genuine care she received was incredible. The staff truly took the time to understand her needs and created a safe, nurturing environment where she could thrive. Now my 2-year-old son is attending, and they’ve been just as brilliant with him. He’s settled in so well, and it’s clear how much the team care about each and every child. The communication with parents is excellent, and the whole atmosphere is warm, welcoming, and inclusive. I’m so grateful to have found such a wonderful preschool — it’s no exaggeration that they have transformed our life.
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Catherine Webber
8 months ago
Twinkletoes in Wilmington is an outstanding early years setting. My son attended from when he had just turned two until he started primary school and I have nothing but praise to give this wonderful place. The staff there knew my son inside out: his strengths, weaknesses, interests, you name it, they could tell you about it. This is something you don’t get in every setting. As well as this, the staff went above and beyond to help my son settle, make friends and develop in all areas of early years. The was in which he developed whilst at Twinkletoes are too many to number. In addition, the curriculum they planned is always based around the interests in the children, resulting in meaningful and purposeful learning. I would not hesitate for a moment in recommending Twinkletoes and fell lucky my son got to experience the love and care they have in abundance.
Read on GoogleReviews from Google for Twinkletoes Preschool. See all on Google Maps
Inspection history
Most recent inspection
1 October 2021
Only one graded inspection on record — a trend chart will appear here once a second graded report is published.
View full Ofsted reportFrequently asked about Twinkletoes Preschool
About the setting
Twinkletoes Preschool registered in 2018. It operates from a community hall in Wilmington, Kent. The setting is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 9am until 2.30pm. It opens on a Thursday from 9am until midday. It operates term time only. The pre-school has a staff team of eight. Of these, seven hold relevant early years qualification to level 2 and above. The manager holds qualified teacher status. The pre-school provides funded places for two-, three- and four-year-old children.
- URN
- EY561332
- Registered person
- Twinkletoes (Early Years) Pre-School Limited
- Day care type
- Full day care
- Register
- Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register
- Establishment type
- Childcare on non-domestic premises
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