Growing Together with Our Community: A Little Pips Story

At Little Pips, we believe that children flourish when they feel part of something bigger than themselves - part of a community that knows them, values them, and welcomes them. Although we are newly opened, our children have already begun to weave themselves into the heartbeat of Pocklington, and it has been incredible to watch the relationships forming, the confidence growing, and the smiles spreading far beyond our nursery walls.

Not only do we offer a stunning nursery environment complete with an inspiring atelier, a welcoming piazza, and four beautifully designed learning spaces, but we also provide children with a bespoke outdoor adventure area nestled within 50 acres of vibrant school grounds. Our setting invites curiosity, creativity, and exploration at every turn. What has truly made our nursery launch extraordinary, though, is becoming part of such a warm and supportive school community—one that has embraced our nursery and helped it flourish from day one. Our children have loved visiting the Pocklington market, chatting to stallholders and choosing fresh ingredients for baking back at nursery. What begins as a simple walk becomes a powerful learning experience: children asking questions about where food comes from, noticing colours and smells, practising turn-taking and decision-making, and building the confidence to greet familiar faces who wave and smile with genuine warmth. Their voices are heard, their curiosity is encouraged, and they see themselves as active participants in their community, not just passers-by.

Back at nursery, those ingredients turn into baking projects where children mix, knead, measure and create, before deciding together who they will share their bakes with. And then comes the best part: hand-delivering their homemade treats to friends we have made in the local area.

Watching children offer something they have made with love and see the delight on the faces of those who receive it - learning like this can't be manufactured, it has to be lived. Those moments speak to kindness, confidence, empathy and identity; they remind children that they have something valuable to offer the world.

For us, this is the heart of the Reggio Emilia approach. Real experiences, real people, and real relationships. Children learning in partnership with their environment, their educators and their community. Every greeting at the market, every smile in the street, every shared conversation is part of the curriculum, shaping identity, belonging and understanding.

On a personal note, being able to do this work here in Pocklington means more to me than I can express. I was born and raised here and my own children have grown up here too. I know firsthand how important it is for children to feel rooted in their community; to feel seen and supported by the place they call home. That sense of belonging shapes who we become. It shaped me, and now, through Little Pips, I feel incredibly proud to help shape it for others.

We are deeply grateful for the way the town has welcomed us with open arms: the friendly conversations at the market, the neighbours who greet us with warmth, and the local individuals and businesses who have embraced our children as part of daily life. It is rare and special to open a nursery in a community where people genuinely care, and we don’t take that for granted.

As we continue to grow, our promise is simple: we will always nurture relationships, celebrate community, honour childhood and ensure that our children remain active, visible contributors to the town that surrounds them. Little Pips is more than a nursery, it is a place where community is lived, not spoken; where childhood is cherished; and where every child knows they belong.

Thank you, Pocklington, for welcoming us so generously!

We are excited for all that we will create together.