The North East’s top rated nursery recently welcomed the Mayor of Tees Valley, Ben Houchen, to see for himself why it ranked first out of 20 based on feedback from parents and carers.
Little Ladybirds Day Nursery in Stockton recently came first in the North East on daynurseries.co.uk which ranks reviews by parents attending nurseries across the country, and is the nursery industry’s equivalent to the Trip Advisor ratings platform.
Mayor Houchen, who himself became a dad for the first time to daughter Hannah six months ago, was invited along by nursery owner Andrea Townsley to meet her team and some of the little ones who attend the Preston Farm Industrial Estate-based nursery.
Andrea said: “We are so incredibly proud of everything we’ve achieved and wanted to give the Mayor a tour so he could see just what a great nursery we are.
“He’s just become a dad himself recently so it was a real honour that Little Ladybirds was the first nursery he’s visited in his seven years term as Mayor.
“He was genuinely interested in everything we do for our little ones and really enjoyed seeing them playing and learning.
“I think becoming a dad made his visit all the more special and we were delighted that he really took the time to fully understand what we offer and why we’ve been voted the best nursery in the North East.”
Mayor Houchen was given a guided tour of Ladybird House by Group Operations Director Sharon Lewis and Nursery Manager Claire Harrison-Jones.
Mayor Houchen said: “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed meeting the team. They’re so passionate about what they do and the care they provide to the 100-plus children they look after.
“For me personally, having just become a dad for the first time recently, I was genuinely interested to learn more about the nursery, how they deliver activities that are both fun and educational for the little ones, and also hear how they’ve overcome the challenges that Covid presented.
“Today was the first time in seven years that I have visited a nursery in Tees Valley and I really did feel like I came away more knowledgeable about the work that goes on behind the scenes to ensure our little ones get the best possible start in life.”
Mayor Houchen also heard how Clever Clogs Nursery Group, of which Little Ladybirds is a part of, was also ranked fourth in the country and one of only 16 our of 329 nursery groups assessed that were awarded the coveted 10 out of 10 score.