Skip to content For many years our small but close-knit team had worked together in a preschool setting based out of Chandlers Ford. When the day came that we learned our setting would soon be closing down, we had the unhappy job of informing the children and their parents of this sad development.
One of these parents was especially devastated at the news; her young daughter Gabriela had loved attending our preschool setting, and she could not imagine sending her child anywhere else.
She offered to start her own Kindergarten in the exact same place, with the exact same team and the exact same children, so that we could all continue on as we had been before without issue.
The name ‘Little Delwood’ was chosen by her daughter – Delwood is a name that is special to their family, and she had always referred to our preschool setting as her “little house” because we had felt like a second family to her, so our new setting became ‘Little Delwood’!
A truly lovely thought, but nothing more than wishful thinking… or so we thought!!
Little Delwood Kindergarten opened on February 25th of 2019 with the same children and the same team in the same building, with that parent now serving as our company director!
The name ‘Little Delwood’ was chosen by her daughter – Delwood is the name of their family home, and she had always referred to our preschool setting as her “little house” because we had felt like a second family to her, so our new setting became ‘Little Delwood’!
Since then our cohort of children has grown every year, our team has expanded massively, and in 2025 our now not-so-little Delwood family grew when we opened our second setting; a nursery in Eastleigh town centre.
What began with one family’s determination to preserve something special has grown into a nurturing community built on continuity, care, and connection. At the heart of Little Delwood is the same belief that started it all: that children thrive when they feel safe, valued, and truly at home. As we continue to grow, our commitment remains unchanged — to provide a warm, family-centred environment where every child, family, and team member feels they belong.
At Little Delwood we believe that every child is a unique, capable and curious learner. We value play, positive relationships and first-hand experiences as the foundation for learning and development. Through nurturing environments, thoughtful adult support and strong partnerships with families, we foster confidence, belonging and a lifelong love of learning, helping children to grow as happy, independent and caring individuals.
We are proud of our unique curriculum that we have carefully formed over time, which brings together the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and the Froebelian approach.
Our Kindergarten and Nursery settings follow the Froebelian approach; a child-centred and play-based educational philosophy that was pioneered by Friedrich Froebel; the inventor of the very first Kindergarten.
The Froebelian approach teaches us that children are capable, curious learners who develop best through play, exploration, and meaningful, positive relationships with their teachers and peers, and emphasises creativity, independence, and a love of the natural world.
Some of the most important Froebelian-inspired tenets that we follow are:
In addition to our continuous provision, there are always several structured activities within a Delwood day, such as:
Children are given the time and space throughout the day to find and pursue activities of their own choosing and interest, while still learning to work and play as part of a group when joining in with structured activities.
Every week we have a new theme that is inspired by the seasons, by calendar events, or by the interests of the children, with activities and events to enhance this theme and link the learning.
Optimized by Seraphinite Accelerator