Our Approach to Early Years Education in Hove
At Young Friends, everything begins with the child. Our approach to early years education is built around who your child is, what interests them and what they need to thrive.
We offer a sustainable, child-led approach to early years education, where children learn through real experiences, meaningful relationships and thoughtful guidance.
Rooted in sustainability, respect and real childhood
A different model of early years
Young Friends was intentionally created as a different model of early years education — one rooted in sustainability, respect and real childhood.
Sustainability shapes everything we do. It is not an add-on, but a framework that guides our decisions, environment and daily practice.
Children grow up understanding that how we live matters.
How children learn at Young Friends
Real Experiences
Children learn through gardening, cooking, building and working with real tools. Nothing here is tokenistic or staged.
Child-Led Learning
Children follow their own interests and ideas, with adults observing closely and building on what they see.
Loose Parts Play
Instead of conventional toys, children explore with open-ended materials: wood, fabric, metal and natural objects.
Thinking & Language
Adults support learning through open two-way conversations and careful questioning questioning that builds real thinking skills.
The Role of the Adult
At Young Friends, adults do not control learning – they guide and extend it.
Observing children closely
Responding to interests and schemas
Modelling language, care and respect
Supporting problem-solving and thinking
Understanding Each Child
We do not have a one-size-fits-all approach to behaviour, learning or care. We take the time to understand what each child needs, what motivates them, and what they find difficult, and we let that knowledge shape how we work with them.
Our highly trained team takes time to understand and observe each child’s:
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interests
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schemas
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emotional needs
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stage of development
Emotional Wellbeing
Emotional wellbeing is central to learning.
We use The Just Right System :
Green: calm, alert and ready to learn
Amber: anxious, overexcited – needs calming reassurance
Blue: low energy, tired or bored – needs comfort, movement or change of environment
Red: overwhelmed and needs support
The Just Right Programme is a colour-based emotional regulation system developed in Brighton and Hove for use in early years settings. It gives children a simple, visual way to understand and communicate how they are feeling, without needing to find complex words for big emotions.
Children are supported through co-regulation and calm, consistent suppport.
Respect & Community
Respect underpins everything we do.
We build strong relationships between children, families and staff, with respectful, open and honest communication.
Anti-bias runs through everything we do. Children learn to respect themselves, each other and the diversity they encounter around them, in the setting, in the community and in the wider world.
A community, not just a setting
Young Friends is a community in which everyone works together for the good of the child. Many of the families who come to Young Friends tell us it feels different from the moment they walk in. That comes from a culture built on respect for each other and the environment, a team that communicates honestly, and a commitment to knowing every child and family well.
Safeguarding & Standards
Safeguarding is central to our kindergarten.
The safety and wellbeing of every child in our care is our first responsibility, and it shapes everything from how we recruit staff to how we manage the building and communicate with families.
We maintain clear procedures, strong leadership and high expectations across the whole team.
What makes us different?
Real Food, Every Day
Freshly prepared, fully plant-based meals made from scratch daily, many using vegetables grown in our own kitchen garden.
Consistently Outstanding
Rated Outstanding by Ofsted at every inspection since we opened in 2009
Everything Starts with Your Child
Child-initiated, deeply personal and thoughtfully guided. Your child’s interests shape their day, every day.
A Woodland Garden in the Heart of Hove
A private woodland garden, kitchen garden and covered workshop, all in the heart of Hove.
What parents and carers say
Young Friends is a sustainable kindergarten, a forest school, a nature pre-school and early years education specialist all in one.
At Young Friends, children don’t visit nature occasionally. They live in it, look after it, question it and begin to understand why it matters.
Life at Young Friends
Here you’ll find information about our kindergarten and the things that matter to us: how children learn, what they eat, and why we do things the way we do.
Whether you’re new to Young Friends or already part of our community, there’s plenty to explore.
The Just Right System
