An introduction from Alison Madill, Nursery Principal
I am a Mum of 3 children and an early years teacher with a BA (Hons) Early Years Specialist degree as well as being a qualified and experienced business manager. To open and run a Playschool and Nursery School had been a personal dream for some time – encouraged by my frustration at the lack of high quality early years education some 15 years ago when my own children were small.
So in 1995 with the backing of my Church, Malone Presbyterian, I started a part-time Playschool within the church halls for some 10 children.
Simply Me Malone has since grown into a Specialised Early Years Centre educating 100 children in self-contained units within the King’s Hall grounds, housing 2 playschools and a fully funded nursery unit for 60 children.
By 2015 the Nursery School and Playschools were incorporated within the ‘Simply Me Malone’ Early Years Centre in South Belfast – the early years specialists.
It includes:
- Inbetweenies room for 1-2s and Toddler Playschool for 2 year olds (the inbetweenies stage – like an extension of your living room)
- Playschool for 3 year olds (with the motto ‘finding out is fun’, developing through exploration and discovery, and in turn making friends)
- Funded FREE Nursery unit for 60 pre-school children
- Specialised children’s workshops
- Wrap-around care from 8.00am-5.30pm
- Inclusive approach to learning;
- Reggio Emilia Kindergarten style approach to provide the highest quality stimulating experiences to develop the ‘whole child.’
- Special needs specialists joining our team of practioners – speech therapist and consultant educational psychologist
- Established as a training centre for staff
- Selected for specialised BELB training from Early Years Inclusion Team (EYIT)
Marking our 20th Anniversary, eagerly awaited purpose-built Kindergarten facilities opened in January 2015. Take a look, at the new Scandinavian style classrooms constructed within the Kings Hall grounds, back across the road from where it all began 20 years ago.
Take a tour of the school…
Future plans…
- A dedicated Special Needs unit alongside our mainstream Nursery unit