YMCA Maidstone Pre-school - Tovil
GoodBirth to 8+Long established
A pre-school in Maidstone for children from birth to 8+, open sessions in term time, often mornings. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2024. Open since 2016, with 30 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Kent
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Kent from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
ME15 6FGWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 7 February 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
The staff know the children well. They plan an engaging environment that focuses on children's interests. Children happily come into the pre-school and quickly settle into their play. They feel safe and secure as they explore a wide variety of activities and resources. For instance, the children skilfully place party invitations into envelopes. They eagerly deliver the letters and wait for staff to read the invitation out to them. Staff make good use of role play to support children in learning about real-life experiences as they develop an interest in literacy.
Children learn the importance of good hygiene routines, such as washing hands before eating. At snack time, staff provide children with opportunities to try new foods. They make positive use of praise to encourage children to have a go and do things for themselves. For instance, children excitedly use chopsticks to eat their noodles. Children enjoy the challenge as they practise their hand-eye coordination and develop their fine motor skills.
Staff provide children with a wealth of opportunities to practise their large motor skills. Children enjoy running around and riding bicycles. They particularly enjoy using large construction resources to build balancing beams in the garden. Staff support the children to take managed risks in their play as the children take turns to walk along the beams.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- continue to support staff to identify when high levels of noise are impacting on children's learning and take appropriate action to address this n support staff to recognise when to give children time to think about what they would like to say, to help develop children's learning and communication skills.
- 7 February 2024Good
- 17 April 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for YMCA Maidstone Pre-school - Tovil
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.