Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury

50 Mill Lane, Harbledown, Canterbury CT2 8NE
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9.7 32 Reviews
  • Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury, Canterbury
Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury is is the perfect setting for parents looking for a light and spacious nursery with wonderful outdoor facilities. Located in the outskirts of the beautiful cathedral city of Canterbury, the purpose built nursery offers three large rooms, full of engaging resources, all designed to create a home-from-home environment.

The nursery offers exceptional care, enriched by unique learning opportunities for your child. One such experience is child-friendly cooking classes, helping to equip children with valuable skills and deeper knowledge of the cooking process.

Full of vibrant and sensual play, the design of Babychoos has been carefully created to stimulate and engage with all children. The opened planned spaces are based on the ground floor all on one level with access to a carefully constructed garden equipped especially for children under two.

The Caterpillar room for children aged around 2-3 years, encourages free flow play, inside and out, where children can explore many activities. Specifically designed for this age group, the Caterpillar room is spacious with many large windows giving natural light. The Caterpillar room is inviting with opportunities for learning wherever you turn. The inside gives access to a large well equipped outdoor play area where all aspects of development are considered.

As the children progress, at around 3 years old, they transition to the Butterflies room. Learning continues to be enjoyable and rewarding with a good balance of child initiated play and adult led activities.

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Care Provided by Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury

  • Type of Service
  • Day Nursery – Privately Owned
  • Open all year
  • Full Day Care
  • Sessional Day Care

Good to Know

  • Person in charge
  • Meg Knight (Nursery Manager)
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 23
  • Total Places for Children
  • 69
  • Age Range
    • from 0 years 1 months
    • to 5 years 0 months
  • Opening Times
  • Monday 07:30-18:00
    Tuesday 07:30-18:00
    Wednesday 07:30-18:00
    Thursday 07:30-18:00
    Friday 07:30-18:00
  • When Closed
  • Bank Holidays & 2 weeks at Christmas

Funding & Fees Guide for Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury

  • Full Day Session £71.60 (Under 3)
    Full Day Session £70.30 (Over 3)

  • A £100 non-refundable registration fee is required to secure a place. Exact days of attendance should be confirmed no later than 6 weeks prior to the child’s start date. Any changes are subject to availability.
  • Parking

  • There is free parking by the nursery.


Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury Reviews (32)

Total of 32, showing 1-20
9.7

Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury has a Review Score of 9.7 (9.690) out of 10, based on 19 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury has 32 reviews.

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Review from Harry M (Father of Child) published on 13 March 2025
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our daughter was with Choochoo's for 10 months in the baby room but due to a home move we had to move nurseries.
We are going to dearly miss one staff member in particular and the other ladies in the baby room (and manager!)
Our daughter was given great care & attention, her development blossomed
each time she visited. The daily updates on the app were welcome to us as nervous new parents. One staff member in particular had a keen eye for new changes in behaviour and was a consistent, brilliant influence. Everyone did a great job in getting to know our baby. Management was also flexible with us when we had varying needs & requests! They are truly exceptional. We wish the staff at Choochoos Canterbury all the best!!

Reply from Hannah Nabil, Marketing Business Partner at Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury

Thank you for your heartfelt words! We're so glad to have been part of your daughter's journey and to hear how much you appreciated the care, support, and flexibility. Wishing you all the best in your new home-your kind words mean the world to us :)


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Review from Lucy L (Mother of Child) published on 13 March 2025
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son has been attending Choochoos for 6 months and his progression with words, songs, confidence and motor skills is phenomenal.
My son's key person is very interactive with not only him but communicates widely with myself. Initiative is used without parents input which enhances the trust I put
into the team as a whole.
Great updates via their parent app, and when I pick up my son, I get another update to finish the day off!
Amazing, and highly recommend

Reply from Hannah Nabil, Marketing Business Partner at Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury

We're thrilled to hear about your son's progress at nursery and glad you enjoy the updates and communication-it means so much to us. Thank you for the recommendation!


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Review from Natalie F (Mother of Child) published on 25 July 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Choochoos is a lovely nursery, my son always talks about what he has done and has a fantastic relationship with his key person. The manager is lovely and is always welcoming. The nursery provides lots of activities my son enjoys little kicks and Rugby tots. The staff are lovely, work hard, and are passionate
about their job and it shows.

Reply from Joanne Wright, Chief Marketing Officer at Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury

We're delighted to hear that your son loves nursery! Thank you for sharing.


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Review from Hayley B (Mother of Child) published on 3 July 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

My daughter started with Choo Choos in September 2023 after moving to the area. She previously went to a pre-school which had much shorter hours due to my job change as well as our move the days she does now are a lot longer however it's only for two days. She did struggle to settle in at first (not
into the nursery, she loved all of the nursery staff and she makes friends easily) however I left her she had trouble with (Saying she didn't want to go, crying, upset), that has probably only changed in the last two months however the staff have helped me to create a routine so she knows what's happening and as long as she can have hugs and kisses and a wave through the window she's fine. The nursery staff are all brilliant. Great communication and I find the app helpful. She absolutely loves it and is sad to leave to go to primary school.
Would highly recommend the nursery. Thank you all so much!

Reply from Angela Bailey, Head of Customer Experience at Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury

Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. Change can be hard for children, so it is lovely to read how the team has supported you and your daughter and that she has settled into her new routine.


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Review from Elena V (Mother of Child) published on 12 March 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son has been going to Choochoos since he was nine months old. We loved the baby room, the staff are really friendly and approachable. Lots of different activities during the day, and of course, lots of pictures that I was able to see throughout the app. He took a while to come out of his shell, but
everyone helped with this and soon he felt secure and happy. Not long after he moved rooms to toddlers, he needed lots of reassurance from everyone, but I have noticed he has changed his attitude, and he is a lot happier and goes in in the morning by himself.
Staff tell me every day what he was doing during the day.
I would love to see pictures more often showing home daily routines/activities.

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Review from K H (Mother of Child) published on 12 March 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The staff at Choochoos are absolutely wonderful. They are all so approachable, and our little girl bonded immediately with her key person. Everyone in the baby room is so caring and has really taken the time to get to know our little girl. We are updated regularly on her day both in the app and in person
when we collect her. We are really happy we chose Choochoos and would recommend to other parents.

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Review from C R (Mother of Child) published on 8 March 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

This has been a fantastic nursery for my little one. He has come leaps and bounds with his personal journey with Choochoos.
The team from the office are always kind and helpful with answering the phone and responding back to emails promptly are amazing.
The key workers are friendly and smiling and
encourage lots of positive energy throughout - my little one’s day is just outstanding. They offer their advice when needed and go above and beyond to help where they can.
To the management team and SENCO who were on standby to provide safety and reassurance whenever needed.
This is a beautiful nursery with a beautiful team.
Thank you Choochoos!

Reply from Joanne Wright, Chief Marketing Officer at Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury

That is wonderful to hear; thank you for sharing so much with us.


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Review from Louisa R (Mother of Child) published on 8 March 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our son has recently started going to Choochoos in Canterbury. I was so worried about leaving him so young (he was only six months old when he started), but I really didn't need to be. The ladies in the baby room have all been fantastic with him.
He gets excited when he sees his key person, and the
app keeps me up to date with what he's doing. His key person is fantastic and will often call to let me know how his day is going and let me make any decisions about his care.
I really would recommend Choochoos to anyone looking for a nursery - both me and my son are really happy here!

Reply from Joanne Wright, Chief Marketing Officer at Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury

We are delighted to hear that you are enjoying the daily updates on the app. It's really important for our home and nursery connection.


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Review from Evren S (Father of Child) published on 8 March 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Choochoos Day Nursery in Canterbury has been a wonderful experience for both my child and myself. From the moment we stepped through the doors, we were greeted by a warm and welcoming atmosphere that felt more like a home from home than a nursery. Choochoos Canterbury has exceeded our expectations and
provided an invaluable experience for our daughter.

Reply from Joanne Wright, Chief Marketing Officer at Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury

Wow. Thank you so much for such a glowing review. We are delighted to hear this, and we'll be sure to pass your comments on to the team.


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Review from N P (Mother of Child) published on 24 October 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We absolutely love Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury. The team are wonderful, so kind and caring. There is so much for children to do and it is lovely to have a free-flowing room. Our child loves it there and always comes home talking about what a great day they had and how kind their key worker and
other members of staff have been!

Reply from Beth Lewendon, Marketing Coordinator at Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury

Thank you for your wonderful feedback! We're thrilled to hear that you and your child love Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury. Our team is dedicated to creating a caring and engaging environment for the children, and it's heartwarming to know that your child enjoys their time with us. We truly appreciate your kind words and look forward to many more great days ahead!


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Review from P S (Father of Child) published on 24 August 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son is always happy to go to nursery! He is greeted by his key person with a friendly face. I get regular updates about what my child is doing throughout the day, as well as feedback when I collect. I like the messy activities and the access he has to the garden area and walks in the local community.
All the staff I see seem happy and friendly. Happy child and happy parents. I would definitely recommend it.

Reply from Beth Lewendon, Marketing Coordinator at Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury

We really appreciate your review; thank you so much!


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Review from Katie S (Mother of Child) published on 2 August 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Our son has flourished at nursery due to the wonderful staff working there. They provide a range of resources during the learning activities. Our parent evenings are a great way to spend some time with his key worker to understand his personal development further. Our Choochoos journey is coming to
an end this month and the team will be missed.

Reply from Beth Lewendon, Marketing Coordinator at Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury

Thank you so much for your review, we really appreciate it!


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Review from Sophie S (Mother of Child) published on 14 July 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My little one absolutely loves going to nursery, she is always so happy and the staff are just amazing, they are all so caring and understanding, they always do fun things and always make sure the children are always well looked after and always filter to each individual child’s needs. I am always informed
of any sort of little accident and always informed when we get to have days where we come into the nursery to have some fun days with them. They always make sure they are happy!

Reply from Beth Lewendon, Marketing Coordinator at Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury

We really appreciate your review, thank you so much for writing feedback!


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Review from V H (Mother of Child) published on 14 July 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Really lovely nursery and a great team of carers/educators. It feels very warm and inviting whilst also very much like early education. We get updates throughout the day about all the activities the kids are up to and how this ties into their development. We were at a different nursery prior to this
and immediately noticed the difference once we transferred to Choochoos Day Nursery - in the atmosphere of the nursery, the interaction with parents, the types of things the children were doing and also the happiness of our child who seems to really love it there. Highly recommend.

Reply from Beth Lewendon, Marketing Coordinator at Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury

Thank you so much for your review, we really appreciate it!


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Review from Nicola B (Mother of Child) published on 14 July 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

My daughter has been well cared for in Choochoos Day Nursery. She has remained happy to attend and has made good friends with other children. It will be sad to take her out to go to school.
I think that the numbers in the classes are large and that my child has not bonded with her new key worker as
readily as she bonded with previous ones. This is why I have not given an excellent rating.

Reply from Beth Lewendon, Marketing Coordinator at Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury

Thank you for your review, we do appreciate your feedback!


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Review from Jemma M (Mother of Child) published on 26 April 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 3.0 out of 5

My son has fun here and likes the staff. I have often felt a certain cold vibe from some staff members, but my son always comes home happy and he really loves his key worker. It is a lovely nursery inside and I love the fact that they have an outdoor area.

Reply from Beth Lewendon, Marketing Coordinator at Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury

Thank you so much for your review, we really appreciate it!


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Review from V M (Mother of Child) published on 21 April 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The nursery is full of friendly and supportive staff that want the best for children. Staff listen to worries and act on them, providing feedback. The play area for children is set in age ranges and provides open free play with lots of toys and set activities each day. I feel at ease going to work,
knowing my son is safe and happy.

Reply from Beth Lewendon, Marketing Coordinator at Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury

Thank you so much for your review, we really appreciate it!


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Review from S S (Father of Child) published on 20 April 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 3.0 out of 5

The nursery needs to do more for the children who have special education needs. The pre-school rooms are overcrowded. The SENCO and the manager need to take extra efforts in creating a better experience for any child. Recently two or three children left the nursery because of not-so-happy experiences.
The nursery needs to stop complaining about the child and explain what additional steps they have taken to improve any behaviour which they found not acceptable. Thankfully, the parents have a chat group and discuss everything related to their child at the nursery which helps others to make the correct decision for their child's future. I am surely not keen to recommend this nursery to any of our family friends. Thank you.

Reply from Beth Lewendon, Marketing Coordinator at Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury

Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review.


The SENCO at our nursery, as well as the wider team, work extremely hard to support families and children with special educational needs. Our SENCO works very closely with Health Visitors to ensure individualised support plans are put in place for children, and will discuss these with parents to ensure we are able to support each child in and out of nursery.


We strictly adhere to the Early Years Foundation Stage in relation to space requirements. Over the Summer last year, we moved our Pre-school room to an even larger room within the nursery to increase the number of Pre-school places that we are able to offer.


Please do not hesitate to contact us directly to discuss any further concerns you may have. Thank you again for taking the time to write us a review.


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Review from Giovanna G (Mother of Child) published on 14 April 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

This nursery did a lot for me and my daughter gets a lot of stimulation in one month in this nursery, she came back home singing and talking much more. She was very behind in the other nursery and she is always happy to go in the morning and, for me, that is so important to her feelings and improvement.

Reply from Beth Lewendon, Marketing Coordinator at Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury

Thank you for your review, we really appreciate it!


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Review from M B (Mother of Child) published on 23 November 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Lovely nursery with really caring staff. My daughter is very happy here and is making great progress. We get frequent updates about the activities she is doing and the nursery host lovely events which parents can also attend.

Reply from Beth Lewendon, Marketing Coordinator at Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury

Thank you for your review, we really appreciate it!


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Current Review Score: 9.7 (9.690)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.7 (9.690) out of 10 for Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  • a) The Average Rating is 4.7 out of 5 from 19 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 17 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Day Nursery is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  • a) 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months.

    The Average Rating of 4.690 for Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury is calculated as follows: ( (174 Excellents x 5) + (36 Goods x 4) + (14 Satisfactorys x 3) + (2 Poors x 2) ) ÷ 226 Ratings = 4.69

  • b) 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5').

    The 5 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury is based on 17 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    • i) 4 points are available for the first 10 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, and then 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews and then 0.1 Points for the next five Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.100, 7th = 0.100, 8th = 0.100, 9th = 0.100, 10th = 0.100) 3 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 = 4

    • ii) 1 point is available for the number of Positive Reviews reaching 20% of the number of registered child places in the last 24 months. If this number is partially reached, then that proportion of 1 point is given. eg a Day Nursery registered for a maximum of 50 child places has to reach 10 Positive Reviews to receive 1 point, if it has 7 reviews it will receive 0.7 points. 20% of the 69 number of registered child places is 13.8, which has been reached with 17 Positive reviews. Points = 1

  • When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.

  • If a Day Nursery does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

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Awards / Recognitions (4)

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Meet the Team (1)

Meg

Meg Knight

Job Title: Nursery Manager, Safeguarding, Health and Safety, First Aider

Joined: 2018

Hi! I'm Meg and I'm the Nursery Manager here at Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury. I also am qualified for Level 3 in Childcare.


Every child learns individually and at Choochoos, we adapt to the needs at every stage of development as well as help them to set responsible boundaries


We look forward to welcoming you to our nursery!


Frequently Asked Questions about Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury

What is the Age Range of Children that Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury accepts?

Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury accepts Children aged from 0 years 1 month to 5 years 0 months.

What Days & Hours is Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury Open?

Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury is open: Monday 07:30-18:00, Tuesday 07:30-18:00, Wednesday 07:30-18:00, Thursday 07:30-18:00, Friday 07:30-18:00.

How many Children does Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury have capacity for?

Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury has capacity for a total of 69 Children.

How far is Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury to the centre of Canterbury?

0.9 mile(s) as the crow flies, distance by road may be significantly further.

Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of daynurseries.co.uk. Please contact Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Choochoos Day Nursery Canterbury has a Platinum Service – more info.