Westbank celebrates 20 years of Kidzone with current and former attendees

Westbank Community Health and Care has celebrated the 20th anniversary of its dedicated childcare facility, Kidzone, with former and current attendees. The Ofsted-registered facility at Exminster cares for more than 140 children in total, offering nursery, pre-school, holiday clubs and wrap-around school care for children up to 11 years old. From early summer this year, Kidzone has accepted babies aged from 5 months, and this age group is slowly building.

Employee Jennifer Knight attended Kidzone herself when she was younger. As did 15-year-old Hannah McDonald from Exminster, who volunteered at Kidzone for her Duke of Edinburgh award. Hannah was invited back to join Jennifer and the rest of the team for a birthday celebration with some of the young children who currently attend, including 3-year-old Anaya Rose who blew out the candles on a colourful cake. 

Hannah, who’s about to start her GCSE year at Torquay Girls Grammar School, started going to Kidzone’s after-school activities and holiday clubs when she began primary school. She attended until she was in Year 4 and then returned to volunteer for around 9 months as part of her Silver Duke of Edinburgh award. 

Hannah says, “I used to really look forward to coming to Kidzone as a child, and it was very nostalgic the first time I came back as a volunteer. When I was little my parents used to come to pick me up and I’d ask, “Can’t I stay a bit longer?” When I was older, I’d hang out with school friends here. It was like a social club for me because I’m an only child and my friends were like siblings to me.”

As a supervised DoE volunteer, Hannah was ‘an extra pair of hands’ and enjoyed playing with the children and generally helping out with them at break and snack times. She says, “I knew from my own experience that it’s a lovely place and I didn’t think it had changed one bit. I got back into it very easily; it was one of those full-circle moments. My Friday afternoons volunteering became part of my weekly routine and part of the kids’ routine. I used to do a little ballet class with them, and they’d all be waiting for me, saying “Hannah, come on, we’re doing ballet now.” Then, they’d laugh at how inflexible I am!”

Hannah adds, “Volunteering is great because it allows you to try out potential careers. You’re giving back to your community and, at Kidzone, I was helping the people who used to help me. It’s a great opportunity to meet new people, make new connections and give yourself a helping hand for the future.”

Jennifer Knight from Exminster has worked at Kidzone for a year as a Level 3 Childcare Practitioner. She says, “I was quite little when I came to Kidzone, but the feel of the place is very similar to how I remember it then in all honesty. Obviously it’s evolved as all childcare has, but it’s managed to keep a community feel. I used to play with children here who were at the same school as me but in a different year group. It was only at Kidzone that we got to play together.”

Jennifer adds, “Coming here and playing with children who were younger than me made me think about a career in childcare. I did some work experience at Kidzone before starting my college course in Children’s Learning, Play and Development. And now here I am, working here! Recent changes like the introduction of our Baby Room are going well.”

To find out more about childcare at Kidzone at Westbank, visit: www.westbank.org.uk/Pages/Category/kidzone