Benefits of music in early childhood education
Music helps children to develop their social, physical and communication skills. Discover more about the benefits of music in early childhood education.
Willowdene Day Nursery & Pre-School, Widnes
Situated opposite Victoria Park and just minutes away from Widnes station, Partou Willowdene Day Nursery and Pre-School is highly popular amongst families in the Farnworth, Appleton, and Lunts Heath areas of Widnes.
Featuring vibrant playrooms and an exciting outdoor area, our setting provides a lovely ‘home from home’ atmosphere and welcomes children aged 0-5.
Facilities
Bright, spacious playrooms filled with educational toys and equipment
Creative arts and crafts and varied sports activities which keep children moving
Healthy and delicious meals from our seasonal menu, freshly prepared at the nursery
Exciting outdoor areas featuring tents, playhouses, and gardening patches
Highly qualified childcare practitioners with safeguarding and first aid training
Funded Childcare Places Available
The Partou experience
At Partou, the children lead the way. They explore their surroundings and learn about the world they live in, by choosing for themselves which activity they want to join in with next.
Our team are there to care for them and keep them safe. To nurture their emerging abilities and encourage them to seize each fun-packed day. But not to tell them what to do next.
Why? Because when children are allowed to choose their own activities, rather than being told what to do, they naturally choose the activities they’re most interested in. And scientific research has shown that being interested in what they’re doing is the easiest and best way for children to learn.
Food & nutrition
Creating healthy eating habits for young children stretches far beyond their time with us. It encourages a lifelong positive relationship with food whilst building healthy bodies and healthy minds. Here’s how we encourage healthy eating habits:
- Rotating menus: Evidence shows regular exposure to foods helps children to develop their taste for them, yet we still want to offer variety. So, we rotate our menus on a three-to-four-week basis, offering the perfect balance between exposing children to new foods yet allowing them to become familiar with flavours.
- A lunchtime focus: We prioritise lunch as a time where children can enjoy their food. There is a social aspect to all lunches and, where possible, children are encouraged to take an active interest in the food they eat.
- Fresh food everyday: We serve children fresh food every day and accommodate many different dietary requirements. We have procedures in place to protect children with food allergies and offer different meal options too. If your child has a dietary requirement, simply let us know as part of our registration process and we’ll make sure we meet the needs of your child.
Nursery fees
| Weekly rate (5 full days) |
Full Day 7:30am – 6:00pm |
Morning Session 7:30am – 1:00pm |
Afternoon Session 1:00pm – 6:00pm |
| £276.25 | £63.00 | £36.50 | £35.00 |
Other fees & discounts
- Registration fee: £75 (non-refundable).
- 5% discount for eldest child for siblings.
- Late pick up fees and administration fees for late payments also apply.
What’s included in our fees?
Our full fees (as shown above) combine care fee and meals and consumables fees.
Care fees include: trained, qualified team members taking care of your child, regular updates about your child and their progress at nursery, a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities tailored to the needs of your child, and use of the nursery building facilities.
Meals & consumables fees cover the cost of all food and drinks we provide your child whilst in our care, plus all of those other important daily care items needed such as nappies, wet wipes, sun cream, soap, plus other health and hygiene essentials.
Government funded childcare
If you’re eligible for government funded childcare, this funding only applies to the care fee (as described above). Meals and consumables fees are fully chargeable for all sessions including funded.
Our meals and consumables fee for funded sessions are:
| Full day | Morning session | Afternoon session |
| £12.00 | £6.40 | £5.60 |
Learn more about government funded childcare.
Other key information
- We follow the term time dates as set by our local authority.
- Bank holidays are fully chargeable.
- We close at 4pm on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve.
)
Willowdene
Day Nursery
& Pre-school
0151 424 0282
Mon - Fri, 7.30am to 6.00pm (excl. bank holidays)
116 Fairfield Road, Widnes, Cheshire, WA8 6SJ
View on map
What families say?
Overall rating
86%
14%
0%
0%
0%
H P
03 April 2025
Lovely nursery, my son is very happy. All the staff really care for the kids.
Jennifer O
26 March 2025
A wonderful nursery all staff are well warming and welcoming and have really met to the standards what the nursery provides My child is well looked after and it's is shown when my child arrives we're he shows how happy is is when we enter though the door
V C
21 March 2025
I feel like my child is well looked after and cared for by staff. She likes going to nursery and loves her friends. She always comes home happy telling us all about the things she did throughout the day. She enjoys the activities she is presented with. The only issue is the price, it is quite expensi...
N C
20 March 2025
The nursery is excellent, it's got a lovely atmosphere and the staff are great with the kids. Our daughter has come on leaps and bounds since she started coming to the nursery around 9 months old. Each day there are loads of activities and getting updates on what has happened during the day very reas...
G F
20 March 2025
My daughter has really settled in at Willowdene since only starting a couple of months ago. All the staff are amazing and really care for all the children. There are regular trips to the local park and plenty of time spent out of the garden - which I think is great.
Vikki H
19 March 2025
Willowdene nursery is fantastic and I am so happy I chose for my daughter to attend. My daughter enjoys her time in nursery and is always welcomed by smiling faces. The staff are fantastic and can never do enough. My daughter has progressed so much since attending and is constantly challenged and lea...
Rachel M
19 March 2025
Excellent place for childcare, amazing service for my child and it is lovely to see how much our little boy is card for.
K E
18 March 2025
Amazing staff so friendly and make me feel happy and peace of mind leaving my child.
Abbie T
12 March 2025
My daughter has been attending Willowdene for approx 18 months, the nursery is fantastic, rooms are set out great for little ones, outdoor space is lovely. There are so many activities for children to get involved in. The most amazing thing about the nursery is the staff, my daughter's key worker i...
Bukola A
28 November 2024
Partou Willowdene is the best place for every kid to be, I brought my son a few months back and he has really improved in so many ways. All the staff are very nice and supportive, their professionalism is compared to none. The nursery environment, the ambience are very nice and good for children's sa...
Clare E
06 November 2024
There have been some lovely improvements to the nursery in the last few months, it is such a lovely place to bring my daughter. She is really enjoying her time at preschool. It's made to be fun learning and she has some lovely preschool friends. Great work to all the staff. I always feel confident my...
Katrina M
11 March 2024
Willowdene Private Day Nursery and Pre-school really is an outstanding childcare setting - having had a child previously attend and one still at the nursery, I can’t imagine them being anywhere else. Staff really do go above and beyond to make the place a home from home for the children in their ca...
Heather May G
26 February 2024
My little boy started this nursery last year and it was such a new challenge for the both of us. I was very apprehensive as he is my pride and joy but honestly the staff are so good and so encouraging. He struggled going in at first and there was tears from us both but the support I received was so b...
Emma T
14 February 2023
Both my kids have been to this nursery and absolutely love it. Staff are amazing, so nurturing friendly, knowledgeable and care about each child and their development needs. Always willing to help if you have any questions.
Alexandra R
14 February 2023
My child has really come along since going to Willowdene. The staff are fantastic with the children. The manager is lovely and makes you feel welcome, and never like you're inconveniencing her when you have a query. It's clear that the staff love children and enjoy what they do. The facilities are go...
Why Partou?
For us at Partou, childcare isn’t just a job, it’s a journey – one where every child leads us in a unique new direction.
As part of the Netherlands’ largest childcare group, we’ve access to world-leading expertise in learning and development, so you can be confident your child will benefit from an experience as unique as they are.
Of course, care is as much about empathy as education, and ours is a child-led approach that emphasises building confidence and curiosity – so that every child in our care has the freedom to flourish.
Reassurance for you and your little one
Care
We’re more than just a team; we’re a close community driven by our passion for childcare, and our commitment to each individual child’s development. We know that by working together, we’re stronger.
Compassion
In our community, compassion isn’t just a word; it’s our way of life. By embracing our differences, we make our community more diverse and vibrant. We build strong, supportive relationships with the children and each other, based on trust and understanding.
Continuous learning
We believe strongly in development, for the children in our care and for ourselves. Through continuous learning, we help our team and our children reach their full potential. Together, we make a positive impact, in our communities and across wider society.
Knowledge hub
Personal, social and emotional development
Why PSED is so important in early years?
Some of the most fundamental skills in life are the things we learn early on. Understanding and managing emotions, building positive relationships and developing a sense of self-awareness are among them, and these are all examples of personal, social...