Founded in 2002, the educational organization "Absolute Return for Kids (Ark)" comprises a network of 39 schools in economically disadvantaged areas in London, Birmingham, Portsmouth and Hastings for around 30,000 pupils. The Ark Start nursery program is dedicated to providing every child with access to quality early childhood education, while families have access to flexible and affordable childcare.
The new Ark Start Globe nursery serves a deprived area of London with little pre-school provision and has now enrolled 53 children, 73 % of whom are from families in the most deprived quintile of child poverty.
The interior of the kindergarten has been furnished with high-quality wooden furniture and materials to create a stimulating learning environment. This includes a corner for imaginative play, a learning area to promote reading skills and math, a sensory area with sand and water and a drawing area to encourage fine motor skills and creativity. The nursery's new outdoor area also includes several areas, including play kitchens, role-play stores and playhouses, as well as a climbing frame, new balance and pedal bikes and other play equipment.
"When children and families returned from the holidays to see the transformed outdoor area there was great excitement. Children have been enthusiastically engaging with the different areas of the playground to aid their development. We couldn’t be more pleased with the new outdoor area and are incredibly grateful for the support from the Regine Sixt Children’s Aid Foundation which made this possible." (Molly Devlin, Director of Early Years at Ark)
In May, colleagues from Sixt UK were then able to see the project for themselves. "It was an incredibly rewarding moment to see the joy on the children’s faces as they explored and climbed the equipment, using their full imagination to play.” (Andrew Smith, Senior Vice President Sixt UK)
