LEYF is the only significant provider of care & education for young children in central London that is also a charity; so all our places are subsidised – and the nurseries are truly different from the norm.

There are many things that set our nurseries apart from almost all others – but perhaps the single most important one is that as a charity, our focus is on caring for the children in our care, not the bottom line.

Our nurseries are fair in their fee structure; as a charity and social enterprise, all our places are subsidised to some extent. Parents pay what they can afford to pay, directly helping children from less wealthy backgrounds – and all the children benefit from the broader experience.

LEYF’s guiding principle is that all children deserve to be treated with care and respect so that they in turn will learn how to treat others with care and respect.  By the time children are just three years old, they have already formed a vivid impression of society and culture, both good and bad.  LEYF staff make sure that all kinds differences are actively, consistently and thoughtfully explored and fledging prejudices are challenged in a constructive way.

Children are the future of our society and choosing the right nursery for them is critical.  While research shows us that the key factors in influencing a parent's choice are, in order, safety, location and price, LEYF knows that this is only the beginning of the story. We believe that when a child joins a LEYF nursery that we have an ethical responsibility to work with parents to prepare their children to be take centre stage in our global community.

All children have the same hopes, aspirations and needs.  This is a vitally important message for all children to hear from their earliest years; the more they realise that children are the same everywhere, the more grounded, thoughtful and positive individuals they will become.  Care, respect and education are inseparable.

The choice of pre-school care and education for children is a vitally important one for society as a whole - one that carries a great deal of moral & social responsibility.

To help keep everything we do as focused as possible at LEYF, we have established a number of core values, which we believe to be at the heart of our organisation and way of thinking:

• Child focused: putting the child at the centre.


• Consultative: involving and consulting the children, parents, staff and supporters.


• Courageous: able to take risks and test new ideas, standing up for what we believe in.


• Creative: creating and inventing, being innovative and challenging what already exists.


• Constant: 105 years old and able to go on.