Who We Are and what we do...

We are a family-run business, offering excellent childcare and modern facilities and resources on Rice Lane, Walton, Liverpool.

As parents ourselves, we are passionate about delivering the highest quality of care and education to every child we have the privilege of looking after.

Bonnie Bear Day Care was established in 2020 and, following a full refurbishment, first opened its doors in 2021. It has since proven to be a popular choice for childcare in the area. Now an award-winning nursery, Bonnie Bear Day Care has gone from strength to strength and has established an excellent reputation across Liverpool. The business was set up in loving memory of the owners, Hayley and Charlie’s baby girl, Bonnie Murtagh, who they sadly lost in February 2020.

Hayley and Charlie began looking for a new and positive focus following their loss and were fortunate to find the building, formerly the well-known pub “The Plough” on Rice Lane. They took on the challenge of converting it into a nursery and have created a modern yet home-from-home environment for children aged 12 weeks to 5 years.

In addition to our main day care provision, Bonnie Bear now offers Forest School, breakfast club, after-school, and holiday club provision.

Hayley and Charlie are committed to delivering the highest quality childcare at locally competitive rates for children aged 0–5 years. The safety, welfare, and happiness of every child will always be their top priority.

At Bonnie Bear Day Care, our ethos is “Where play meets purpose.” This means that while children are having fun, they are also learning and developing important skills every day.

We follow a simple Plan, Do, Review cycle to ensure each child gets the best possible start. We plan with purpose through a concept-led approach, creating activities based on each child’s interests, needs, and stage of development. During play, we carefully support and observe children to understand their learning and identify next steps. We then review and assess, ensuring each child continues to grow, progress, and feel confident.

Our pedagogical approach is the way we teach and support children’s learning. We follow a hybrid approach, combining child-led play with adult-led experiences. This allows children the freedom to explore while our experienced practitioners guide, support, and extend learning at key moments through concept-led planning.

All activities, both child- and adult-led, are planned with purpose and linked to the learning goals within our bespoke Bonnie Bear-rilliant Curriculum, which we share with families through the Famly app. We regularly assess progress and observe development, using this to plan meaningful next steps so every child can grow, develop, and thrive.

Our Bonnie Bear-rilliant Curriculum is carefully designed and linked to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). This ensures learning is age-appropriate, well-structured, and prepares children for their next stage—while remaining relaxed, playful, and enjoyable.

At Bonnie Bear, play is never “just play”—it is purposeful, nurturing, and supports every child to thrive.

Our vision is for every child to leave Bonnie Bear with their “Bonnie Bear Backpack”—filled with the knowledge, skills, and confidence gained through our carefully planned experiences. This ensures each child is happy, independent, and fully school-ready.

Our environment is carefully planned and adapted to reflect children’s interests and stages of development. It is designed to be exciting and stimulating, encouraging high levels of engagement in play and learning.

We have a highly experienced, well-qualified, and dedicated staff team who are specialists in early years and child development.

We strive to ensure that Bonnie Bear Day Care provides an outstanding standard of childcare.