The Heart Behind Dream Big Little One
We provide a safe, nurturing, and inspiring environment where little ones grow, learn, and thrive. And every family is welcomed as part of our Dream Big family.
Contact UsOur Story
Dream Big Little One began its journey in the 1990s, when a distinctive white building — once home to a Government Department — was transformed into a children’s day nursery. From those early beginnings, the nursery grew steadily, building a reputation for care, warmth and high standards.
In 2018, a new chapter began.
Dream Big Little One became a family-led nursery, mother and daughter team, Sonja and Christine Butterworth — bringing with them a shared commitment to excellence, integrity and giving every child the very best start.
With an extensive background in education, Sonja’s career has always centred around improving outcomes for children. Having worked as a class teacher, SENCO, deputy head, adviser, consultant headteacher and Executive Principal leading three schools, she understands that getting it right in the early years changes everything.
Alongside leading Dream Big Little One, Sonja runs Dream Big Consulting, supporting schools on their improvement journeys. She is also a Quality Assurance Professional for Manchester City Council, Vice Chair of Vision Multi-Academy Trust, a former Governor at Bury Grammar School, serves as a Magistrate with His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service and up until recently led school improvement for Bury Council.
Christine’s expertise in finance and legal practice ensures the nursery is not only nurturing — but professionally led, secure and sustainable.
Together, their leadership combines heart and high standards.
Our Philosophy
At Dream Big Little One, children are at the heart of everything we do.
Their care, safety, confidence and development always come first.
Beyond childcare, we create an environment where children feel safe, understood and valued. Because when a child feels secure, they can become curious. When they feel confident, they begin to explore. And when they feel supported, they begin to thrive.
This is how confidence grows, moment by moment.
Our Team
Our team is carefully selected not only for qualifications, but for warmth, integrity and emotional intelligence. They work closely with families to ensure smooth transitions, strong key person relationships and a calm, predictable routine that helps children feel settled and secure. At Dream Big Little One, every child is known, noticed and nurtured, every single day.
Our Nursery Manager, Pam Grierson, alongside Deputy Manager Hannah and our dedicated team, bring experience, consistency and genuine care to each day.
More about our team
Our Rooms & Environment
Our nursery has recently been refurbished to a high standard, creating bright, welcoming spaces designed through the eyes of a child.
Each room is thoughtfully planned to support children’s development — from early movement and language in our younger rooms, to independence, curiosity and school readiness in Pre-School.
In our Baby and Toddler rooms, children begin exploring the world around them through sensory play, movement and meaningful interaction. As they grow, our environments encourage imagination, problem-solving, communication and resilience.
Our all-weather outdoor area with soft play surfaces provides daily opportunities for physical development, risk-taking and fresh air exploration — whatever the season.
Fresh Food, Happy Tummies
Freshly Prepared, Thoughtfully Made
Our on-site nursery cook and housekeeper prepares all meals on site from scratch using fresh ingredients and locally sourced produce wherever possible.
With years of experience in early years settings, they understand what growing children need — nutritious, balanced meals that also excite curious taste buds.
Our menus are shaped by expertise and feedback from children, staff and parents. Our mealtimes are not just about food, but about independence, conversation and building healthy habits for life.
Safety, Care & Individual Attention
At Dream Big Little One, emotional and physical security come first.
Every member of our team is committed to ensuring children feel safe, valued and supported. Each child is treated as an individual, and our care and education are tailored to their unique needs, interests and stage of development.
We work in close partnership with families — sharing milestones, listening carefully and building strong relationships based on trust.
Every day is thoughtfully planned to provide rich learning opportunities in a safe, engaging and nurturing environment. Through purposeful play, children develop language, friendships, confidence, early literacy and numeracy skills, often without even realising they are learning.
The first five years are the foundation for everything that follows.
Our role is to ensure those years are filled with security, curiosity and possibility.
Our Approach
We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage framework, which is built around four key principles:
- Every child is unique
- Positive relationships support learning
- Enabling environments inspire exploration
- Learning and development flourish through play
This also links seamlessly into our very own Dream Big Magic 7, which are skills based and ensure that our little ones move on to their next adventure ready to shine.
In simple terms,
Children feel safe
Children feel connected
Children feel capable
And when that happens — they begin to dream big.