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Multicultural Childcare That Builds Global Citizens

Language-rich. Culturally immersive.
Entirely inclusive. At Hatching Dragons, we do childcare differently. Our nurseries combine the best of EYFS early years education with Mandarin-English bilingual immersion, fostering a generation of confident, globally aware children.
 
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Meet our Founder

After living and working in China, founder Cenn John saw how learning a second language could change the way we think. Inspired to bring that experience home, he created Hatching Dragons: a multicultural nursery where young children grow up confident, curious, and globally aware.

“Mandarin didn’t just teach me a language, it taught me empathy, perspective, and how others see the world.” – Cenn John

 

Our Educational Mission

We’re here to redefine early years education, not just as care, but as the foundation of lifelong thinking, empathy, and identity. We’re proud to be among the best nurseries in London that deliver real learning impact.

Through our multilingual and multicultural model, we aim to nurture:

 
Language-Learning

Language Fluency for a Global Future

We offer Mandarin-English immersion alongside storytelling, songs, and daily instruction to build communication skills early.

Curriculum
Cognitive-Impact

Critical Thinking & Cognitive Development

Research shows multilingual exposure enhances problem-solving, memory, and creativity in young children. We support the development of critical thinking from start.

The Research
Intercultural-Understanding

Intercultural Awareness & Identity

We celebrate global traditions, cultures, and languages through festivals, food, music, and stories, all supported by multicultural wall display childcare and classroom resources.

The Benefits

A Multicultural, Multilingual Curriculum

Our nurseries use diverse visual materials, multicultural pictures for childcare, multicultural displays childcare, and learning tools, to create inclusive environments where every child’s background is valued. We also incorporate multicultural ideas for childcare into daily practice and activities.

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Staff benefits
bilingual-nursery-staff-9 (1)

Our Promise: Quality, Inclusion & Innovation

We’re here to raise the standard in early years education, where diversity is celebrated, languages are lived, and global thinking begins in the nursery. Across all our settings, we commit to delivering multicultural and multilingual childcare that reflects the world our children are growing into. Our promise extends to every child, every family, and every educator we work with.

 

To-Our-Children

To Our Children

We promise a place where children feel seen, heard, and valued. Our classrooms are filled with language-rich storytelling, multicultural displays, and learning experiences that help children explore both their own identity and others’. We create the space for them to grow as curious, kind, and confident global citizens.

 

To Our Families

To Our Families

We offer families peace of mind through trusted childcare that balances care, education, and cultural enrichment. With real-time updates, multilingual learning opportunities, and access to childcare discounts and our Workplace Nursery Scheme, we partner with parents to give every child the best start in life. We are a top choice for those seeking London daycare or a nursery close by me.

To-Our-Team

To Our Team

We invest in educators who believe that childhood is where change begins. Our staff bring with them global perspectives, diverse languages, and deep passion. We provide ongoing training, inclusive leadership pathways, and the support to deliver multicultural resources for nursery and multilingual early years education that makes a lasting impact.

 

Our History

Hatching Dragons was born out of an idea that we could do childcare differently and offer more to the more globally aspirational family across the UK

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Feb 2023

Spanish Added to the Curriculum

Structured lessons in Spanish begin, rotating across sites with music, dance, and story time.

June 2022

City of London Becomes Independent Subsidiary

Following the Canada Water model, the nursery is re-registered to increase staff equity opportunities.

May 2022

City of London Rated “Good” with Outstanding Features

Our City nursery earns strong praise from Ofsted.

January 2022

Workplace Nursery Scheme Launches

We introduce salary sacrifice options to help parents reduce childcare costs through their employer.

August 2021

Westminster Rated “Good” by Ofsted

Our Hatching Dragons Westminster setting receives a positive inspection outcome.

April 2021

Canada Water Nursery Opens

We expand to South East London to meet the needs of Rotherhithe and surrounding families.

Summer 2020

Class Action

Cenn is on Radio 4 discussing how British Insurers refused to pay out to businesses who held pandemic insurance cover. The outcome is a class action law suit

Summer 2020

Innovate UK Submission

In partnership with Cambridge University and UCL, we propose AI-based edtech tools for multilingual learning.

March 2020

Covid Support Begins

We keep our City nursery open during lockdown to support NHS staff at Barts Hospital Trust.

March 2020

St James the Less Opens

Hatching Dragons Westminster nursery relocates to a larger site, quadrupling capacity just before Covid.

Spring 2019

Consulted by UK Department for Education

We support the development of the UK’s international education strategy.

October 2019

Invited on UK DIT China Education Mission

We join the UK government’s trade mission to China for early years and K12 education.

Spring 2019

UK Department of International Trade

Invites Hatching Dragons to consult on the international education strategy due to be launched by DfE and Damian Hinds that summer

April 2018

Westminster Opens (Monck Street)

We open our second nursery under a S106 agreement with Taylor Wimpey and the City of London. This marks a major step for Hatching Dragons Westminster.

July 2018

Barbican Relocates to Ironmongers Hall

To expand capacity and reduce development disruption, we move to a larger site.

May 2017

Barbican Achieves Ofsted “Good”

Our flagship setting is awarded a “Good” rating by Ofsted for its educational quality.

May 2015

Hatching Dragons Barbican Opens!

Our first nursery launches in the heart of the Barbican, offering Mandarin-English immersion.

Our Programmes by Age

We offer full-day care and early years education for children aged 6 months to 5 years, grouped by developmental stage:

Age Group Programme Focus
Baby Dragons (0–2) Sensory discovery, nurturing care, communication cues
Toddler Dragons (2–3) Language exposure, movement, themed learning
Preschool Dragons (3–5) School readiness, multilingual storytelling, numeracy

Learn more about our early years curriculum

Book Your Visit

Looking for one of the best nurseries in London where your child can learn, grow, and discover the world? We’d love to show you around.

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