A brand-new, £1.2 million nursery and pre-school has officially opened at Thrift Farm in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, to help local parents find childcare in a rural setting. The facility opened in February 2026 and provides a space for children as young as six weeks up to five years old to learn about animals and nature.
The Thrift Farm Day Nursery & Pre-School features a custom-built building with play areas that allow children to move easily between indoors and outdoors. The nursery’s website describes a farm-based teaching style that focuses on the environment; Companies House records show the operator as Thrift Farm Day Nursery & Pre-School Limited (company no. 16243350).
Children will have the chance to visit the farm every day to interact with livestock and learn where their food comes from. Information from the MK SEND Local Offer lists the nursery in its local directory and indicates it is available to families with additional needs.
This new opening marks a major change for the site, which was previously saved from closure in 2019 following a campaign to protect the farm as a community asset. Since the 2019 takeover by partner organisations including Mead Open Farm and Kids Play Childcare, the site has been developed to combine early-years education with continued adult day services, tourism amenities and other community uses.
The Milton Keynes Citizen previously reported that the project aims to connect children with nature and support development through outdoor learning and supervised farm activities. The nursery is welcoming families from Whaddon and the wider Milton Keynes area.
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