Church Walk Pre-school in Ulverston has received an 'Outstanding' rating from Ofsted across all areas.
The preschool was inspected in October and came as welcome news as former deputy manager Lorna Walker only began her position as manager in September.
The report praised the enriched learning experiences provided to the children.
Highlighted by the inspector were the "meaningful and engaging learning experiences" resulting from a "carefully planned and sequenced curriculum".
Staff were also recognised for offering challenges and encouraging critical thinking in children to build resilience.
Praise extended to the excellent behaviour of the children, which the inspector attributed to "positive reinforcement" from the staff.
The report further acknowledged the efforts of the leadership team, which includes Lorna and her deputy Emma Wilding, along with the volunteer-run committee that is responsible for fiscal and employment decisions.
The leadership team was applauded for its meticulous analysis of the curriculum and its impact on learning.
Manager Lorna Walker said: “Our inspector was lovely and put myself and the staff at ease straight away. We showed her all of the wonderful experiences our children receive and the inspector even came with us on our trip to the local church where the children were going to donate food for the foodbank and to learn a little more about harvest.
“My entire staff team are the most kind, passionate, and dedicated women that you could ever meet. Unfortunately the Early Years sector is chronically under-funded so it really takes special people to maintain so much dedication to make a positive difference in every child's life.
"The Outstanding grade, with no recommendations, is truly reflective of all of the hard work and commitment that they show day in and day out.”
The issue of underfunding was also acknowledged by committee chair Nicola Vogler, who highlighted the dual challenge of keeping parent fees low and struggling with recruitment.
She said: “We the committee are so proud of our dedicated team. The Outstanding rating is a true reflection of the superhuman levels of dedication displayed by the leadership team and their colleagues.
“The result is especially impressive when set against the chronic funding issues experienced by the Early Years sector, and the recruitment issues also.
"As a charitable setting we keep fees for parents as low as possible, and support with advice on how to access support including tax-free childcare, and signpost other community services such as Warm Spaces and foodbanks.
"However, we struggle to recruit and retain staff as we are not funded well enough by central government to be able to match salaries in the school nursery sector.
"Rightly, nursery teachers in school settings are paid a teaching salary, but despite many of our practitioners being qualified at the highest level, we sadly simply cannot afford to pay similar rates, unless we charge parents extortionate fees.
"This, alongside the cost of living crisis, means we also rely on fundraising activities to keep us afloat.
“So I would also like to thank the whole local community for their support - this nursery truly does belong to the community.
“The construction of our garden room last summer, to make a dedicated, cosy space for children with Special Educational Needs or disabilities I am sure has contributed towards this Outstanding rating, so thank you to all our supporters for that."
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