The Monkey Tree

Choosing a nursery for your child can be a daunting process, especially if you’ve never done it before.  Maybe for the first time in your child’s life they are going to be entrusted into the care of someone other than yourself, your close family or friends, and what you really want to know is that you are doing the best for your precious little one.

First, let’s discuss the terminology.  ‘Day care’ refers to settings that are open for more than 4 hours a day, often up to 10 hours. ‘Sessional care’ refers to settings that are available to children for less than 4 hours at a time, often between 2 ½ and 3 hours a day.  ‘Pre-school’ refers to children over 3 years old, and ‘Nursery’ refers to children under 3 years old.  ‘Funded’ refers to the government vouchers, available currently to all children the term after their 3rd birthday, for 2 ½ hours a day, 5 days a week. (This is to be extended in the near future to 3 hours a day and eventually to be available to 2 year olds pupils as well).  ‘Private’ refers to settings that depend on financial contribution to secure the child’s place.  ‘Playgroup’ and ‘Nursery’ are often used interchangeably, with playgroup being the historical name for pre-school nurseries.  Some still choose to use the name ‘Playgroup’ as it can emphasise that the children really are there to play!

Phew!  With that now, hopefully, crystal clear, what other factors are going to influence your choice of nursery?  Location, opportunity, accessibility, availability, reputation and Ofsted reports will often feature highly on a parents’ check list. 

I often suggest parents ask themselves, ‘For what reason am I sending my child to nursery?’  There may be a whole host of different responses including ‘I’m returning to work’, or ‘My child is getting bored at home’, or ‘Seems to be the thing to do’, or ‘English is not our first language at home and they need to learn the language’, or ‘My child has special needs and would benefit from input from trained professionals’, or ‘I need a break’, or ‘I wanted to make sure they got into the attached school’.  In forming some answers to these questions, part of your work will be done for you as the answers will dictate that certain types of settings will suit or not your situation.

With that all said and done; you’ve identified what type of nursery you think you’ll need, you’ve checked out all the available listings in The Monkey Tree Magazine, (and anywhere else you can get your hands on information) and reviewed their Ofsted report on the internet, so what next?  If you’re lucky, you may have had a recommendation from a friend or neighbour that gives you a good starting point.  Whether or not you are armed with that information, the next step may well be the boldest you’ve made yet.  Looking around the prospective nursery really is a must.

Most parents/carers arrive more nervous than their child, so why not take a few simple steps to help you prepare?  Ideas may include taking another adult along with you, taking the trusty checklist of things you don’t want to forget to ask (like, ‘Do they really have to be toilet trained?’)

You may well rely on your instincts, and the general ‘feel’ of the place, as you form your opinions, but you may wish to also consider the following:  Is it a happy place?  Is it a stimulating environment?  Do the staff interact with the children?  What is the security like?  Have they got all their policies and documents in place?  Can you see your child’s needs being met there?   Health & Safety?  Qualified First Aiders?

In addition, you may like to ask the nursery what provision they make for any special needs or more able children and how they prepare the children for their transition to school. 

After all this, your head may well be spinning, but be careful, don’t make your decision too hastily!  Pause for a moment and remind yourself of the age of your child (presumably somewhere under 5 years old) and ask yourself, ‘What should children of this age really be doing?’  There are many proud parents, whose child learnt to read, write their name, add up and take away by the time they were 3, but is it really necessary to do all that before they start at school? 

Here and now may not really be the time and place to open up this debate as parents and professionals all have their own, often strongly held, opinions on this matter.  What is important, and what everyone usually does agree on, is that children love to play!  So look hard, listen and observe.  Are the children given ample opportunity to play, to explore, learn and investigate the world within their nursery?  If you find a place where you can truly answer ‘yes’ to this question, then maybe, just maybe, you’ve found the right place for your child.  But bring the tissues on their first day…..

This article was written by Judith Dutnall (BA Ed) Owner of ‘Little Learners Pre-school Nursery’ and previously local primary school teacher for 14 years.