nurseries

LadyDay · (#1 (**permalink**))

how did you choose a nursery for your child,

im looking at ofsted reports

what criteria

Fizzy B · (#2 (**permalink**))

It depends on the age of your child. When my son was younger (2 yrs of age) he attended the nursery at the university I attended. It was Ideal as I could pop in and see him at any time which I believe is important for peace of mind.My son now has a child minder for his after school care and to be honest the educational aspect is the least important part of it for me. This is because we do homework together every weekday anyway. I always wanted nursey/after school care to reflect and be as close to home life as possible. When my son finishes school for the day I want him to be able to unwind in the same way as if I was finishing work. As a working mum it's important to me that he has a relaxed fun time, it also eases the guiltI feel for not being there with him. I would always say trust your instincts. I once pulled my son out of a very well thought of nursery it had excellent ofsted reports,high fees a beautiful building and garden, however I saw a nursery assistantspeaking to a younger child in what I felt was an off hand manner. My instinct said the place was not right and I removed my son that day. I do not wish to insult the many hard working dedicated nursery staff , however I believe that private nurserys make amassive profit yetpay their employeesa poorwage and therefor, often attract young inexperienced employees to positions of high importance. To me it's the same with nursing homes, when I was younger I worked in a few and some of the girls who worked there were disgusting to the people in their care, when the relative visited these same girls were all smiles. That's why I say visit often and don't say when your going. And always trust your instincts. Also get as many references as possible and speak to other parents and children if they are old enough

LadyDay · (#3 (**permalink**))

thats giving me some stuff to think on

Maat · (#4 (**permalink**))

@FizzyB: Great advice. It's tough when you have to trust others/strangers to care for your child. As you've explained some workers don't know really know how to treat children which is a shame.

@LadyDay: We got a list of all the nurseries closest to us then went through the ofsted reports for each of them as well as drove round to each to find out more and get a feel for the places available. The one wedecided onis privateand actually slighlty cheaper now than other nurseries.The open hours are 8 - 6pm; they have one of the local elders come and cook dinner for them; most of the staff have been with the nursery for a good few years too. The place itself isa semi detached house two floorsand garden all converted into the nursery. It's really nice and colourful and all for the children.

The children learn togrow vegetables as well asfeed the chickens and rabbits. We are kept up to date with all the skills they are learning so we can also talk with the children at home about related subjects. We have parents conferences with their teachers too to see how they are getting on and highlight the things they seem to be having difficulty with. I didn't expect that all this at the nursery stage but it has proven to be so valuable just like our children. I hope you find a good place for baba but couldn't agree more about going with your instinct.

Kibibi · (#5 (**permalink**))

Quote:

Maat that sounds amazing! Is it a Montserrat pre-school by any chance?

Maat · (#6 (**permalink**))

@BB: No I've never heard of a Monsterrat pre school before. Tell me more. It's actually owned by a white Canadian woman who has a long educational background. The staff are mainly us but all races are represented there. The children are the same and all cultures are embraced. There are images all over the walls of places and people going about their daily life from across the world as well as all the children's work and pictures they've been doing through out the year. It reminds me of a place I once read about called The Little School.

ebony_goddess · (#7 (**permalink**))

my sister (i got custod of her) goes to the nursery in the uni i attend. as a poster said, it was ideal.

LadyDay · (#8 (**permalink**))

daddy day care

my son's dad doesnt want me to send our son to nursery yet. say he is too young

but i would be happy for him to go

im still researching tho