I go back to work at the beginning of March so this month we have been really focussing on getting my son into a nursery.
Time to ask for help …
The first step is approaching the conversation with people around you as to what they can offer, my mother and my partners parents have agreed to have my son for 1 day a week each. Only having him in nursery for 3 days a week will mean I save a lot of money. You need to work with them and find out what days work best for them as it is a big commitment to do.
Where should I look for a nursery online?
The next step for me was to search nurseries near me I did this on Day Nurseries, the website was really helpful as it includes reviews from parents of children who have attended the nursery. With the rating system it is easy to filter to the top rated.
Once I had found the best nurseries from parent feedback I then click on each nurseries website and checked the activies avalible for children, what ethos the nursery promotes and the qualification level of the staff.
Ofsted Reports
Next I checked the Ofsted rating, only aiming for either “good” or “outstanding” nurseries. You must read the Ofsted reports as it gives you a great insight into what the staff and nurseries do well and what they need to improve upon. This may be something most people don’t want to do, however It has really helped me weed out from the report the nurseries I wouldn’t even bother to apply to as I personally think they need to improve more from the nurseries that are still in the “good” section that only have very little to improve upon before reaching outstanding status.
A particular nursery close to me rated “good” but actually has a complaint against it, this is one of the reasons why you must read the reports. You can then see what matters for instance “staff need to be quicker to notice a toddler playing with water is wet and needs changing. “
Visiting Nurseries
Once you have finalised your list and applied to view nurseries it is important to check if you need to bring your ID with you and most nurseries require you to leave your phone in your car or they lock it away for you.
Coming up with a list of questions is so important to feeling comfortable with the nursery you are looking at. I found this great list with different sections like fees, policies and activities. Make sure the nursery is clean and that the staff are speaking to your child in a positive manner.
Many nurseries ask a fee for registering your child on the waitlist so I would recommend asking them whilst booking the visit if this is needed on the day of visitation.
Let me know what questions you asked when viewing nurseries or what you liked best about the nursery you chose!