Questions I wish I had aasked......

[eidsvold]

In the process of applying for jobs to go back teaching part time next school year. As part of that process am trying to locate suitable child care - figure a nursey/day care good for Dd to give added stimulation and socialisation.

What sorts of things should I be most concerned with ie. ofsted report? staff child ratio? physical surroundings?

Very very new to this and want the best for Dd

[Moomin]

How old is dd? In my PERSONAL experience, her age will have an effect on what sort of care you choose. For me, I left my dd at a nursery at 5 months and it was too much too young. I ended up taking her out and sorting out a childminder who was able to give her more one-to-one care. I reckon a busier environment is better when they're a bit older and able to interact. BUT, everyone is different.

The things I didn't like at her old nursery may well help you decide, though - I felt the staff turnover was too high, esp for the babies' room. This is important because I think babies need familiar faces. Ratio of staff to babies is important; policies on feeding was a big one for me; routine during the day needs looking at - is it child-centred for individuals, or does it revolve around sat eating/sleeping times? Hope this helps...

[Moomin]

...when I said interact I meant with other kids, playing, etc. Also do they have activities like singing/music stimulation, etc. Sorry, thinking as I type so fairly disorganised.

[eidsvold]

moomin she will be about 13 months when this happens permanently - although we thought perhaps a few days when she is about 11 months.

Thanks for that though - you have given me some ideas I had not thought of.

[meanmum]

My main priority when looking at child minders was the stimulation ds would get. I did obviously ask other general questions but my main priority was to know that he would be nurtured and there would be a range of activities throughout the week that he would do and learn.

My first child minder was good but all she seemed to do was go shopping which I didn't think very stimulating for him. The child minder I have now is fantastic. She writes in a little book which is just for ds about what he has eaten, his sleeping patterns, his bowel movements (believe it or not) and his activities for the day. It gives me a sense of sharing the day with him and something to talk to him about. He can't speak yet but I still have a conversation with him about his day. I know he is learning every day by being with her which as I said was one of my main priorities.

[Bozza]

Just to give you the opposite side of the coin from Moomin. DS went to nursery from 4 months and has been happy from the beginning with just a bit of trouble when moving up rooms. Again this is my PERSONAL experience.

The baby room was a large, airy room and he has thrived. The baby room was half way between being child centred and routine oriented and suited DS really well.

Would your DD be going straight into a Toddler group at that age? DS has moved past toddlers into tweenies (!) and this morning dropped him off at the same time as his friend right through from Babies and us mothers had a job to keep up.

Obviously see if the children seem happy. Do they get to play outside much? What do they do about naps?

[slug]

An awful lot depends on what sort of environment you want for your daughter. We had the sluglet in nursery for 3 months from the age of 10 months. It was of the "fresh air is good for them" school, which is exactly the way I think. A favourite moment was when there was a fire alarm at my workplace. It's directly opposite the nursery, so I stood on the footpath, looked through the bushes and there she was, bundled up against the cold, singing happily at the top of her voice.

I do agree though, staff turnover is a major concern. Stability is really important for babies. The physical surroundings aren't so important in my opinion. The nursery the sluglet was in was slightly shabby round the edges, but you could tell that the toys had all been played with, the books were enthusiastically read and plenty of physical activity went on.

We were given a little report at the end of each day listing how much she had slept, what her nappies were like, what and how much she had eaten. - In her case it was usually "all her dinner x2". But mostly it was the atmosphere that attracted me to the place. It was always cheerful and busy, with lots of cuddles on offer.

[Marina]

Agree with Slug about the quality of the people maybe rather than the surroundings (provided they are clean and tidy, of course!).
Ds has been in nursery from 8 months and his had a low staff-turnover and a very high ratio of qualified staff. I have to say I particularly liked it because the staff were mostly mature. They also have a (young!) man on the staff now too, which is great - I love it when ds says he wants to be a nursery nurse like Dan!
Ask about the staff turnover and the opportunities for professional development - a happy staff will be given on-the-job secondments, training etc. Ask to see a copy of the nursery's Parents' Handbook, as that should list all their policies (required by Ofsted, so they should have one) on subjects as diverse as medication, bullying, toilet training, etc. Diet and SEN should also be covered of course.
We were very happy with our exceptional nursery from day 1 but I do agree that generally nursery/daycare really comes into its own from aged one onwards. Ds has flourished at his and we have found it easier to cope with the emotional payload of having to both work f/t outside the home in consequence.

[Claireandrich]

My DD went to day nursery 2 days a week and to my MIL 1 day a week when I went back to work (teaching). She adored nursery from the sart - she was 20 weeks old. At 13 months she still loves it and isn't always impressed when I pick her up. Because of my job I get there earlier than most other parents so I don't think she likes going when the rest of the children are playing or doing something fun! On more than one occassion I have had to wait for her to finish baking, painting, etc!!! She loves her key workers, her little friends, the whole experience and it has brought her own so much. It was definitely the best decision we made.

With reagrds to choosing a nursery - visit some that you are considering. Although people suggst just turning up, with many nurseries this just isn't possible. Most nurseries like you to avoid their busy times so that they can spend more time with you - so try to avoid rush hour in the morning and evening, and meal times. Wegot a feel for the right nursery for quickly and just kew it was 'the one for us'. The children were happy, the staff were young but clearly loved being with the children, were happy in their work and enthusiatsic - as well as professional. They gave their children cuddles and sat them on their knee. The owner knew every child by name. Parents were made very welcome. Etc....

[eidsvold]

thank you so much... I am busy compiling a list of things I want to know about ( paranoid mother) and what they should/not be doing.....

Definitely will visit those we are interested in and hopefully we will get a 'gut' reaction that will help make the decision.

Hopefully this is just for a year while we get ourselves sorted to emigrate.

Once again - thank you ..

[tigermoth]

just another quick suggestion. If possible find a nursery or childminder that is easy to get to. If you are driving, what is the traffic like? Remeber you may be picking up and dropping off in the rush hour. IME it makes a huge differencc to your day and stress levels if the journey is an easy 10 minutes as opposed to a hard 40 minutes.

[griffy]

I suggest visiting as the best way to get a feel for what you're looking for.

I would only use the OFSTED report as a final reassurance that the place you've chosen is OK in OFSTED's terms, rather than as a primary source.

Once you've read a few OFSTED reports you'll realise that they're pretty samey, and they only relate to the nursery's performance on one (forewarned) day.

[eidsvold]

thanks so much for all your information and ideas... I am off next week to three that we like the sound of - (on paper and net) next week for a visit... shall let you know