Help! Very confused mum, advice please!!!

[mollysmummy77]

My dd is 3 in October. She currently goes to a day nursery which is due to close in December. I'm torn between looking for another day nursery, or looking for a childminder and a seperate pre-school. If I look for another nursery, it will have to be outside of her school area, so she'll have no friends from nursery going to her school. If I get a childminder, she'll have some friends both there and at pre-school that will go to her junior school with her, which I'm thinking will be more beneficial for her. I've only ever had her in a nursery, so I'm a little bit nervous about taking her out of that environment.
Has anyone had similar experience (good or bad)I'm also a bit lost as to how I approach pre-schools, when and how do I apply for free places etc
PLEASE HELP!!!

[Eddas]

erm, thought i'd post to bump for you but can't be much more help

re free funding, don't worry about that as wherever she goes they sort it for you. so one less thing to worry about

When my dd started preshcool i literally just rang the local one and put her name down(£20 deposit, which was taken off the first lot of fees since I paid for a while as she started when she was 2.5) depending on which side of half term her bday is she may not get funding til the new year, as funding starts the term after they turn 3.

As far as having friends when she goes to school, i have no experience since dd is 4 and hasn't started school yet and when she does wil know half the class, but children are very adaptable. they make and loss friends fairly easily.

Keep bumping this thread and i'm sure someone will offer better help

[denbury]

it doesn't always depend on what pre school you go as what school she goes to, so don't let that judge what pre school she goes to. funding will be sorted out by the pre school but put your childs name for one asap

[savoycabbage]

I know what you mean about her starting school without any friends but if there is not another nursery or pre-school other than the one out of your school area then will some of the children who are going to go to that school be going to that nursery-if you see what I mean!

Even if there are no other's it would only take her a week when she starts school to make friends. And you could find out from the school next year who else is goibg and then try and make some friends for her over the summer holidays. That's what I am doing and it's working quite well as the other mothers want their dcs to know people too.

[CarGirl]

start ringing around pre-schools now, you may find that some of them are full already to start in September but may have vancancies to start Sept 2009.

I would recommend her going to pre-school where other children from their will be attending the same primary/infant school she is likely to go to.