Do you still get feedback from nursery with Covid?

[Miarara]

I'm just wondering if everyone is having a similar experience to us or if I'm right to feel a bit disgruntled with nursery.

DD is 2.5 she's been at nursery since she was 1, used to happily go in but the last few weeks very reluctant and saying she doesn't like it.

When she returned in July after lockdown she went into a new room which I've never actually been in because of covid. Since then she's had 6 different key workers due to staff repeatedly changing rooms or leaving. Pre lockdown a book came home every day with a summary of what she'd done, eaten, slept etc and sometimes had pictures in. Twice a year they had parents evening.
Because of covid we haven't had parents since October 2019, but I have friends where nursery have still done them via zoom but ours offers nothing.
Handover is now literally a minute at the door at drop off while they take and record her temp and a minute at pick up where they give me her bag, tell me she's had a good day, ate all her food and that's it as there's a queue of parents outside. It's making me feel like I dont actually know what she's doing at nursery, does she have friends play well etc. What are others doing, do you still get some sort of handover or is this pretty standard now?

[EagleFlight]

That sounds standard to me now.

[Heyha]

Our nursery uses an app so even when handover is brief (which it can be with a queue of parents at the door this time of year) we still get the normal info. We also had her report at the end of term but no parents' eve. Sounds like we've been quite lucky!

[Miarara]

@heyha I'd love it of they had an app or something, when you ask they just say she joined in with everything, there's a list on the wall of activities but it's just things like played outside. The book used to have things in like what she liked playing with there, what book they were reading etc. I think I'm just feeling a bit disconnected it's been so long and I miss knowing what she's been doing.

[Thegirlhasnoname]

Our nursery had the little book before covid and now they just go through what is written in the book at handover, rather than letting you take it home with you.

No parents evening but they are still doing termly reports. I vaguely remembering them emailing saying if you want to take your child’s learning profile home (a book with pictures, observations etc) home then to let them know and they’ll sort it out too. An app would be handy but feel lucky with what we have

[Miarara]

Ah it sounds like ours our just being a bit crap then, they don't even do the book anymore. I think they just do the learning profile, thats what they used to go through at parents evening, ours just seems to have become really money focused.
We still paid towards fees in lockdown like a retainer but all the emails were about them being under financial pressure, nothing actually about how to make it run better. I used to feel so happy with them but feel like with the constant keywords changes and lack of handover I don't actually know what she's doing there. I've considered changing her to another nursery but worry that would feel the same, I just think it's been 9 months now, surely there should be communication channels in place, it seems ots only if your concerned. I feel silly ringing the keyworker when they're busy essentially just for a chat.

The friend who's nursery does zoom parents evening also sent a sheet home at the end of the week to keep, equivalent to the previous book.

[EmbarrassingMama]

Sadly I think it’s standard, but that doesn’t mean your feelings don’t count. We get the same and I struggle (I also have never seen his room so can’t picture where he spends the day).

Do they have a parenting app they could use to send you a daily photo?

[Miarara]

@embarrassingMama no they don't use any apps at all, they share about 5 pictures a week on FB but I haven't given consent for her to be shared on SM so she's not on those. They're also rarely of her group. I'm sorry you're struggling with this too but glad I'm not the only one. I mentioned it to my parents and grey were just like why do you need to know? They'd tell you if something was wrong. But it just feels weird to leave her there 3 days a week but have very little communication about how she is, what she's doing etc. Her clothes bag travel to and from with her everyday, I dont see how that's different to sending a book, even if just once a month, and an app would be fab but if they have to pay for it it just won't happen, which I'm also starting to begrudge the whole financial peril stuff when they're one of the most expensive nurseries in the area.

[niclw]

I feel pretty much the same. My DS used to attend a childminder and I got so much information. Two different books - one basics such as sleep, nappies etc, the other was developmental information. She also used to send photo through WhatsApp. However DS had to change to a nursery just before the 1st lockdown. He started back at nursery in June and then moved into the toddler room in sept. I get some brief verbal feedback every day about food and his nap. I might get a comment such as we went outside twice today but that's about it. The nursery decided to start using the tapestry app to improve communication but my son is there five days a week and his keyworker is only there two days. If I'm lucky I get 1 photo uploaded a week and no other info. They made a decision that only key workers would upload info but every worker in that room is part time so we just don't get much. If I don't get anything else by the end of this week I'm complaining.

[rumandbiscuits]

I've been having a similar experience. She was 2.5 when she returned in Sept and absolutely loving it there until November when they changed things round, put her keyworker on flexi furlough so she was only there one of the three days she was and also put all the babies in with the toddlers. Since then she slowly got more reluctant about going in. I noticed the days her keyworker was in she was very happy and would have had a great day but the other days she wasn't herself at all (although they always said she had a good day). They also said she was ready to move up to pre-school (3-4 years room) which I was shocked about because she isn't 3 until April. She's had her first week there this week and I've had the bare minimum info about her day and what she's been doing all week. It's really thrown me and made me feel quite anxious. There's not a queue of parents waiting when I pick her up and I'm always wearing a mask and standing at a distance (outside) so I can't see why her new keyworker can't give me a bit more info. I'm wondering if it's just because she's shy or not herself atm because of having to work through covid. It's hard to know because it's my first week meeting her.

[rumandbiscuits]

Also I was quite annoyed yday because there's a timetable of what they do everyday on the door so I always look at it so I can let her know what she will be doing the next day as she is new there it helps her to feel more secure going in knowing what the day ahead will bring. It said that they were doing PE yesterday which she absolutely loved in the other room, I even checked with her keyworker that's what they would be doing and so I told her about it and she was so excited yday morning and then it turns out they didn't even end up doing it!

[Fibbib]

You could always phone a d ask to speak to her keyworker. That's what I encourage parents to do. I am trying to keep myself safe and am not happy to stand and have a face to face chat with parents. But I am happy for them to phone for an update. We use an app so we do send info over that but some parents just like a chat.

[jelly79]

My old nursery had a book in babies class but then in toddler class the book stopped and we just had verbal handovers. We moved house so started a new nursery and they have an app which is brilliant - the updates are great and lots of pictures throughout the day

[RandyGiles06]

My DC joined nursery for the first time in the summer and we get hardly any feedback, just a quick minute at drop off and pick up and maybe 2/3 pictures uploaded onto the app. I have been quite disappointed tbh, even with Covid I can’t see why a parents evening couldn’t be done by video call. I haven’t said anything yet but I am close to it.

[Miarara]

Looks like there are a lot of us in the same boat. I get that they're under pressure and working too would just feel better with a more consistent handover. I'm not surprised you're feeling anxious about it @rumandbiscuits it seems too young to go to being with 3-4 year olds.

[Twickerhun]

We use a childminder and we get some info and handover, some (usually funny stories and photos) via WhatsApp and updates on an app with more formal info about what they’ve done with photos and development milestone records. We also get sent each evening info on what they will do the next day. We are really lucky that we get lots of interaction.

[Fandabydosey]

@Miarara the app is really expensive to set up and run. The advice nurseries are given is to not share things between home and setting or minimise the amount of stuff going between nursery and home. With all the extra cleaning going on I doubt there is little time to fill in so much paperwork anymore. I am not greeting parents in my setting because I am CV. It is an incredibly stressful time for everyone and everyone is doing their best to make it work. May be try ringing them in a quiet period for an informal chat