Little one due to start nursery and staff are openly talking about how hungover they are in front of me and child.

Tell the manager. It's the other end of the scale, but when I was looking for a residential care home for my elderly mum, the activities co-ordinator reeked of alcohol. I mentioned this and she laughed and said she'd had a big night out, but she had stopped drinking at midnight, scout's honour, like it was all a big joke. Not very amusing to me and I reported her comments to the home manager. I don't want someone under the influence of alcohol caring for my vulnerable mum, in the same way you don't want a potentially still drunk nursery worker caring for your child.
The activities woman was in her 30's, too.

I’d phone the nursery and mention it. See what their response is

The vast majority of parents, especially mothers, view their own baby as the most precious thing on earth. Other unconnected people don't view that particular baby as the most precious thing on earth even if they are paid to look after the baby. However, there's no excuse for turning up to any job hungover let alone a job that involves looking after babies and young children. How did this person even travel to work - by car 🤔? My children are adults now but I don't think I'd have been able to rest easy putting my children in that setting at this time. Have you checked the CQC report? The problem could be this employee or it could be the culture of the nursery. I wish you well getting it resolved

Don’t be ridiculous, you get good and bad in all areas of childcare. I know of childminders around here that bring the kids to activities just to sit on their phones and drink coffee and chinwag, only this morning at a playgroup I was at with my charges (as a nanny) a small child fell off the top of a slide because she wasn’t being supervised by her childminder. I also know some absolutely brilliant and dedicated ones. One advantage of a nursery is that there are more eyes on multiple children. You can’t write off an entire sector of childcare just because they employ young people. The nursery I worked at had staff with years of experience and were highly qualified as well the trainee youngsters.

I’m pretty chilled about most things but I would definitely report this to the manager. How stupid is this employee to speak like this in front of parents?? I used to rock up hungover to my shift in a cafe on a Sunday morning when I was 18, and I wouldn’t have told the customers there I was hungover as I knew it didn’t look good! But to try to look after young kids while hungover and then be openly talking about it in front of paying customers…🤦‍♀️

YANBU I wouldn't be sending my child here and would be sure to let them know the reason. Very unprofessional!

The joys of preschools and nurseries young staff who r cheap, use a professional childminder with years of experience instead.

Doesn't every parent think their baby is the most precious thing ever? Or do you think that just applies to you ?

Yanbu, j wouldn't send my child there either. They need to know why. That is extremely unprofessional at the very least

The two idiots saying cut the staff some slack, they are probably on NMW…are you serious? Are you even a parent?
We TRUST these staff to keep our babies safe whilst we have to work! You know, the children we wished for, spent 9 months growing, love beyond words and are the most precious things in our lives…..and you think it’s ok that they are hungover whilst looking after them??? No, it’s NOT ok and I would not be entrusting that nursery with my children. I would 100% tell the manager why I am no longer enrolling my child.

You're not serious??

I'm 100% certain it wasn't the chance of the DC overhearing words like hungover that concerned the OP, more that the person would be unfit to carry out their work properly...... The person maybe unsteady from feeling dizzy or sick, they may therefore drop a child or fall onto, stumble into a child, they may lose concentration and miss an accident or a child choking etc etc. they may even just fall asleep!

That would all be OK by you cos they're young and on minimum wage???

I wouldn't be cutting anyone any slack in a nursery setting! I would expect the management to train their staff properly in appropriate behaviour/conversations at work.

I'm afraid it makes the nursery seem a bit "rough and ready" OP. I don't blame you for not wanting that for your child.

There’s a lot I’d cut them slack for because that’s true but not this. Even on minimum wage, if you are hungover at work in this kind of setting- where dialling it in for a day is no mean feat- the LAST thing you do is make it obvious/talk about it in front of parents!

You need to tell the management though. If they are worth their salt they’ll be mortified and act accordingly.

No chance, they could still be under the influence

This.

The pay for nursery staff is poor and it's often very young people working there. If it was a constant/frequent thing I'd worry, but as a one off I wouldn't bother reporting anything. The workers are human.

I wouldn't send her there, there's a time and a place for talk like that and it's certainly not a nursery!

I'd be reporting this to the manager. I'm a nurse and wouldn't dream of talking like this in front of patients (I rarely drink alcohol though, and when I do, it is one unit). I'd be concerned at their ability to do their job safely/effectively if they are still hungover! I'd also worry about what else they would be talking about when out of earshot of parents.

My DCs went to a wonderful nursery. It was a safe, happy place and you could tell straight away how happy and well looked after the children were. My mum (NNEB trained and who then worked her way up to managing a nursery) loved the place. The staff were amazing and the kids thrived. Some had worked there for years, so had looked after my DC from when eldest was a 6m old baby to when my youngest left to start primary school (a span of about 12 years). I was thrilled that my kids went there and had no misgivings or worries. I completely trusted the staff, and their care/devotion to the kids they looked after really helped me to feel less guilty about being a mum going out to work. I was in tears when they both finished there and started school. When we bump into staff locally, they still remember my kids and chat to them. My kids remember them too and have lovely memories of their time there. That's how it should be, IMHO.

There's no way I would be sending my child there.

Yes I'd withdraw your child and tell them why. Your have to trust your nursery.

I'd be honest about why you're not sending her there.

They might care, they might not.

But they certainly won't if they don't know!