What to look out for at a nursery look around

[meepmoop]

Hi everyone,

We're looking at a nursery on Wednesday for DS whose 20months.

What should we be looking out for when we visit and what questions should we ask.

They have a forest and beach near them that they visit through the week as well.

Thank you

Lots of it is first impressions, how they make you feel, how they are with your DS (if you're taking him along), what do they find out about him while you're there. Does DS seem to enjoy it.

• I'd want to know beach safety procedures, how they get there/back
• How they cope with upset children (e.g. at drop off). I needed a nursery that weren't going to ring me every 5mins because DS was upset, I needed them to deal with it as I was at work. He took a while to settle, but got there in the end.
• What do they do when a child is a little under the weather. Can they give a dose of paracetamol etc and then ring if things don't improve, or do they ring straight away?
• Do the other kids look like they're having fun?
• Are all the other kids engaged or if not, have they noticed one is on their own and are encouraging them?
• Are all the staff engaging with the children?
• Does the outside space look safe and secure? We had a climber and a nursery I looked at had a huge climbing frame outside (for the older kids), he would have be straight up it at 2yo without a thought and I just didn't think they had the staff ratio to watch him closely enough (there was nothing blocking it off from him). We chose a nursery that only had age appropriate things outside so he was totally safe. This would have been fine for DD, as she wasn't interested in climbing, but not for DS.

Oh and do they seem organised? Are they expecting you? Do they have all the paperwork ready? Nothing worse than dealing with a poorly organised business when you're paying lots of money or have a problem and they don't get back to you or never seem to have the right paperwork/info.

That's really helpful, thank you!

Do they interact with your child during your visit? ( Assuming you're taking him with you?) I visited 2 nurseries almost identical on paper. The first nursery, the woman showing me around didn't interact with my DC at all, despite him chatting away to him. She was so busy trying to sell the nursery to me that she forgot that he was the one who was going to be going there!

The second nursery greeted us at the door and immediately a member of staff told D's that they were doing some painting and asked if he'd like to join them? I didn't see him again for the rest of the visit. It was a very easy choice to make!