Nursery pick ups

[Heyduggeefordays]

DD has recently started nursery 1 afternoon a week. Her finishing time is 5pm as confirmed in there starting handbook and by the manager when I enrolled her. I’m usually there to pick her up around 4:50pm.

Her first session she was the last child left in her room and the staff member had her coat and bag on clearly ready to finish her shift. Felt like a massive inconvenience when I wanted to pay for her sessions. Her last 2 sessions i’ve arrived to find her left with the older age group to play.

I have no concerns with the nursery she has settled in well and loves it. Although when the staff from her room have gone home I don’t really get an insight in to how she’s been what she’s done etc.

Just wondering if this is a common thing with nursery staff or should I be aiming to pick her up earlier?

No that sounds bad! I'd ask to see the manager and get some clarification...the staff should be greeting you pleasantly and offer a snippet such as "Oh she's had a lovely day...really enjoyed water play and ate all her lunch" or whatever. That's all it takes and most parents are happy!

Our nursery closes at 6.15pm, and if I'm on the late shift at work, that means I pick ds up at about 5.40 sometimes. If that's the case hes often the last one there. He still has at least one, if not two of his room staff in there with him, and they are sometimes getting him to help pick up toys, but mostly they're carrying on playing as normal. If hes last to go they start tidying up after hes gone from what I can see. I wouldn't be happy with being made to feel like hes delaying them leaving at the end of the day, and I would not like not getting an update on how he's been either. I'd have a quiet chat to the nursery manager and see what the issue is.

As long as she is well cared for and the ratios are as they should be, I think that’s fine. I think afternoons are less busy than mornings as most with school age children will collect around 3.

My youngest is in nursery 4 full days and I collect him at 4:45 (because we drop off at 8:45 after school run). He is usually one of the last younger ones still there. But our nursery is combined ages, there are no separate rooms, so he’s with the older kids all day. I don’t personally want and update unless there has been some sort of incident anyway (he’s fine, we’ll cared for, if he’s had an injury I’d want to know, but I don’t care how long he napped or what he had for tea).

You might find mornings are better, if you have that much flexibility, but otherwise I’d just speak to the manager about getting updates left for you from staff if they need to go home.

They can’t really help it if other parents are getting there earlier than you surely?

How old is she?

As long as ratios are met there's no harm her being with the other age group.
They're not going to pay staff to be there if they don't need to.

I would expect a quick chat about her day and certainly not to be sat with her coat on though.

To answer some of your questions DD is 21 months. I have no issue with her being left with the older kids as at that time of day there focused on outdoor play which she loves. I would like to be kept up to date with how she’s been as she is quite delayed on her speech so it’s not like she is able to tell me herself. She’s my first child and it’s the first experience I’ve had with a nursery so thanks for all the advice. I think i’ll have a quick chat with the manager at her next session and ask that if she’s going to be out in with the older kids could they leave me an update as to what she’s done.

My kids, and the ones I worked in years ago, always used to get a slip of paper with what they'd eaten and how much (some, all, seconds) nappies (wet or dirty) how long they'd slept if they had a nap and a comment about something they'd enjoyed or their mood or something that day. I thought that was standard practice. Maybe you could take in a note book and ask the staff to fill in information like that and leave in her bag when they leave.