Turner away from nursery

[Mulch]

I don't know if it's my pmt and I've not had breakfast yet but I've just been to view a nursery to be told they can't show me around and to come back later as their having lunch.

Reason why I ask is after working In a care setting, it didn't matter how busy we were or what we were doing if someone came to visit we'd juggle things round to make time for them. People could turn up at any time.

Not at all my workplace has accommodated lunch time visits, it's never mattered how busy we were

The nurseries around me are the same. Family lunch as it's called around here, is treated really seriously. Sometimes you won't even have anyone open the door for you.

Personally I wouldn't send my DCs to a setting that allows random people to just drop in for a visit whenever they feel like it! We don't allow it in the secondary school I teach at and I would expect similar in a childcare setting.

Why do you feel the need to catch them out! That's not a healthy attitude to have. I wouldn't want anyone showing up when I'm giving my children lunch at home let alone 30 or more children. Common sense? No.

I'm very glad the nursery my children go only has viewing by appointment. It means the staff ratio is never compromised and that my kids are looked after and fed/watered and napped on time.

I don't think this is the setting for you OP and I think the staff should be a little bit thankful that you will be making another choice .

I don't know if it's my pmt and I've not had breakfast yet but I've just been to view a nursery to be told they can't show me around and to come back later as their having lunch
If you turned up without an appointment I am surprised that they will show you around at all.

Every nursery I have ever been to has been really strict about only allowing in expected visitors and I for one am pleased that they do.

I agree Mulch you shouldn't need an appointment to go and visit a nursery, and I have always read that you shouldn't need an appointment to go view a nursery
I thought that another reason for appointments was that visitors could be checked out in advance if necessary.

I hate the idea of random people going to visit a nursery and being allowed to go inside without any prior arrangement.

After working in a similar environment I'd encourage all parents to randomly show up time to time however inconvenient

So you would prefer they broke the law? Or perhaps you would like them to have, say, six extra staff on so that all holidays and sickness could be covered including over lunch without breaking the law? I'm sure you'd LOVE paying the extra that would cost? Or maybe you'd just prefer that they broke the law by giving their staff inadequate and illegal amounts of break time which would detrimentally affect care?

I think you were rude to do that. If a good few people decided to do the same it would have been a bit chaotic for the staff. Besides I wouldn't be happy with fandoms turning up wanting to look around at a nursery my kids were at.

I think it's important to view a nursery when it's not staged so I would always call at an unexpected time. I have found some can be very accommodating and some very strict with appointments. However when I have made appointments I feel like it's very forced so to speak. As for the comments about random people dropping in you are accompanied by a staff member at all times so really what's the difference in ringing ahead.

After working in a similar environment I'd encourage all parents to randomly show up time to time however inconvenient
I would actively encourage parents not to use a CM or nursery who had a policy like that.

I do not want random people going into my child's care setting without any prior notice.

I'd be very much in favour of a nursery that prioritised the children's routine at lunchtime (which can be manic as it's not only lunch, for many age groups there is also naptime shortly after, so maintaining calmness and routine is really important) over potential customers.

Ours certainly asks us to avoid calling at those times if it's non-urgent.

Was the care setting you worked in with small children?

I work in a different sort of childcare environment but same principles should apply.
We have protected lunchtimes.
Our kids have the right to eat in peace without strangers watching them.

Most adults do not appreciate randoms disturbing their mealtimes.
Why should it be different for kids?

As someone who used nurseries in the past, I would be most annoyed if children were all ready for lunch, the food cooked and cooled to the right temp to serve, yet mine and other children were made to wait until it had gone cold so that someone who might be a potential new customer could be shown around.

Go prioritise a nursery that will put winning customers over the care of their current charges. I genuinely think the level of care you'll get in that situation will be crap, but hey, your money should be the only think a 'good' nursery focusses on, right?

Not at all my workplace has accommodated lunch time visits, it's never mattered how busy we were

So you basically break the law and leave a staff member to look after more children than they should so you can show a visitor around? Sounds shit.

YABU. Regardless of what it says on the website, if you want to be guaranteed to look round then you call ahead first of all. They could have been short staffed or having a particularly busy moment especially since you picked the busiest time of the day. Young children are not capable of waiting for their lunch so if they are expecting it, they will need to be fed straightaway and that means everyone is probably busy themselves and no availability to show someone round.

They didn't ask you to come back because the staff were having their lunch
They asked you to come back because they were trying to feed lots of babies and toddlers their lunch

Do you really think your need to see the nursery RIGHT NOW is greater than that of small children who need to be fed? Honestly?

"and being the cynic that I am I wanted to see it when their not expecting people"

So you picked a time when you knew they'd be busy, and then were surprised when they were busy?

Not at all my workplace has accommodated lunch time visits, it's never mattered how busy we were

Yes, but you're not visiting your workplace. You're visiting someone else's. Different staff, children, management, rules.

And you would see that as a plus point for the nursery?

"Oh good. They will possibly leave my child hungry and/or unattended if a random turns up and wants a tour. I really admire how they prioritise adults over children"

Actually, Im going to use this technique if I ever need to source a nursery again.

If they are willing and eager to break off from lunch time/organised activity etc to chase the £££'s then that's all I'd need to know about the place.

No one of the staff members on their lunch break would show people round then take theirs later. It was a sen school no child had their lunch go cold...

Calling in without ringing ahead means the ratios may be too high. My son's nursery didn't allow that which I'm glad of. I would not have been impressed if my son had lost the support he needed for this reason.

Oh my goodness, even better! Youve turned up at a SEN school where routines and staff attention is even more crucial than normal, and tried to take away one of those staff members in order to give you personally a little private tour?

If you don't like it, go elsewhere. But starting a thread about it??