..to ask how did you choose a day nursery for you DC?

[LittleR1e]

FTP here to a beautiful 5w PFB
Going to view a day nursery today. Other than asking about cost, opening times and waiting lists, what should I be asking or looking for? How do you choose a nursery?!

whats provided in the fees?

What is the staff turnover like?

How many of the staff are first aid trained?

How many of the staff are qualified to level 3 or above? How many of the ones who aren't are working towards a level 3?

All of the above plus
Sample menus
How many staff to children in each room

Generally we went with the feel of the place too. Sounds odd but you know when you get a oh this is a nice atmosphere feeling!

I took notice of how clean the room was, were the children engaged with toys/activities. Is there some computer equipment for older kids. How were the staff interacting with the children, Do they get cuddles and kisses?
How often do they go outside.

Look to see how the kids interact with each other. Ask what's included in the costs. Ask them about meal times, type of food they serve and the ratio of adults to children.

We picked the one DD went to because when I walked in I felt like it was somewhere that I could have left her. The place we visited before was more structured like a school which I wasn't keen on!

Also ask about toilet facilities for the kids. We went to one where there was no door leading into the bathroom so any visitors could see if the kids were going to the toilet (I understand that they can't have cubicle doors on them all for safety reasons but not one leading to them put me right off)

We asked all of those things and in the end it came to which one we got the best "feel" from. Annoyingly, it was the most expensive and least flexible place but I didn't really get a comfortable feeling from some of the others.

All of the above, plus personal recommendation if possible. Speaking to other parents so knowing first hand that their children are relaxed, happy and purposeful there. I second the fact about getting a gut feel for a place- it won't necessarily be the most impressive building or have the newest equipment and decor but you'll just feel at home. One nursery we looked at was attached to the pre prep of a private school (not that we're private school people at all, but it offered the flexibility we needed at pre school age and you're shelling out lots of money anyway for private nursery) It was by far the most impressive building, housed in the converted stable block of a country house, with all very impressive equipment. However, it lacked the warmth of the nursery we eventually settled on.

Ratios
Discipline
If she's going to be going before starting solids what do they offer in terms of that
Sample menus
What you get for you fees
Activities they do (do they go for walks or anything like that)
What do you need to provide
Staff turnover