Annoyed with gym creche?

[Eurydice84]

My gym has a creche where parents can leave kids while exercising. It's a tiny soft play where kids run around supervised by two-three staff members. Their policy is to collect kids at the door, no parents allowed inside the creche. However DD (3) had a bad experience with a boy hitting her during her first time there; she is now understandably worried about visiting again and would like me to go inside for a bit. I politely explained the situation but was told that parents are not allowed in. Also no one really tells me how she's been doing at the end of the creche hour - after the hitting incident she came out in tears and no one told me about the incident. Am I expecting too much from a small gym creche, or should I keep making my case?

It’s not really a safeguarding risk - so long as the adult is monitored which in this case it sounds like it would be easy to as it’s all open plan and you can see what they are doing.

in schools, an adult can come in so long as they are accompanied by a teacher or staff member with a DBS. What is the OP going to do?

i think it’s a bit pathetic that adults can’t go in - why would adults be making this request all the time anyway it would defeat the object of the crèche anyway - it would only be to settle a child and what’s the point of a crèche if the child’s worked up???

if I’m honest I’d just see if you could get a nursery with longer hours and go to the gym before pick up.

i currently wake up at 5:00 3x a week to go the gym - but the OP may be a single parent so this might not be possible. It is grim to go at this time but it does the job!

Nothing stopping her keeping kiddo in nursery an extra hour whilst she goes to the gym.

"i think it’s a bit pathetic that adults can’t go in "

I think you underestimate the general public.

They're dickheads of the highest order.

As soon as you let adults into the crèche, then comes .'oh we just need to bring dad and nana ij too, and we just want to take a wee photo of our bonnie kid in the crèche, and oh my god...staff member this bit of the crèche here is my up to my standard, and I'm just going to give little Sammy a lovely drink of cola and some haribo I've got here in my bag"

In case you hadn't noticed it's the general public that leave filth in public toilets, litter on the floor, spill fluids on seats, chuck used nappies in gutters, smoke in front of shop doors, piss on walls etc etc etc

To be fair, a nursery is familiar...same faces of kids and staff. Very different to an ad hoc creche. None of mine would have settled at the latter.

The nursery might well be open longer hours than OP works, or she could exercise in a lunch break.

Maybe if DD isn't comfortable going there... Don't bring her? The gym, presumably, is an optional thing for you. Don't make it mandatory for her.

Exactly.

You are being massively UR. This isn't her childcare. It's an ad hoc arrangement - and yes, I think 3 is too young.

If the gym provides a creche they are absolutely responsible for safeguarding and if your child is hit/hurt or a pest they should tell you. Yes they're not tgeir to educate children like nurseries and schools do but they are responsible for safety and wellbeing whilst the children are with them.

I don't know why they won't have a parent in there to settle their child, but that could also be a safeguarding rule.

My gym shut tge creche down when I had my DD, so I never got to use it. I cancelled my membership because of it in the end, its hard exercising with a baby/infant in tow....!

A gym creche is more of a drop-off place for kids. Of course they can't allow parents in. It is a matter of safety. No strangers in.
You are not happy with this , you are free to use a local student to look after your daughter whilst you go to the gym.

Trust us, if you hang about to 'make her comfortable', she will start howling the second you turn your back and walk out the door. That's your workout scuppered then!

Yeh your expecting too much. If she's uncomfortable then that's tuff I'm afraid. you are not dbs checked so it would be a no from me if I was another parent dropping my kid off🤷🏻‍♀️

You are being ridiculous, OP, and very entitled actually. Fair enough to expect to know the reason your daughter has come out crying, but you are being ao unreasonable to expect the creche to change the rules just for you. If you don't like their rules, don't use the creche - nobody's forcing you, and I'm sure the creche won't care if you don't use it! I for one would NOT be happy for a random parent hanging out with my children in a creche.

I wouldn't have any problem with other parents doing the same.

Then you are incredibly naive. You absolutely cannot have a load of adults coming and going in a room full of toddlers. There are endless reasons why.

If your daughter doesn't like the crèche then don't take her to the crèche. But you are wasting your time trying to get them to change their completely necessary rules.

YABU

Gym crèches are not known for providing high quality childcare. Ours has two teenagers glued to their phones. No way would I use it.

It IS a safeguarding risk because you might be a parent who wants to go and “sort out” the child that hit yours.

Yabu. If they bend the rules for you, where do they stop? You know their rules/ procedures, so it is upto you whether you continue to use them or make alternative arrangements.

in schools, an adult can come in so long as they are accompanied by a teacher or staff member with a DBS. What is the OP going to do?

Which then means that staff member babysitting the adult can't be counted in the adult:child ratio. So the creche would be understaffed, even before you get people wanting to stay a bit longer, play a game, check their phone, have an argument with another parent about their kid hitting theirs in the face, a dad deciding to abduct a child whilst his ex is doing Zumba....

in schools, an adult can come in so long as they are accompanied by a teacher or staff member with a DBS. What is the OP going to do?
Only with permission. Parents can't come in the classroom when they want to and spend some time settling their child in.

And they have to have a staff member with them every second so they can't look after the children at the same time. So the crèche would have to hire extra staff in case any parents wanted to come in.

Which then means that staff member babysitting the adult can't be counted in the adult:child ratio.

Where is that in the guidance? Thank you, would be useful to have to hand.

Hahahahahha

OP - AIBU?

Everyone - Yes

OP - NO IM NOT!

@Namechangedbutnotsurewhy is right. It’s not a safeguarding risk because there should be staff present and supervising the whole time.

@Eurydice84 There is no way I would be ok with their attitude. I would not trust them 5 minutes with my child.

Of course you should be able to settle your child and of course parents should be able to see the kind of environment they are leaving their child/ren in.

I would wonder what they were hiding from parents and suspect that it might be a safeguarding risk to leave children there.

So what if it’s not a nursery. They still have a duty of care and should be transparent.

In the OP scenario 1 adult to 10 children 3 and over for no longer than 4 hours

*Where children aged 3 and over attend settings fewer than four hours in one any day the adult: child ratio can be 1 adult to 10 children.

https://www.careinspectorate.com/images/ELC_adult-child_ratios_-_final_29.3.18.pdf

@SpringRainbow oh I didn't see that the op was in Scotland

Also - I meant where does it say that supervising a visitor takes you out of the numbers? I thought that only applied to eg certain ages of staff

England has guidance as well, from page 28

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/974907/EYFS_framework_-_March_2021.pdf