When to change nurseries?

[NumberblockOne]

Sorry in advance for this boring thread...

DD (2.2) goes to a private nursery two days per week. (The other days she is with grandparents 2 days, and with me 1 day). She's happy at the nursery and it has been super flexible for us. However, we're pretty sure that we want her to go to the nursery school within our village for the final year before school starts (she will start at nursery school in Sept 2021). The reasons for this are 1. being in a more structured setting will probably work for her as she will be one of the oldest in the year, 2. make some friends she will go to school with and 3. being on the same 9-3 daily routine as DS.

The question is whether to keep her at private nursery until Sept 2021, or to move her sooner (the nursery school also runs private nursery care for 2-3 year olds alongside the nursery school with ).

It would be easier for me if I moved her sooner, as I currently have to do all drop offs and pick ups at the private nursery as we only have one car. In contrast, if she went to the village nursery, DH could do drop offs when he takes DS to school. So I could get into work earlier, and her nursery day would start at 9am rather than 8am.

Other advantages to moving her sooner would be getting to know some more families in the village, and also not having to move her from the private nursery when she is almost 4 years old as she will have probably have already made some friends by that point.

The main downside is the cost. At the moment the village nursery would not be much more expensive. But there comes a point when she hits 3 years old, where the private nursery would give 30 free hours, while the village nursery only gives 15 until Sept 2021 when she would start her nursery school year. Assuming she does 3 days per week at that age, then it will cost us £200 extra per month for 8 months.

The other downside is the flexibility. The village nursery will not let us add the odd extra day here or there if grandparents are ill or on holiday. Plus they close for 2 weeks in August and one at Christmas and Easter.

WWYD. Move her sooner on the basis that we will both have easier mornings/days as a result? Or save some money and keep some flexibility by keeping her at private nursery for another 2 years?

Bump

The curriculum and structured activities.....there should be no difference as all early years settings up to end of reception year follow the same guidelines...the eyfs....there is no need to move a child for this reason even from a good childminder. Children cope very well going straight into their reception year.
Friends....children soon adapt at this age and make new ones....you could make useful contacts for later on in school life.
Convenience....only you can weigh this up but what would you do on days your stuck?
Cost ....that's pretty major but you could look at spending the other 15 hours with a childminder who could cover any closures or when granny cant...you can stretch the funding through the year to around 11 a week school holidays included.

Thanks, I understand your points, but without going through all my reasons in detail, I do think nursery school will be the best place for DD for that final preschool year.

My main consideration then, is whether to move her sooner with the benefit of easier mornings and a shorter day for her, and not having to change nurseries at a point where she has already made friends, but with a higher price tag...

I don't understand your point on the cost, your dd is entitled to 30 hours childcare the term after she turns 3 as you both work. The setting is your choice but she wouldn't be entitled to the funding in one setting and not the other?

Personally Ive always gone for the earlier upheaval so they're settled once it's done, both my dds went to school nursery after turning 3. They get used to the routines so starting in reception is not much change for them.

Sorry, I haven't explained myself very well. The private nursery offers 30 hours from the term after she turns 3 which will be January 2021. Village nursery offers 15 hours from January 2021, then 30 hours from September 2021 when she is in the "nursery school" part, and the 30 hours can only be taken 9-3, 5 days per week.

It's the government that offer the funding though, not the provider. So if you can use more than 15 hours at your provider (I know many only offer mornings or afternoons) then you can use the funding?

The provider can choose whether to offer 30 free hours or not, and can dictate how they are distributed across the week. They are not obliged to offer 30 hours. The funding is given from the government to the provider.