What should nursery / preschool be like for 3-4 yr olds?

[Socci]

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I think it sounds awful!

At dd nursery they don't have all the toys out at one time but they are visible. Dirty toilets alone would put me off.

sounds terrible. the room should be full of artwork and crafty things on the ceilings, windows, available surfaces; there should be boxes and boxes of puzzles, imaginative toys (dinosaurs and cars for example), toys to promote dexterity etc like lacing, pattern making, construction toys, musical instruments etc. You should come out of a nursery thinking "how do they THINK of all those things to make/do?" and feeling a little weepy about how sweet and exciting it is, not concerned that it looks boring and smells. Go and look at some other places until you find one that has that effect on you!!!

Exactly pph!

Exactly pph!

I agreed so much I posted twice.

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eugh, no excuse for that socci... you can't send your little one there! there are lots of nice places around, you justhave to find them...

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yes, you can use that as your baseline measure...

There will be better, keep looking.

I would suggest continuing you search for another nursery!

The pre-school room should have different areas with different toys to enhance the curriculum. Maths, literacy, book/cosy-corner, home corner, natural items (crystals, conkers etc. on a 'look table')

And the loos should be cleaned at lunchtime and as required. Dirty loos=bad management=avoid.

NO- not acceptable. Keep visiting lots of schools and don't lose heart. Go for the one you really like, even if it seems impossible, and consider slightly further afield if you need to. It would be a pain (my DD's school is not close!) but it pales in significance to having your child go to a school you aren't happy with.
I agree about the toilets and feel it is a bit of a sign about the school.
Hope you find something you like.

yes, i hope you find something nicer too socci (you are bound too). and i hope your dd has tons of fun and makes a million new friends. good luck

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Sound hideous - your dd sounds as if she got the vibe pretty quickly. Hope you find something much better soon.

DSs nursery was awash with toys and had etc a huge wooden playhouse in the middle! To a certain extent, toilets smelling of wee are a hazard of having small children with poor aim and little inclination to flush but, having said that, DSs ones were always pristine in the morning (which is the only timeI saw them)

Sounds completely wrong for your DD.

Ds's nursery toilets completely revolting when he gets there at 1pm. Lots of children and paint and learning to self care (code for not helping them). They are lovely and clean at 8am though!

don't send her
sitting at tables for a long time is not appropriate for any child of this age
no excuse for dirty toilets either.

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that nursery manager sounds like a right battle axe and even if she was getting them ready for school, most of reception is about playing anyway.

Ds is in the nursery year at a state primary school. Their room has around 5 activities set out every morning (sand pit, some sort of sticking activity, colouring, building, puzzles) and in addition to that they have a book corner, an animal corner (snails, fish, hamsters), a dress-up place and a small room decorated in whatever theme they happen to be doing (so autumn I think). Also they have an outdoor space with a sort of shed that is either a cafe/garage/shop - that changes every couple of weeks and a play area with a play frame.

I went round about 4 or 5 before I found one I really liked so be prepared to look out quite a few. At least you know what you don't like now!

Sounds yucky. Agree that pre-schools and nurseries seem to vary a lot, so keep looking and you'll find one that will be right for you and your daughter. I only looked at two as we moved mid-year and most places were full so didn't have a great choice. The first one had recently had a very good OFSTED inspection and I was all fired up about it - got there and it wAS awful! Wondered if they would all be like that (moved from abroad so no other experience of pre-school), went to the second and it was WONDERFUL. Despite the fact that it was in a church hall and everything had to be tidied away at the end of every session, they had lots of activities and a lovely, warm atmosphere. IMO, at a minimum they should have sand/water play, colouring/craft table, book corner, home/shop/hospital/whatever corner, dressing up clothes, quiet play area with puzzles etc and other toys like cars or farm.

Keep looking, you'll find something that clicks!

yes that's true, annh, warm atmosphere v important. Ds went to a church run pre-school before this where everything was cleared away after each session - a lot of the toys were quite old and a bit manky but it was the most fabulous warm and loving environment and every child seemed to thrive in their care. Good luck with your search.

DD's nursery is lovely, artwork/crafty things over the walls, a home corner, a computer corner, a book corner and an art corner, tables in the middle of the room, when I drop her off they sit on the floor for the register and then they go off and play with whats on the table, play doh, farms, lego, etc. A couple of times a week they have a 'gym' session, in the next door schools sports hall. Virtually every day she brings home something she has painted/baked/made.
Dirty toilets would be a complete no no for me. Have a look at a few more, I only looked at 2, the one she goes too is 2 mins down the road from where we live so that helped a lot