nursery age groups - experiences pls

[mog76]

my little boy's nursery has recently changed its age group settings. it used to have three rooms 0-18months, 18months-3 and 3-5. They now only have 0-2 years and 2-5.

He's now approaching 2 years and I feel too big for the baby room (he started at 3 months) but too small for the big room. He runs round as toddlers do and i would feel worried for any small baby in his way in the "baby" room.

Equally a number of other parents have said that the 2-5 room is a really big jump for their just 2 year olds and that they (the toddlers) are finding it difficult. It's also quite a large nursery so very busy in the 2-5 setting.

just wondered what others experiences are and/or whether there's any research to show which settings are best. my little boy is fairly confident at nearly 2, having older siblings so he's used to older children showing him what's what, but i also worry about the ratios of staff as I'm told that it's 1-6 if you have a joint 2-5s room but that 2-3 year olds should have 1-4 if on their own?

aren't the 5 year olds in school?

they take older children in the school holidays up to 8 too.

the rooms are labled 0-2 and 2-5 though, I suppose as with 0-2, it's up to 2 and up to 5.

I'm not an expert at all but it does seem to be a big gap. My DD's group is 0 to 15 months and the 15 month olds seem really grown up compared to her at 7 months.

sounds mad to me, esp if it's a big nursery

we have 0-1, 1-2, 2-3 and preschool ie 3+ and even I worry about just-3yos in with the nearly-5s

Have used a few nurseries (due to house/job moves) and one of them had a similiar arrangement 0-2, 2-3 and 3-5. Felt DD as an almost 2 year old was not being catered for in 0-2 group as it was mainly made up of under 1s at the time. They started letting DD do "settling in" sessions with the older group from about 20months though, which meant she got a bit more excitment in her day.

But won't be happy with a 2 - 5 group, unless it was a tiny group! And surpised they can run it this way as the reason for the 2-3 group is because they have a higher staff to child ratio. Must be expensive for the nursery (and you!)

thanks for the comments, just what i'm thinking too. i think it's too big an age gap, but didn't know if i was being precious. he's only just 20 months and i think he's outgrown the baby room and is, quite frankly, a danger to babies without 1-1 supervision! equally, in the same way, i feel he'd be vulnerable with 1-6 ratio in a 2-5 room. they've only just been ofsted inspected so the 2-5 thing must be allowed, they've told me it's something to do with a points system - if it was a 2-3 room they'd need 1-4 and with a 3-5 room it's 1-8 but a joint room you can have 1-6.

1:6 applies if they have only 2 x 2-3yrs each and 4 X 3-5 yrs each. Therefore they can only have a certain number of 2-3yrs in the room or they wold be over ratio.

Sounds odd to me. I manage a nursery and i am always trying to find was of having smaller age group splits not bigger ones! suspect its financial. In our setting the 3-5yrs does become 21/2-5yrs in autumn term but the age group is actually only up to just 4yrs (so 1 1/2 yrs split) as all the 4+ go to school.

It can work in small homely nurseries, but if it's big I really think they should be smaller age ranges.

If anything I would do 0 - 3 / 3 - 5

The nursery DS is at has 0-1 (or walking/v mobile), 1-2, 2-3 and 3+, although it used to be 0-18m, 18m-3 and 3+. By the time DS was 18months he had really outgrown the baby room, but was a bit little for the madness that is toddlers

Our nursery doesnt take children until they are 2, and even then they are seperated into school years. The 'year' runs September to July, with the oldest room being those that are due to start school the following September, a middle room for the intermediates, and another room for the 2 year olds.

Sometimes if its quiet they do let the children mix with other age groups, but generally I think this is great way of doing it, and good for preparing them for school too.