Just Learning Nurseries

[flower1988]

Does anyone have any experience with these nurseries? Considering putting our 1yo DD into one. Thanks!

I've worked in loads of nurseries because of having various placements during training, doing supply work, and just moving about. I've never liked any of the big chains. I've always found them to be impersonal institutions with usually not great staff. They tend to keep costs to a minimum. (one sent scoops of ice cream from the kitchen so staff couldn't give more than the regulation one scoop per child).
I did a few days work at 2 Just Learning nurseries near me this year. I have to change my opinion of big chains now. They both had a warm, friendly, family feel to them. The staff I was with really thought of the children and were up to date in their childcare. I still would prefer a homely nursery myself, but I was impressed. I would have rated them both as 'good' on the Tiggy scale.
One problem was the pay for the staff. I believe they are one of the lowest payers around, which means they will not get the best staff as ordinary assistants and nursery nurses.

Tiggyd is right about the pay. It is horrible. Lots of nursery staff are miserable in private settings due to too many kids, low pay and lack of respect from management.
When I worked in a nursery in yorkshire before dd was born, I was paid £5.20 ph and not paid over times,even though everybody did overtime each day.
Turn over was incredibly high with most staff planning on leaving as soon as possible as they were not making enough money to live on. Not surprisingly the owner was very unapproachable, did not allow staff to approach her and had a few million sitting in the bank from her nursery chain and properties.