Going to look around nursery - what should i look out for??

[TheRealDarkMavis]

Hi all

I am going to look around a Montessori nursery in a couple of weeks for my DS to attend from the Summer onwards - he will be 10 months by then. Basically - what questions do i need to ask?! Is there anything that you wish you'd asked/found out before you started?

Any help/advice/experience grately recieved! Thanks.

Mostly it's about how you feel. If you take your DS with you, do the staff interact with him? Do the kids look happy and engaged? Is the atmosphere good? Do the staff seem to know the kids names - do the kids seem to be comfortable with the staff?

Practical questions are things like, timings for food/naps, procedure for bottles (formula or ebm), what are you expected to provide? Where do babies nap? What outside space do they have access to? Where are nappies changed? (for older kids, where are their loos/potty area?) What is their procedure for giving calpol? Or when a child seems sick? How do they organise the time? How secure is the building?

Some parents like to see an ofsted report, but I don't think it can tell you anything you can't glean from a visit.

Hope that helps

Very much gut instinct I feel.
Do the children seem happy and engaged with the staff? And what Baby Bouncer said.

Wow - thanks so much for all the help and advice! Really useful. I think i will make a list of things to ask based on what you have said. :-)

Thanks again x

montessori nurseries run differently from regular nurseries so you need to go in with your eyes open and ask what differences there are so you know and google a lot and do a lot of research you may decide to go for a regular nursery

ask how many of the staff are trained in the montessori method or are they just using the name and not in the whole concept? real montessori nurseries have teachers who have been trained for many years in montessori and have special toys so dont be shocked if you dont see lots of "regular" toys