Advice on nursery vs CM for DD 2.9

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Hello, my DD has been fulltime with her CM since she was 10 months old and has thrived there. They follow the EYFS and DD 2.9 has learned so much there (colours, numbers, alphabet, shapes, huge vocab and complex sentences, sharing etc). Her CMs (there are two of them) also look after 6 other children and they go to playgroups so DD is used to structured environments and large groups.

She turns 3 in June and will start school when she turns 4 - so September 2012. She'll qualify for a funded nursery place (15 hours a week?) this September. I'm looking around for one at the moment but so many nurseries are already full. My fault for leaving it so late.

My question then is, is it so bad for her if she doesn't get to go to nursery, if she stays on at the CMs? Or will it be more beneficial for her to go to nursery (even if I have to pay) in order to prepare her for reception class in 2012?

Thanks .

As a childminder rather like your own, I think you've already got the best of both worlds! Lots of structure and large groups, but within a home environment. It sounds as though she's learning lots, too.
Are your childminders accredited? You can claim the entitlement with them, if so.

It's always a bit of a let down when we've worked so hard with a child, her parents are delighted with her progress and... they decide to send her to nursery to prepare her for school :( If it's working well for your child, why change? For what it's worth, two children have remained with me entirely for their Early Years education and weren't disadvantaged at all.

Thanks Tanith. We love love love our CMs - their days with DD are structured and filled with learning as well as free play. I would be happy for DD to remain with them. I guess then it comes down to large groups. My parents placed me with a CM at 8 months, fulltime, and I too thrived under her care. I was reading by 4 years old thanks to her dedication. But I went to part time nursery at 3 and suddenly was faced with 20-plus children and I am positive this helped me when I started primary school a few weeks after my 4th birthday (I was a summer baby like my DD) - I settled in right from the start and wasn't thrown at all by the large numbers of children.

Lots of think about...

The other thing to remember is that we take the children who are starting school next year along when we pick up the older children from school so they get used to seeing the school and its teachers almost every day. I think that's a good preparation for them, too.

Hi - my childminder links in with a pre-school that all of her mindees go to - she takes and picks up - it doesn't save any money - but was really good for my DS! have you asked your CM what she thinks?

• alternatively the school you think she might go to - may have a nursery class - and they are getting a lot more flexible - so my friend DS2 is going on a tues and thurs 9-3.30 - then other childcare at other times

I think some kind of pre-school experience may be a good idea but if you have a good CM which sounds like you do not essential

Thanks for the replies. DD often goes along with one or the other of her CMs on the school run but there are quite a few primaries around here so the CMs are not tied in with a particular pre-school/school.

I am sure it will all work out - if she gets into a nursery and can experience the "big group" environment, if only for a day or two a week, then great; but her CMs are so brilliant and she's learning loads with them that if she stays with them until school then that's great too.

Reception year is flexible isn't it, so if she struggles to begin with then she can do reception year half time and CM the rest. She'll only just have turned four when she starts school, which is why I am (over?)thinking this as she'll be one of the youngest in class and I do not want to delay her by a year as her CMs think she's ready for school already.

whilst i am sure your cm is great, I dont think playgroups or the CM environment are genuinely structured environments (but are big groups, obviously) in the way that nurseries are, and i dont think taking children on the school run are really a substitute.

I'm a school governer and i can vouch that children that have attended nursery adjust much better and much quicker than those who havent had the stimulus and struture that nurseries give. early years education is critical to a childs development which i believe you can track right through their education - its really worth investing in even if the logistics seem tricky. A good CM should support you in this. If you do decide to go down this route i hope you manage to find a funded place, a lot of parents will multi book places at nurseries and then decide which one to go to nearer the time and there is always churn at this age, so put yourself on waiting lists and you are likely to get a place.

good luck - its not easy is it!!

I think you have quite a good, relaxed attitude to it :)

I do think that no matter how wonderful her CM set up is, she would benefit from going to a nursery - it's a transition period which will make the adjustment to school much easier for her.

I'd do a combo of CM & nursery.

However, by the time she's sitting her GCSE's it wont matter

Thanks for the advice, all.

Just for the record, her CM have such a structured day that there is a timetable and every 30min/hour slot is allocated with mainly structured learning activities. Also, her CMs follow the early years education programme. So no issues there (DD thriving and is advanced for her age).

The biggest two things for me is "big groups" and that will be my reason for considering nursery and it is "more like school" in terms of environment.

So, again, I'll look into nursery but I won't stress terribly if she doesn't get a place (which actually is unlikely as there are loads of nurseries here).

herhonesty, thanks for the comments on multiple booking, waiting lists and churn. It's put my mind at rest and that's now my strategy .

Ask her about what CRW1234 said - Your CM may be able to take your DD to a pre school some days (they often open for morning/afternoon sessions).

She is scheduled to start school in Sept 2012, but does not HAVE to start until the term after her 5th birthday. Having said this, I would not skip Reception year, because they learn a lot about making friends, where the toilets are, etc as well as their lessons.

You are really deciding whether to get her used to working in larger groups at age 3, or at age 4.

Does your CM drop off/pick up at the school she is likely to go to? Does the CM look after other children who might be in her class, or would she meet these children at pre-school, or nursery.

Lots to think about. It sounds like whatever you decide (CM/Pre School/Nursery) will have positives for your child.

What Tanith said - I am a CM and I always feel a bit sad that children I have known and loved since babies are taken somewhere else to prepare them for school. I do fully support parents who make this decision.