Kittyhaha, we are still trying to decide ! I saw Harpenden Day Nursery and Busy Bees. Also had an appointment for Playskool, but they wouldn't let me in because I forgot my photo ID ! So that rules that one out, as I haven't got the time to head all the way over to Harpenden again from West London just to see it. I really liked the Harpenden Day Nursery and a lovely lady showed me around and was very thorough in terms of dealing with all my questions. It was extremely busy, however on the day I went there (a Tuesday), and she advised that they were pretty much at maximum capacity that day, but that other days were quieter.
Busy Bees was fine- a much younger lady showed me around - she was nice, but very professional and a bit business-like. Probably lacked the "motherly" feeling compared to the lady in the first place, but dealt with all my questions fine. I liked the outside space better here, I think, but this nursery seemed less busy, and I'm wondering if there is a reason for this. Another factor in all of this is that fees for 3 year olds full time at Busy Bees are a lot less that Harpenden Day Nursery- almost £3k a year, when the government funding for 3 year olds is taken into account for both. Initially , I thought there must be some mistake, but I've double checked with both of them, and this is the case. I think the main difference comes down to Busy Bees reduce fees for over 3 years because of the increased staff to child ratio, and Harpenden Day Nursery don't seem to. However, I don't want the decision to be based on money alone, so am struggling to decide !
Have you moved yet ? Let me know how you are getting on! it will probably be the end of January for us at the earliest- all the legal work is taking forever !