Unsure about SureStart

[FionaToff]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this site and have just returned to work after having my 2nd baby. I thought I had my childcare boxed off with two prvate nursery places but have just found out it's closing so I'm looking round for 2 new places. My local surestart can offer me two but I'm not sure about them? Does anyone have any experince about them - good or bad? I'm looking at Clubmoor, Liverpool.

Surestart is a government body, i dosen't actually run the nusery. Check them out as you would any other ofsted, other parents etc

just to add, if you look at www.surestart.gov.uk it will tell you a bit about what they do.

they would be good as the next place.. all depends on staff, personalities etc.,

If you come across 'neighbourhood nusery' that too is part of the surestart banner. My local childcare centre comes under this, it is an independent charity that gets some funding through this programme.

If they are charities you could also check them against the Charity commisions register.

My DD (Age 3) goes to the local Surestart Nursery, and DS (age 15 months) went there for a few months too. We are very, very happy with it.

The staff are lovely. They are well paid (relatively)and so there is a low staff turnover. They only employ NNurses with 3 years experience (not sure if all of them have this policy though).

They are extremely well finded, and so have the most wonderful equipment, beautiful garden, lovely furniture etc. Ours is also small - 8 places in the 0-2s room, 12 places in the 2-3s room, 16 in the 3-5s room, which I see as a big advantage.

It is also slightly cheaper than other nurseries local to us (and so much better from what I can tell by visiting)

The only pitfull of ours is that the nursery manager, though very nice, is disorganised, so billing etc can be hard to get organised. But thats it.

I'm sure they are not all the same, but I would definately recommend you go there and meet the staff and check it out.

Should also say that DD is almost 3, and will start free nursery in September. She currently goes one day a week, but we will use the free nursery vouchers to fund 2 1/2 days per week, which, IMO, is far more convitient and family friendly that having to take her 5 mornings, as we would if she changed to the local school attached nursery class.

Yes they are well funded, and have fantastic equiptment, but unless they also have fantastic staff then it's as much use as a chocolate teapot tbh. My nephew used to go to a local suresart centre, and was given nothing but a rough deal the best part of the time he was there. They had a very high staff turnover, with very young newly qualified staff! I would check things out very thoroughly before any decision is made about any nurseries. He's now at a fantastic new nursery, and has come on in leaps and bounds.

My dd went to a surestart children's centre nursery as it was attached to the school I was teaching in for two days a week as well as continuing to go to the nursery attached to her present primary school.

Dd loved the sure start nursery and despite the fact that she only went for a few months and she went to her other nursery for two years it is the sure start one she talks about and thatis the one we go back and visit.

The staff, equipment and careshe got there were absolutley second to none and if I were to have more children, which I can't but that is not the point, I would send them there without hesitation.