going to have to look for childcare soon :( bit reluctant but what should i look for.

[lucyellensmum]

My DD is two and i despite being adamant i would go straight back to work i have not been able to leave her yet. I do want her to go to nursery though, so she can socialise and i can get a job (we need the money).

Having walked past some nurseries recently to see children playing outside, supervised by what look like catatonically (sp) bored 18 year olds i was wondering if there are good nurseries out there (im sure there must be) where i can be confident that my little girl is going to have a fun day without her mummy. My DD does have slight speech delay too so it is important that the nursery can deal with this (although im hoping its all ok by the time she goes).

I know i have to start looking soon, so what Qs should i ask etc.

Ask about staff turnover, food preparation (is it all organic, cooked from fresh, etc), sleeping areas (separate room or just a designated area), at your dd's age, how do they deal with potty-training and whether or not they do day-trips might be relevant.

Otherwise, I think you just have to nose around and go on your instinct. FWIW, I went to one big chain and didn't like it because the environment was so sterile. I also saw one all singing, all dancing private nursery with loads of outdoor space and animals for the children to feed/interact with, but with very limited inside space and we do live in England with predominantly bad weather!! So I wound up settling for ds' nursery which is reasonably cosy and where the only draw-back is that there is no door and no blinds on the sleeping room, so you can't completely isolate it.

I've pasted the questions I printed out when I went around nurseries..obv will need to change a few to suit your needs but hope this helps?

Number of Staff?

Where is your Ofsted reg certif displayed and the current certif of insurance

How did you fare in last Ofsted Report/what was flagged up?

Do you belong to a professional organisation
(ie National Day Nurseries Assoc) that keeps you informed of current issues?

Have you gained any kitemarks for excellence?

How many children does your nursery take and are all the places used?

What is your ratio of staff to children?

What is your staff turnover like (if people are always leaving - why?)

Do you follow the birth 3/5 framework?

How many staff in the room XXX will be in (legally must be 1 adult to 3 child)

What qualifications do your staff have and how many qualified to level 3?

Will XXX have own key person/worker? What happens if they are off sick or
not there

Do you offer sensory play?

What is your approach to behaviour management?

Where are your weekly plans and can you describe a typical day
activities/naps etc in the room XXX will be in?

How do you keep parents up to date with childs development?

What is your policy on arriving unannounced?

How often do you change nappies?

What happens if XXX is ill?

What is your menu like and who is cooking the meals? Do I need to provide
Anthing

What is your approach to cultural diversity and are the religious requirements
Respected

What security arrangements do you have? What happens if someone else has
to pick XXX up

Can I see the kitchen/toilets? How often are the toilets cleaned?

Other points - shoes taken off in baby room?
clean/bright/welcoming
appropriate saftey measures in place
Outside security

Book appointments now to go and look around your local nurseries - I was amazed at how different they can be. You will be able to get more of an idea of what you want for her/ where she will be happiest.

A good tip is to ask other parents about the local nurseries etc to find out what reputations they have.

Your local Children's Information Service should be able to give you a list - you could then maybe try to get Ofsted reports (all nurseries have them now). However I agree with mumpbump that you hae to go on instinct - our neighbours children were very happy at one but when we looked at it, we both thought "no" straightaway. When we saw ours we both thought "yes". Its not perfect but DD is very happy there.

You can get the Ofsted reports off the Ofsted website. But they also look at things like whether the nursery is good at the daily paperwork and you have to keep in mind what you actually want from a nursery.

thanks everyone, i have to say im going to find this a hard thing to do so will probably pick fault EVERYWHERE. Why cant they just stay home forever?

Be very, very, very wary of nurseries that have a high quota of young employees. Ask what the hourly pay rate is.

I specifically looked for a nursery that took toddlers from 18 months and above. I really didn't want DS1 going somewhere that was a busy, loud baby dumping ground.