Visiting Nurseries Tomorrow - What to Ask/Look for?

[MeadowHay]

Hello, I am very clueless first time mum. My little girl is 3 months old and will be around 9 months old when I go back to work. I'm hoping to drop my hours down to four days a week, so the plan is nursery 2 days and then my DM is going to have her 2 days. DH and I will be visiting our two closest nurseries tomorrow, one is rated outstanding by Ofsted and the other rated good. What kinds of things should we be looking for and what kinds of things should we be asking about?!

Don't under estimate how easy / difficult it is to drop her off / collect her. I know people will come along with 'worthy' things to ask / look for, but on your way to / home from work, those things will make life really challenging. So - parking, distance, the fact it is on the way to work against 5mins in the other direction (which is 10 in rush hour and then 15mins to get back to your starting point).

Cost is obviously important. Remember to look at the overall cost for the year, rather than 'just' the daily rate. Sometimes a nursery has a lower daily rate but then asks to you pay for other things on top, or provide things that the other Nursery might include.

Are they open all the time you will need them ? - do they open early enough / close late enough / and, if you have to work between Christmas and New Year, are they open then ?

Ask to see the menu. Is food cooked on the premises? Do they have a cook, or are the childcare staff expected to do it? (If you feel strongly about this - it bothers some more than others - do they have dinner with veg etc., or is it all a bit 'out the freezer and on to the baking tray'?)

Where / how do they sleep ?

[Remember she won't be a tiny baby for ever - this is quite hard when she is so little]
What outside space have they got ? How do they use it ? Can the children go in and out as they like or do they just go out at 'play time'?

Do they take them out and about in the local area ? How does that work ?

How do they communicate with parents / and you with them. Home / Nursery diaries or electronic systems ?

How does settling in work ?

This might sound a bit odd but I really noticed at one nursery I visited that the children on the whole didn't look relaxed. They weren't crying and were getting on with playing but somehow didn't look particularly happy. The next nursery I visited just had a somehow happier feel and there was more smiling and the children came up to us and said hello.

I also preferred the nursery where there is more space for each group so that they have a separate room for eating to the room where they play and a separate area for quiet time.

I'd ask about staff ratios for the baby room and toddler rooms. One nursery I visited really stretched the rules by having children from two age categories and using the older age to decide the ratio. The idea of 1 staff to four 18-29month olds just doesn't sit right with me.

Oh, I totally agree with the "feel" of the place being important.

Also, if you get a chance to ask staff how long they've worked there - that's interesting. High turnover would be a negative for me (though it could just be bad timing and a justifiable reason).

Thanks ladies, have made a note of everything. Both of the nurseries are very close to us - one is about 5 min walk from home and the other still less than about 15 mins though I appreciate when baby is walking if they walk there it will take us longer! Great tip about asking staff how long they have worked there.

Definitely staff turnover is very telling. Also, do you have access to the room at drop off and pick up or do you have to wait at the front door- the latter would be a deal breaker for me.

Don’t be fooled by flashy buildings or expensive equipment. Look at he staff- how well educated are, how attentive are they, do the children seem like they are well attached, are they making eye contact with the children, how much laughter is there?

I would go with the 'feel' of the nursery too.

When I was looking for nursery at 3 months I wasn't sure about it because it didn't seem very 'cosy' for my little newborn, but by the time he started there at 11 months it was perfect because he was climbing and crawling and into everything.

You have to think about what's important for you too, a PP didn't like the door drop off and that was important for her, whereas I like it as it no shoes are allowed inside!

Do you want a big nursery or one with a smaller 'family' feel.

What's the outdoor area like and are they able to access it in all weathers.

How do they communicate with the parents about daily activities.