Webcam in nurseries

[gillunderhill]

Hi I co-own a large nursery and we are soon to move to new premises, giving us the opportunity to review security etc. A state of the art system is available which includes a biometric fingerprint entry system, CCTV, and webcam. I am interested in your thoughts about webcam (being able to view your child via the internet in their home room), and, if you had the choice between two similar nurseries, one with and one without webcam, which would you choose and why? Also if any of you already use a nursery with it installed, is it helpful?

Hope you don't mind me asking, and your honest opinions would be much appreciated! It would be great if loads of you answered then I could get an idea of whether the majority approve or disapprove.....

Many thanks!

[Nemostwonderfultimeoftheyear]

I have quite mixed feelings about this..if I had a webcam to view dc in nursery then I dont think I would move from pc and would always be worrying about if they were ok and temptation to check would be too much. However on the other hand I would like to be able ot check whenever I felt the need without turning up and disrupting them.
DDs are both starting a nursery tommorow and I am dreading it. I know if webcam was available I would be watching constantly. However the nursery does have an open door policy and I have also spent a good 4hrs there this week with the girls to see them settle in and how the staff treated them and the other children.

[KT12]

My biggest concerns would be...who has access to the internet site? I am far too paranoid to have images on the web of my child. It would put me off the nursery.

[coldtits]

I would not want other parents seeing my child biting / hitting / scratching their child. That sort of thing can start fights and ruin friendships.

The staff would be nervous wrecks - I'd rather the staff were good in the first place. And lastly, I would be a mess, constantly checking on my child, worrying if he was getting attention, watching him eat, ringing up to say "I just saw my Little Jonny being bounced on a nurse's knee - don't let her do that, he might bite his tongue" and other such crap from me.]

Bad idea IMO

[TiggyD]

Firstly, if the pentagon computer system can be hacked into regulary, how secure would a day nursery system be?

Secondly, what about the staff? Would having a driving examiner sitting next to you in you can make you a safer driver or a nervous wreck?

Thirdly, how do you feel about other parents watching your children? Imagine your child having a tantrum for 'Mr Bobo', while at an office computer another parent encourages their workmates to "have a look at this"?

I would not work at a nursery with webcams, so you're also putting off good staff. (like me!)

You should realy spend the money on something else.

[Oblomov]

I don't like the idea. I am happy with ds's nursery. He loves it and I am happy with his care. I don't need a webcam to confirm this. If I did need confirmation, then I would be questioing myself as to whther care / this nursery was the right place for him.
Lets get back to basics and basic, loving care. If you are happy and your child is happy, YOU KNOW.
Webcams are just gimicy.

[ZinaD]

i'm a bit late on this thread but i came across it as i'm looking into nurseries and would opt for one with a webcam over one without, all other things being equal, so am looking for options in the twickenham area. i would love to be able to see how my baby's doing during the day, and be able to observe her in another environment and with other people and children. i'm not overly anxious and dd is very sociable so it would be as much out of interest as to calm my initial restlessness of leaving dd in other people's hands.

[cmotdibbler]

The nursery DS goes to has secure webcam access, which I really like. Its great to be able to see that they are well settled during the day if its been a bit tricky dropping them off.
TBH the quality is such that you can only really identify your child by knowing what they are wearing that day, and each room has one camera so large areas aren't covered,

[MightyMoosh]

As a nursery nanny I'd be appalled if CCTV was installed anywhere I worked, if parents cant trust you why leave children with you? I think you need to consider your staff, fancy losing excellent staff over this!

[kindersurprise]

I would not use a nursery with this policy, for several reasons.

I chose the nursery because I liked the look and the feel of it, because I was happy with their pedigogical concept. I also love the calm and happy atmosphere in the kindergarten where my DCs go.

If I did not trust the staff in the kindergarten to treat my children well, then I would not leave them there.

I would also be unhappy about other parents constantly watching, it would certainly lead to some parents phoning constantly... little Jimmy has just been hit on the head by little Willie... or some such nonsence.
Conflicts that the staff would normally just sort out (or even better, let the children sort out themselves) would be monitored and analysed by parents.

Our Kindergarten offers the opportunity to spend a day in the Kindergarten, playing wiht the children and observing the day to day routine. I intend to do this soon, while obviously being aware that my DC will act differently when I am there, it will let me see what they are doing.

So, yes, this would definately be a factor for me not to choose your nursery.

Good luck with the new premises.

[dinny]

no way would I want a nursery to have webcam - would rather not spend all day obsessively staring at the screen.

but our old nursery did have biometric fingerpad entry system and I realy liked it.

[inlovewithjose]

think its a step back, almost like admitting defeat(the staff are so bad they need constant watching) some parents might go for it, but i wouldnt. good luck

[gillunderhill]

This is all good stuff - thanks for your views - keep them coming please, it's helping loads to understand your thoughts!

[thehairybabysmum]

It would put me off using a nursery i think, i dont think constant cctv monitoring is healthy. Can understand it outside for security at night and stuff but thats it.

To me it implies maybe staff not trustworthy, or management are a bit detached...easier to monitor staff with cctv then having a good relationship with them??

[legalalien]

I'm quite surprised to hear about the webcam, as I would have thought it raised some fairly thorny data protection issues (constant monitoring using CCTV is difficult enough). As Nanny Nick notes, parents would be entitled to access CCTV images under normal data protection rules. If I were a nursery worker in a nursery where parents had constant web-enabled access, I think I'd be justifiably concerned about my privacy and asking a few questions about how the system was being justified from a data protection perspective.

[Squiffy]

oops ... when I say 'our nursery' I mean the local one my children go to, not that I run one myself...

[Squiffy]

Our nursery has CCTV everywhere but doesn't allow parents to access it. It is there for 2 reasons:-

1. In case anything 'happens' they can check the circumstances
   
2. They can use it for training purposes for their staff
   
   I reckon the fact that it is there is a huge bonus, and I thoroughly approve of the fact that parents do NOT have access... I think if people don't have complete trust in a nursery then they shouldn't leave their children there, webcam or not...

[winegums]

i don't use it to check up - it's just there if i want to see DD but don't use it every day. i certainly didn't choose the nursery 'cos of the webcam it's an added bonus. use key fobs to get in and they certainly have an open door policy. staff are lovely and all the food is home cooked and organic.

[RubySlippers]

this sort of thing wouldn't attract me to a nursery
i want good, nurturing care and low staff turn over, as well as good home cooked food
i would hate to think DS was only being well cared for because i could check up on him
my son's nursery doesn't have this but they have a good open door policy and i am more reassured by this
TBH it sounds gimmicky

[FirstAtForty]

I think it's understandably really difficult and emotional for mothers to leave young children at nursery for the first time, and viewing them on the webcam all the time I think would exert extra and unhelpful pressure on both the parent and staff.

Much more important that the parent is encouraged to spend some 'real time' at the nursery, especially during the first few weeks as the child is settling in. (I used to come at lunchtimes to bf, which Initially I thought would be a pain but I really enjoyed it). You can then chat properly to the staff about any issues, get to know them and really get a feeling for how they understand the children and respond to their needs.

On the question of marketing, I think it is something that I would have been attracted to before she went there. But now I don't think it would be good if they did install it - it would be too tempting to compulsively watch it when you need to be getting on with work etc!

So IMO better to rely on a good reputation and recommendations than 'gimmicky' stuff. My main deciding factor was that it had been recommended by other mothers and a former member of staff.

[winegums]

hi, we don't pay for the webcam - it's part of the package offered by the nursery.

[SKYTVADDICT]

DS was going to start a nursery with a webcam next January but I have decided to put him with a c/m instead. I was quite looking forward to using the webcam though. It was going to be £5 a month on top of cost.

[BettySpaghetti]

oops wrong thread

[BettySpaghetti]

Despite the negative stories I've posted there are a lot of positives too.

I posted a wanted ad recently for something (camping stove) and a lovely woman emailed me to say that we were welcome to borrow hers anytime we liked if we weren't succesful.

She was a woman who had responded to one of our offers in the past so maybe this was part of it?

[gillunderhill]

Winegums do you have to pay for access to the webcam?

[winegums]

Have webcams at my DD nursery. great when she first started - bonus for her granparents - they don't live in London, nother story!! staff don't sem to be put out and very secure i can only only see the rooms DD is in and only on the days she attends.