Concerns about new nurseries. Should I change?

[Anon778833]

My daughter is 25 months and has just started at nursery. She is doing three morning sessions a week. However, there are a few things that I’m a bit concerned about. She’s my 4th child so we’ve used lots of nurseries in the past;

1. Staff always tell me that they will send me some pictures of what she is doing, then they don’t send any. Why say something if you don’t intend to do it?

1. They phoned me last week to say please don’t bring her in tomorrow because we don’t have enough staff.

1. She always comes out with the wrong coat and bag even though all her stuff is named multiple times, not just once.

1. The nursery has to keep closing because feckless parents take their kids to nursery with stomach bugs.

I feel as though it’s going to be difficult to settle her in with some of these factors. Would these things concern you?

Bump

1. This isn’t great how long has she been there for? What did they say about sharing pics when she started? Ie once a week/month

2.not enough staff due covid totally understandable. Staff not turning up, being sacked, for another reason doesn’t make
It look like it’s a great place to work. Not sure if you be able to tell which one.

1. Does she have her own peg/box? There is no reason not to give right coat or bag if labelled well. Does look like attention to detail Is lacking alarm bell for me

1. Stupid parents and those with no other childcare option will be everywhere made worse with constant covid stay at homes. This Is just bad luck really

You can raise complaint over lack of sharing information and the coat and bag these are simple things to be resolved. I’d be looking elsewhere if they can’t even get these things right.

Hi OP. I've been a nursery nurse for 14 years and I've never seen any of these things happen. The wrong bag and coat would be OK once maybe but multiple times is weird. Do they have named pegs?
Being asked not to come in because there isn't enough staff is also bizarre. This had never happened in my career. If they're short staffed they should be getting bank staff in to cover. Same goes for closing because of stomach bugs. Never happened.
I'd move nurseries if it were me. Good luck in finding a better one

Thank you for your replies. I’ve never had these sorts of things happen with my other children. Her first day was 7th January. So not long.

I know that they are advertising for staff. It would have been good if I had known they didn't have enough staff for her age group when I booked her in there.

I would move settings asap.

I know it is difficult for 2 reasons why nurseries don't have enough staff but there is no excuse for the other things.

I do think staff shortages are harder with covid, I’ve not worked in sector with it. Agency’s will be stretched with schools and other placements needing staff at much higher level then normal

I have a very well regarded nursery near me that’s been closed 3 times this month signs outside due covid and lack of staff.

3 weeks isn’t long but as a new parent they should be going out of Way make you feel extra safe and Comfortable leaving her with new staff and setting. Have a chat with manager then I would start looking if no
Improvement.

Yes, obviously covid has made things more unpredictable with staffing and people having to self isolate - I do get that. I get the impression that they are generally short staffed though.

I haven’t once heard much about what she was doing today etc. one problem is not being able to look properly at nurseries because of Covid. I can only assume they do not have named pegs.

The guidelines have changed so they don't have to do it daily, we get several every month or so. Have you signed up to their app etc?

Never heard of this.

She should have her own peg etc

Closing for Covid yes, stomach bugs no

I would move settings as they don't seem very organised etc

Thank you. I certainly wouldn’t necessarily expect daily reports but what bugs me is them going out of their way to tell me they are going to do something that they don’t then do.

Paperwork and photos etc will always come second to caring for children so they may have intended to but simply ran out of time before the end of their shift.

Lots of nurseries are short staffed or needing to close at the moment due to covid meaning staff are isolating, add in other bugs and it might just be too much to stay open. We very nearly had to close recently due to half the team off with covid, luckily the remaining team was willing to do lots of extra hours so we were able to stay open. Agency staff would be unaffordable for our setting and probably many others unless it is a chain.

Parents really do need to stop sending in poorly children, regardless of if it is or isn't covid to protect the staff and other children. Colds etc are normal for the age groups but many of them have to be sent home anyway because we can't nurse one child when there is a roomful to look after - and by then they have passed on their germs to everyone else.

I would give this nursery a little bit longer to see if this is a blip, especially if your child is just starting to feel settled there.

Parents really do need to stop sending in poorly children, regardless of if it is or isn't covid to protect the staff and other children. Colds etc are normal for the age groups but many of them have to be sent home anyway because we can't nurse one child when there is a roomful to look after - and by then they have passed on their germs to everyone else.

I completely agree. This particular issue is not the nursery's fault. I never ever send my kids to nursery even with colds. I don't really like the vibe that I get from some of the other parents there. It sounds mean but I never felt this way at other provisions we've used where there was a wide demographic of people.

Should I maybe delay nursery for a bit longer? The only reason I've started her so soon is that she's very intelligent and needs a lot of stimulation. I'm autistic and I feel I'm falling short because I'm not good at imaginary play. She loves being out walking so I'm trying to do that with her as long as it's not in a really busy place.

OTOH maybe I shouldn't write this nursery off yet? I just don't know what to do.

I picked this nursery on recommendations. We do actually have quite a number of Ofsted Outstanding nurseries where I live but some of them won't accept a child unless they do a minimum of 10 hours a day for 2 days. I think this would be too much - I will miss her terribly.

OP no don't delay nursery for longer.

Find a different setting.

@TeamSpike

Hi OP. I've been a nursery nurse for 14 years and I've never seen any of these things happen. The wrong bag and coat would be OK once maybe but multiple times is weird. Do they have named pegs? Being asked not to come in because there isn't enough staff is also bizarre. This had never happened in my career. If they're short staffed they should be getting bank staff in to cover. Same goes for closing because of stomach bugs. Never happened. I'd move nurseries if it were me. Good luck in finding a better one

Some areas have shortages of bank staff since Covid so there is a real difficulty covering illness which is why Ofsted have relaxed ratios at the moment. The omicron varient is hitting early years badly at the moment. There are also high rates of nurovirus and sickness bugs with some nurseries hitting the report to Ofsted level children have lowered immunity due to Covid isolations. My daughters nursery has had 6 out of 6 staff off with covid in the last 3 weeks.