Nursery rant

[Piglett]

Hi
I lurk but don't often post. My little boy has been at nursery since he was 3 months. The nursery has 4 rooms - babies - tiddlers - toddlers- bigs. He moved up to tiddler as soon as he was one. He is a very bright little boy with advanced talking skills. Suddenly he doesn't want to go to nursery and this week screamed for over 2 hours and nursery called saying he had temperature and needed picking up. H went and as soon as H was there DS perked up said "bye bye nursery" and happily went home. No temperature, back to nursery and H had to sit with him at nursery for 3/4 hour. Clear to H that nothing there to stimulate him as although staff good the other kids are not at same level.
I spoke to nursery and said he needs to be moved up - long and short they can't move him up because obviously over subscribed further up and use the fact that schools has stopped January intake as an excuse. I'm so annoyed by nursery's bad planning and looks like he can only move up (where there are kids who he was friendly with who are 2months older than him when they were in the room) when older kids leave.
I'm looking into childminders (all seem full) but don't know what I can do. Have bought five tickets for euromillions but cannot afford to give up work - aghh. advice or comiserations sought please

if there is no space in the older room then of course he can't move up. why would you expect the nursery to? look at other nurseries, see what else is out there that might meet his needs, or yours, better.

Ds had a fallow period at nursery where he was the oldest in the group and most friends had moved up. This was only really a problem the first year, since after that the ability band of 1-2, 2-3 was wider iyswim & they probably tried to avoid it impacting on him again. I didn't see it as bad planning but inevitable staffing crunch for a new and growing nursery. By the time dd attending she moved at the appropriate time.

You could ask for a firm timescale as to when he will move, and ask that ds go to the room for 1-2yr olds for some play time as part of an 'extended settling in period' although he still will have his keyworker and meals with 0-1s. If he's been there from 3 months and you are otherwise pretty happy, I would see if there can be some sort of accommodation reached as it'd be a pity to uproot him if otherwise happy. But jmo.

TBH I think this is normal planning system in nursery. It is good business for them to run as near capacity as possible.

But don't get stopping January intake - surely that would mean the children start in September, so earlier rather than stay later.

Agree with the other posters - this is normal.

How old is he now?

If your DS is in the right group for his age then the nursery can not be accused of 'bad planning.' At our nursery, as others have suggested, we have an extended move up time where the child spends some of his/her day in the older group for a few weeks - before making the permanent move. I'd suggest you ask your nursery if they do this.

It's worth noting that many parents ask for their children to be moved up a group as they feel that their child is bright. We have just spent today explaining to the mother of a 14 month old that her DD will not be able to go into the pre-school room as her early speech is not matched by comprehension and motor development.

Not extended move up time - there is no room. After September most of the just 2's and nearly 2's moved up. DS was 2 at the beginning of January and has speech, comprehension and motor development as good as those a couple of months older who moved up October/Nov time - as noted without pushinb for by some of their mothers. It looks like he cannot move up now until September or earlier only if other children leave.
I don't want to uproot but do want him to spend time with children of the same speech ability who he can interact with. The younger kids just don't interact with him the same way. He is obviously not as happy at nursery as he was and I do believe he isn't being stimulated enough. Happy to hear that possibly being over sensitive if that is really the case

OK. I understand, I think.

Other children have moved up on or just before their second birthday, but your DS will have to wait until September (if a child doesn't leave and create a space) - by which time he will be 2yrs 8months.

If this is the case then yes, that is incredibly bad planning.

At age two, even talking well young children's speech is stimulated by other adult interaction, not by child to child conversation, which is not as meaningful for a while yet.

At our nursery they don't move into the pre-school group until they are circa 3. So round about 2 they move into the tweenies. Is sounds like this is where your DS should be. Because for all his speech is well-developed etc he is not really on a par with the 3yos like my DD who can write her name, draw various things etc. But in the tweenies they are more advanced than toddlers and do things like potty training etc.

where are you piglett?iam cm!!

This also happens at our nursery although we've been incredibly lucky with DS and he's always been the youngest one moved up each time, which has brought him on loads and he's really thrived on it. His friend C, who is a few days younger, has always been left behind with the younger children until there's a space.

I agree with mrsgboring. Your child isn't going to pick too much up from interacting with other children at his age. It's the interaction with adults that's more important between 0-3.

It's when they get to about three that they suddenly start to really play with other kids.

Good luck with the CM option. It might be the best way to go from here.

Desi I'm sorry but I disagree. DS who is 22m gets a lot out of interacting with other children and does play properly with them. He has really benefited from being with children with greater language skills - it made a notcieable difference after only two weeks of him being moved up to the older group.

We'll agree to differ

Yes I agree