Any advice on private nurseries & what to look out for? am i making the right decision?

[ScoobyDYSONDoo]

Am starting back at work part-time which i am really looking forward too, which obviously means dd who is 2.2 will have to go into nursery but not many hours!

I looked at one on friday & had a few issues & was not 100% convinced by it, issues i had were the staff were not really very friendly, hardly any kids there & it is in a building which is like a big old stone house, they were moving the 2-3 year olds room upstairs, the stairs were steep with 2 stair cases & the toilets & sleeping room were on a different level to the main play room.

I came away with a niggling feeling & i am a firm believer in gut instint.

So am off to view another one tomorrow.

Dd will be going from 9-1pm tues wed & sometimes a mon my mum is having dd on a thursday & friday i am not working.

So this whole nursery thing is new to me & to be quite honest i pray dd will like it.

What advice could you give to someone lookig for a good nursery? what should i be looking out for? how did you know the nursery your child is at is "the one" so to speak?

All advice welcome

it helps to feel at ease with the staff who will be looking after your dd, so you feel like you can ask them anything.
in my dd's nursery, the 2-3 room is upstairs, but also has toilets in the im not sure of any questions to ask as i visited my dd's nursery 3 or 4 times before i actually left her on her own, and saw most of the day to day stuff and i liked the way they handled the kids.

i hope your dd likes it!
(my dd does not and has cried every time i leave her for 3 months now, but as soon as i leave she stops )

When we went around the nursery that we chose, the children did even notice we were going around - they were so engrossed in what they were doing. Very happy children. I was given advice to see how the children looked when we went round and to see if they were interested in what they were doing, or were looking pleadingly at us to go home!! Our nursery has a nice enclosed garden for the children to play in. There is a space with astroturf so they can go outside in all seasons. They 2-3 age group are nearest the toilet which I thought was good thinking.

My ds is so happy and he comes back having done loads and loads. He is only 14 months. There are photos all over the walls of the children doing activities (we gave permission for our ds to be in the pictures). It just seemed to be a happy place. Also, they key workers are not young girls, just out of school or on work experience. That put my mind at ease too.

Finally, as a teacher I have 13 weeks holiday a year. We cam to an agreement with the nursery that I will pay half for every holiday to keep his place, but if I need him to go in, then we can book him in at short notice. Nice and flexible for parents too. That helps!

Hope this helps a bit.

yes, our nursery took photos of my dd to show me that she does play and like it while she is there which i thought was a nice touch. i think they wanted to prove she doesnt cry all the time i am gone!

and you get so proud of the pictures they bring home

Recommendations from friends is how I chose.

I think you should look for how friendly and confident they seem with the children in their care.

What is their ethos? So do they consider themselves more prep for school, home from home, combo of two.

Look at their displays, are the rooms bright and inviting? Does the work of the kids show that they do varied actvites?

Do they have weekly plans? topics? Do they try to link with local area/history/environment?

Do they have an outside space? How is it used? how often and is it mixed aged shared?

What are their strategies on misbehaviour? Do they use sanctions? What are they?

How do they monitor their children's well-being and progress? Do they have times when they observe children playing and keep notes? Will they be sharing these observations with you. (my dds nursery had 'learning stories -just little observations like, dd knew when she'd pooed her nappy today, she pointed at her bottom and said 'poo' - they kept these together in a big folder which was sent home periodically)

Do they make the children's meals on site? Ask to see a sample week's menu.

And of course,
Do the kids look like they are having fun????

These are just lots and lots of ideas, you don't need to be looking for all of them, but maybe think about which are important to you, you can ask for a copy of their policies and that'd cover quite a lot. Hopefully you dd will love it

Thanks everyone there is some fantastic idea's & advice on here just the sort of thing i needed

I think DD will be ok but i could be very wrong.

I will be looking out for many things suggested & it's also good to know what to ask as i have never done this before.

I just want dd to be well looked after, ahppy & content with where she is, i want her to like where she is & enjoy being there.

I have another appointment at 9.45am tomorrow so will let you know how i get on, hopefully this one is ok as i am quite limitted now to how many there are in the area so if not happy may have to start looking further afield!