Is this normal for a nursery?

[Tazema]

Hi

We have been having settling in sessions at a nursery for our one year old. She will be attending 4 days a week.

I have concerns and have spoken to other friends who have children in nurseries near me and it makes me more concerned. The waiting lists for getting babies into nurseries around here is really long so any moving DD somewhere else is a long term plan.

When I dropped her off at 8am (opening time) it was busy and you take your child right into the nursery room where the child will stay. I found there was only two nursery staff at hand and babies were crawling around your feet and could easily be stood on and what concerns me more is one could be picked up and taken and no one would notice. As well as that the shoes of parents dropping off were muddy and when I picked DC up later that day she had mud on her hands and clothes from this.

The staffing ratio I don’t think is right either, I counted 6 children and one member of staff, another member of staff at the other side of the room with more children and apparently there were more children napping in the sleep section and no one checked on them in the time I was there picking up DC and was being informed about how she did and signing forms which was about 10minutes.

The staff are lovely and I don’t think there is any malice or deliberate neglect from the staff but more a managerial concern with regards to safeguarding and staffing allocation and ensuring children are accounted for.

What I want to know is if this is normal and this is just what nurseries can be like? If anyone found anything similar or how to deal with it. I’m worried me complaining or mentioning it could mean DD is treated differently. This is our first child so I know I’m more of edge but it is just not sitting right this feeling I have.

Would love to hear peoples experiences

TIA

This is not normal. The parents shouldn't be taking the children into the setting. My DS nursery have a fob front door and parents have to line up for pick up and drop off, you aren't allowed in the building unless you need the office. I was confused at first but of course its for the safety of the children, having adults waltzing in and out with doors open and closed constantly is no good at all.
And their ratio sounds atrocious, especially for little babies. Older kids have less of a need for higher ratios but you're talking about the youngest in the setting.
I would not be happy either, but like you say, not really sure what can be done, you could make a complaint but unless they get more staff it sounds like there is no solution? I am baffled they allow the parents into the room for drop off though.

I don’t know what the guidelines are but there will be some , maybe 1 member of staff per 3 children under 2 or such like , if that’s not being adhered to then it’s illegal
Also not sure you can just walk in or out of a nursery, they usually have security doors that you need swiping by a staff member so Joe Public can’t just waltz right in and steal a child

this ratio is very concerning
is the drop off in the room just for the settleing in period for the children to feel more comfortable or will that be the case permanently?

Parents in and out, totally normal.

There should be 1:3 were there 9 babies 2 staff you could see and someone in the sleeproom/changing nappies? Sometimes we would have 1 nursery nurse sat with 1 baby who was finishing their breakfast which meant the other 5 were being kept an eye on by the 2nd staff member

At our nursery you took kids in and picked up from the room. But you had to be buzzed in and out so no way of running off with a random baby.
There were no shoes in the non walking baby room but other rooms were ok.

Ratios are harder to monitor as a parent as there might be staff you can’t see. At DD’s they had fewer staff at start and end of day and sometimes combined rooms then to be in ratio. But it was quite a small setting so not loads of babies. Only about 9 little ones max.

What made you choose it @Tazema and what has changed since? It may be the anxiety of leaving them as you suddenly notice all the dangers when baby is actually born! Or it might be dodgy, we can’t tell. Suggest viewing alternatives for a Plan B.

What is the process for getting inside the nursery? At my DD’s old nursery, we could drop off right in the room (well, the individual rooms had baby gates on the door, so you would stay in the corridor and hand over the child at the door), but you needed fingerprint access to get into the building.

No I don't think that's normal

just a bit more info, this is usual for all parents and throughout the day. They provide a code to gain access into the nursery which at first I thought was a good idea as it would make life easy dropping her off but no one greets you when you go in so in theory I could walk in just take DC and walk off without even informing anyone. Or worse someone else could get access to that code go in and take any child.

It might be normal for other nurseries as pps have said, but I would not be happy with this. You don't know any of the other parents, just because they have their own kids doesn't mean they're not a weirdo. For me I wouldn't put my DC in a nursery with this in place. No adults should be able to enter the building without a member of staff. Any parent could go in and as you say, wander around the building, go into the sleeping area and take a child, or see them in various states of undress. No from me. But think I'm probably a minority x

Unfortunately, it's probably more normal than we'd like to think, but it's not good!

I think the issues with security at drop off and pick up are serious. The dirty floor for crawling babies is unacceptable and easily avoided.

The issue with staffing is unfortunately commonplace and is something that most parents don't realise. When you see the ratio is e.g. 1 to 3, that is the best case scenario. Throughout the day staff will be required to change nappies/give personal care, prepare snacks/meals/activities, deal with illness or injury or unforeseen circumstances, do paperwork etc. etc. The reality is that for most of the day the ratio will be much higher, it will often be one member of staff and five, six or more babies.

I think being able to get into the building is normal, but there's staff to let you into the room (unless it's a normal pick up and drop off time, but then there's one staff member doing ll the handovers.
Normally could go past the entrance to the room, there was no way of stealing a child!

Ratio is 1:3 for under 2s, but that could be one staff member in sleep room, one changing a nappy, one talking to parents and one dealing with 10 children!

Parents coming in or parents dropping at the door is just a decision for the nursery - I've worked in both kinds.
I think baby parents generally prefer to come to the baby room though?

Is a parent really likely to steal someone else's baby and run off with them without a member of staff noticing???

Normally baby rooms are shoes off or shoe covers on.

Under 2s should be 1:3 ratio.
But in your example there could be 1 adult on the floor with babies, 1 on the other side of the room with more babies, and another in the sleep room so still within 3 adults to 9 babies?

Staff will have to put children to sleep, change nappies, make bottles, go to the toilet themselves so there won't always be exactly one adult to every 3 babies in the room at all times.

I would ask some questions about total number of staff and babies in the room

I agree, if I knew then what I know now I wouldn’t have put her into the nursery but I just didn’t know or realise when I looked about. I’m a new mum very uncertain of things and they were friendly and I thought that says a lot but I’m learning that it doesn’t mean much. I will visit other nurseries and at least I know what to look out for and what to ask but I’ll be on waiting lists and that is months and months of waiting. Breaks my heart that she has to go back in.

I would feel exactly the same as you OP 🫶 I'm sorry you're struggling so much with this. HH and hopefully you can find a more secure nursery place for her soon x

I worked in childcare and every nursery I know has a locked door so to get in a staff memo admits you. That code could be given to anyone. Also the ratios sound slack. It doesn’t sound great.

No way is that safe. I’d be pulling her out.

I wouldn’t like that it’s a code to get in. That could be given to anyone. Ours was fingerprint access, and I liked it because my DDs started at around 9 months and I liked being able to go in and see the room (from the internal door, parents didn’t wander around in the room itself), rather than just hand them over at the door. It meant that at pick up, I could go in, the staff would see me straight away, but I’d be able to see DD happily playing and it gave me more reassurance that they were happy. I mean, I never had any actual doubts but with a child too young to talk, it’s nice to be able to go in and see them.

I would love to do this, but all the local nurseries have waiting lists it took us 7 months the to get this one. I’m currently signing up to loads in the hope of one getting spaces soon. If I can’t I’m seriously considering leaving my job but financially that will be so difficult for us.

it’s so stressful and breaks my heart ☹️

Could you speak to the manager and tell them your concerns about access and also the dirt on the floor?

I have been thinking about that but the vibes I get is it’s a bit clicky and the staff turnover is high so I’m worried they will take it personally and in turn, which I would hope not, take it out on DC by perhaps not treating them the same as the others. I know that’s unlikely but the fear or even slight risk of that happening puts me off.

DD was at nursery pre covid, and we had to be let into and out of the building by a staff member using a fingerprint on the door, and then we would go into the room to drop off/collect. The baby room was a shoes off area, the other rooms were free flow to the garden so shoes allowed.

I'd be very alarmed at them not directly controlling who is entering / leaving the building.

Our nursery also allows parents to walk straight into the room their child is in. However, it is a small nursery with 3 rooms off one tiny corridor from the front door. (Pre school has another separate part). Parents have to individually buzz to get in and you are not allowed to let anyone behind you. A member of staff verifies who you are visually before you are allowed in and there is no way you would not be clocked picking up someone else's child - the rooms are small and staff know everyone's parents. Its such a small space you also couldnt wander about or into another room. In some rooms they have a wooden baby gate you stay behind if you would be tracking in wet etc and child comes to you - also another barrier for the children. The ratios thing is a concern if there werent enough - ours are strict with that - there is no separate sleeping area or room though which makes it easier.

I wouldn't risk sending my child somewhere I genuinely thought was dangerous without trying to do something about it.
The manager will be used to dealing with parental concerns.

Nursery i work in parents ring the buzzer and office will let them into the building either by buzzer or going to the door but and parents will then take their child into their rooms. Worked in few and its always been a similar system.

Shoes..always shoes off in baby room or least shoe covering to be worn.

Ratio for babies is 1-3 but staff not always in the room say if nappy needs doing or toilet etc

Just speak to the manager, or send an email with your concerns. If you really think it’s clicky and they may take it out on your baby, then obviously remove your baby as soon as possible!

The manager might be able to reassure you on some of your worries, ratio, security etc