Am I missing the benefits of nursery?

[Becca3451]

I always grew up with the notion ' nurseries were good for babies', but every time I go round one all I the babies or children jammed into a room, with generally only one gender and age of staff.

Even those with outstanding Ofsted and a good reputation.inget this feeling. I ended up putting my little one with a child minder but she has suggested a nursey year before reception. I was confident with him being older I'd see nursery in a Different way but I'm struggling. There are so many in a room! Is a pre school attached to a school any better? Although we would struggle with the holiday.

Am I missing something?

There is no benefit whatsoever to putting a young child into a group setting before age 4.

Children who settle best into Reception or any other educational setting at age 4 are those with a secure attachment to one caregiver, who have been taught manners and have been expected to sit at the table with parents for meals, sit quietly in a church or other venue where quiet is expected for half an hour or more, can put toys, crayons, etc, away when asked, and can listen well. You can accomplish all of that at home with your child.

I realise many (most?) parents have no choice but to put a child in a nursery, but the communal environment is not designed with the solid emotional development of small children in mind.

Sadly it could be a financial thing. With funding we are paid less than half what we’d receive for an under 2. And unlike olden days we are not allowed to ask for a top up. Obviously a nursery can have really high ratios with 3 yr olds but a childminder cannot.

Dd went 1-2 days a week even though we didn't need it. It was amazing for increasing her independence and social skills and it definitely prepared her for a smoother school start. I'd agree it is a great idea for children to go for a bit before school if possible, you can definitely see a difference in reception starters.

This exactly. If home is a safe, loving and stimulating environment there is no benefit to Nursery before 3. Between 2 and 3 children become ready to make social connections and explore high-quality provision in a more meaningful way. In my opinion and experience, school-attached Nurseries are best for this. They have teachers to plan the curriculum and support transition to school.

For your child, I would think a school-attached Nursery would be beneficial for making social connections, accessing learning opportunities and getting familiar with being part of a larger group and following routines more independently.

From age 3 and above children really enjoy being with their peers. However, for the children there was no direct benefit to them from the extended hours - 15 hours of term time preschool was about right for what the children need.

Obviously, society now pushes parents back to work earlier and earlier, especially now one wage isn’t sufficient to live on unless you’re high earners so parents need nursery provision.