Ideal nursery sessions?

[lilahpol]

Our 2 year old will be eligible for 15 hours government funded childcare from April. I am currently off on maternity leave with our LO but would like to use the government hours as feel would be extremely beneficial for toddler. The nursery we are keen on is term time only, 9-3 which works for us and they want children to do a minimum of 12 hours a week. Are we best doing say 2 full days and maybe a morning session to make it up to 15 or more morning sessions so toddler goes more frequently?
also, the 2 full days are we better to do Monday, Tuesday etc rather than say Monday, Thursday so toddler has a break between?
We may start with just a couple of mornings from April and move onto full 15 hours from September once she is 2.5.

any advice appreciated!

Why 15 hours and not 30? Being on ML implies you usually work so is it childcare or just early education?

I did 4 hours every every morning for 4 days for my 2year old (no funding) when i started her in a playgroup/ nursery setting at 2 years old. She loved it from the start. She'd always been home with me before that. I wouldn't have sent her for a whole day 9-3 is to long. 4 hours is just enough time for them to get some confidence away from mum and learn some social skills without feeling abandoned. She loved it and was excited to go everyday, she really thrived. So based on my experience that what I would recommend.

If you choose full days, keep them together. But it does leave a long break in between so I'd probably go for more morning sessions tbh

whys it not 30?

I'd go for 2.5 days. Means you have whole days free for other things instead of click watching.

We did Tuesday, half day Wednesday, Thursday.
Mondays have a disproportionate amount of Bank Holidays and training days.

When mine started nursery I preferred having gaps between the days so if they were ill they were less likely to miss all the days that week.

2 full days & 1 half.
Mondays & Fridays off so that you always get a 'long weekend' with the children & they will be closed bank holidays so you'd loose those hours anyway.