There have been a few threads recently about the negative aspects of nursery care, and a couple of people have suggested it might be more useful for nursery workers to give parents some tips on what to look out for in a good nursery. I'm hoping other nursery workers can come along and add their experiences/opinions too!
Here are some of mine:
Staff turnover - look for nurseries with a low staff turnover. Find out what the pay is like if possible
Agency staff - nurseries using a lot of temps are either struggling to keep staff or have high rates of sickness, not a good sign. Not good for children to cope with new faces every day
Qualifications - are most staff Level 3 qualified? Does the nursery support further training - first aid, sign language, short courses in behaviour management etc for staff to keep up with current thinking? Does the pre-school room have a qualified teacher, are any of the staff degree educated or have Early Years Professional status?
Age of staff - is there a good spread of ages, or are the staff mostly very young? Have staff come back after maternity leave and brought their own children with them to the nursery?
Management - does the manager seem organised? Do they know the names of the children, and do the children greet happily them when they go into a room? Are they friendly towards the nursery nurses?
Atmosphere - are the children calm and busy? Do the staff seem relaxed or stressed?
I would always visit the nursery during a mealtime if possible - this will be the busiest and most chaotic time of the day, so if that seems to go well, it's a good sign.