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Original poster

Anyone planning on watching the childcare programme 2morrow nght?

113 replies

woodpops · 11/08/2004 16:07

There's a programme on TV tomorrow night about some horror private nurseries. Is anyone planning on watching it. My mum said it might be best not to watch it as both my ds and dd go to private nursery. Do you reckon it'll put stupid ideas in my head about the care that my kids recieve there. Not that it should cause the nursery is great and ds and dd are extreamly happy there.

OP posts:
hercules · 11/08/2004 16:08

No- saw the preview and it looks like sensationalism crap!

CookieMonster · 11/08/2004 16:10

I agree with hercules - I will not be watching it.

Ixel · 11/08/2004 16:11

i know it'll either be rubbish, or very worrying. But will be strangely drawn to it anyway . Like most tv really...

Northerner · 11/08/2004 16:14

Yes, my ds goes to private nursery too so I feel I will have to watch this too. I'm sure it will sacre me, but I feel I have to watch it IYKWIM!

MeanBean · 11/08/2004 16:20

I'm going to watch it. I think it will only scare you if you are already unhappy with some aspect of your child's nursery. But if you're happy, you'll be able to look at it and say "my child's nursery doesn't do that"... and know that it's OK.

Northerner · 11/08/2004 16:21

MeanBean I am very happy with my ds's childcare, and so is ds, BUT how do we know what exactly goes on behind closed doors when we're not there?

hercules · 11/08/2004 16:22

Ds went to private nursery, so will dd eventually. I think you have to really trust the staff. If I'd had ANY doubts I'd have removed him.
Whilst looking we visited an awful nursery, we complained to ss, they visited it and shut it down.
I cant believe so many people sent their kids there as it was so obviously awful.

hercules · 11/08/2004 16:23

That's better but meanbean If you know your nursery is alright then stories like that wont bother you. I dont want to watch on principle.

hercules · 11/08/2004 16:26

sorry, should have been "put" not "but".

Original poster
woodpops · 11/08/2004 16:43

I didn't realise there had been adverts on TV for it. I red an article on it somewhere!!!

OP posts:
MeanBean · 11/08/2004 17:28

Northerner, you can never really know what goes on behind closed doors, but I think you can get a good idea of whether your child is happy or not by his or her behaviour. An unhappy child will always show you s/he's unhappy somehow! And sometimes, a child might be terribly unhappy at a nursery, but that doesn't mean it's a bad nursery per se, but just a bad nursery for that particular child. And the same with quite rubbish nurseries, and childminders tbh. Everyone thought my childminder was rubbish because she let the kids watch CBeebies and didn't do very "educational" things with them. But they were always so delighted to see her and so spontaneous with their hugs for her, that I didn't care how rubbish she was considered, I knew that she was good for my children. I think at the end of the day, you go by whether your children are happy (obviously once the basic Health and Safety requirements are met! - you don't want your children to be happy because they've had a delightful day playing with matches...) And if they are, you're happy with their childcare. At least that's how I've always approached it.

IlanaK · 11/08/2004 20:59

As nursery owner, I have to say that I will be watching it. The main reason being that I know that many of the parents from the nursery will watch it. And I am sure that I will be horrified by it too. I agree with many of the things said already about trust. I plan to reassure parents who have watched this programme by inviting them to come and spend a day (or any amount of time) at the nursery to see for themselves our good practise. I hope most parents though will react in the way that Mean Bean has said - "my child's nursery doesn't do that".

I certainly hope that the programme makers have done it in a resposible way - pointing out that it is certain nurseries (hopefully isolated ones ) that have bad practise and not nurseries in general. I think most working parents have enough guilt about leaving their children, that they do not need this worry added to it. On the otherhand, if it opens some parents eyes to bad practice, perhaps it is a good thing?

maretta · 11/08/2004 21:13

DS goes to nursery 2 days a week.

I just read a review that said "interviews with staff show how parents and inspectors were fooloed into thinking they were providing good quality childcare"

This has actually made me want to watch it as I'm hoping the interviews will convince me that this nursery is nothing like ds's nursery which I think does provide good quality child care.

Anyway ds is happy and excited when he arrives at nursery and so are the other children that I see.

ChicPea · 11/08/2004 21:19

One thing about this programme is guaranteed:

IT WON'T PRESENT A BALANCED AND FAIR VIEW!!

If they want to make a programme about the horrors of some nurseries, they will show only that and will have interviews with paretns to "discuss" their views and won't show you the part of the interview where the situaion was rectified, etc.

And guess what? There will be soooooooo many mothers left feeling guilty for sending their children to nursery...

cuppy · 11/08/2004 21:29

Yes I agree with Chickpea - If you feel the slightest bit guilty for working and sending your child to nursery DO NOT WATCH IT.

Guaranteed guilt trip. And very one sided no doubt. As a childcare provider I get well pissed off with the amount of bad childcare programmes that are on. Theres never any commending the quality childcare out there. What bollocks!

handlemecarefully · 11/08/2004 22:07

I will be watching it. I'm fairly confident about my dd's nursery but don't want to live in a fools paradise. I accept that it will be sensationalist and one sided (it won't make good tv otherwise), but I think I should be 'open' to the suggestion that not all Day Nurseries provide acceptable care.

whizzz · 11/08/2004 22:13

DS goes to a private nursery & I'm not sure I want to watch the prog. Agree with the comments in that it won't be balanced & is bound to make be feel guilty & mean mummy for working. Ds seems happy enough where he is though.

Grizzly · 11/08/2004 23:25

I'm a full time stay at home mum, with no plans to use a nursery in the near future and I can't even bear watching the trailer for the programme because it upsets me so much.

I have no idea what they hope to achieve with the programme, apart from making hard working parents feel guilty.

FairyMum · 12/08/2004 07:09

I won't watch it. I will read the comments on Mumsnet instead. I am happy that both mine have been and are happy in their nursery and I am planning to send my newborn there too. I think it's a shame this programme is made (wasn't it one about childminders not so long again too?), because it will just give fuel to my FIL and friends who are SAHMs who already think I should stay at home and look after my own children. I'd like to film my friend who is so against nurseries when she smacks and shots at her daughter and then puts her in front of the telly for 5 hours with a packet of biscuits.

MeanBean · 12/08/2004 09:15

Just heard on the news that two of the nursery workers got the sack as a direct result of this programme. So it looks as though it wasn't just sensationalism, there was something wrong (unless they've been sacked unfairly).

Northerner · 12/08/2004 09:22

Can't quite beleive the amount of criticism this show has received before it is even screened. Surely if this programme has undercovered a nursery with bad practices, and 4 staff have been sacked (as has been reported) than that should be praised. It has saved children from unnessary abuse surely, shouldn't we be commending that instead of all complaining about how guilty it will make us feel.

soapbox · 12/08/2004 09:23

I hate to admit to reading the rag, but there is a double page spread on this in the daily mail today.

I must admit if I had children in nursery I would be very worried by what I read. They put someone in under cover to 4 nurseries and filmed a numebr of events that are quite upsetting.

£ out of the 4 nurseries they visited had problems of some sort. One in particular sounded very grim with two of the mothers having gone to the police and the police actively persuing assault charges against the nursery nurses.

TBH whilst I would normally dismiss this stuff as sensationalist, I think it is hard to fabricate filmed evidence in this way, particularly as these are real nurseries, although from the DM article it would seem that the worst one is losing children rapidly, which is no more than they deserve!

soapbox · 12/08/2004 09:24

Sorry should say 3 out of the 4 nurseries...

MeanBean · 12/08/2004 09:41

It sounds like the reason these particular nurseries were filmed is because it was already obvious that something bad was going on. Police involvement is not exactly a positive sign.

I agree with Northerner - if there are nurseries / childminders/ playgroups/ schools out there which are lousy, I'd rather know about it however guilty it made me feel. I'd always rather make my choices on the basis of knowledge.

soapbox · 12/08/2004 09:57

Yes - the article does imply that there had been some suspicion by papernts that something wasn't right at these nurseries.

The police involvement came as a result of the programme, based on the film evidence in the programme.

Nevertheless, it is worrying. Having said that, and I know it has been discussed here many times before, how do I know that my children left with a nanny are any less likely to be abused. I am glad that mine are both older now and I am sure would tell me if anything bad was going on.

I think it is sickening that people put in charge of vulnerable children can act like this towards them and as a normally very rational person, were it my child that had been assaulted I would be very tempted to send the heavies round for a visit...