What to look for in a nursery

[Wuffleflump]

I've booked a tour of a nursery next to where my partner and I work . We're primarily having a look at it because of the convenience, but latest Ofsted report is good, and general reviews seem to be good.

We're expecting twins at the moment, but the nursery has long waiting lists, and frankly the less I have to think and research while trying to look after infants, the better.

When they show us around the facilities, what should we be looking for? Children will be around 1 when they first go there, but we could stay with the same nursery until they are ready for school.

Staff have worked there for a long time ( low turnover) That suggests the place is well run, staff are treated well and happy so will be more likely to be happy and nice to your child - and know what they are doing. Staff should be interacting with the children not sitting away from them or talking to each other. Children on knees getting cuddles is a good sign. Baby rooms can look a little shabby because they are small and cosy; that wouldn't put me off.

Keep an Eagle eye on the staff. Are they fully engaged with the children? What are they doing with them? How are they talking to them? Etc. In a lot if nurseries the staff will look engaged E g they will be leading an activity at a table like painting or puzzles but they won't actually be interacting with children beyond the bare minimum required to keep things in order. You should also look out for children who are on there own and don't seem to be doing anything in particular and wait to see how long it takes for a member of staff to notice and come up to the child. You should also consider the quality if the activities. Are they just doing the same thing over and over again? Are activities multifaceted teaching various skills at once or are they just doing something without gaining much from it. E. G. Children gluing leaves on paper vs children taking turns gluing leaves on paper while talking about what leaves are for.

Outside time. One nursery I visited didn't let those in the baby room play outside and didn't do any trips with any kids. Safety too, how easy is it to get out of the premises?

You just get a ‘feel’.
I chose ours because it felt homely and I loved that the manager who showed us around greated every child by name. She clearly knew every one of them.

There were a couple of bigger nurseries that felt more ‘professional’ but I realised that that kind of place wasn’t right for us.