Nursery visits questions to ask

[Honeycub]

I wasn't sure which thread to post this so apologises if this is incorrect.

I'm currently 30 weeks pregnant and considering which nursery to send my son to. I live in a small town and because of health reasons cannot drive (and will not be able to get a license) therefore I want to be organised in case all the places fill up. Has anyone else starting looking at nurseries for their unborn child(ren) and if so what kind of questions did you ask staff when viewing the nursery?

I'd ask the following, in no particular order:

• What are the drop off/pick up limits/times?
• What are their napping/sleeping arrangements?
• What are the feeding arrangements (particularly if you are breastfeeding and expressing)?
• When they are post 6 months, do you need to send them in with food or is this provided?
• How will you communicate with me about my child's day? (Our nursery records their care on an app, but when we first started there it was a paper diary.)
• What are the arrangements about settling in sessions? (Some do an hour or two before a half day, then a full day. Handy to know to help you plan.)
• How many children are in each room usually?
• How many staff are there in the room my child will be starting in? Can I meet them?
• What qualifications do your staff hold?
• What opportunities are there for outside play and messy play?
• What would a typical day for my child look like?
• Do you have any special provision for children with SEND? (Even if it doesn't apply to you, it will give you an idea around their thinking.)
• Are there any restrictions on the number so days you can pop them in? (eg. Some nurseries won't allow anything less than 2 full days, others are happy with one day a week)
• What are you policies/procedures around taking holidays from nursery? (Some will still charge you the full price, others just half a day, others will grant you so many days to use for free.)
• What are the sickness absence arrangements? (Our nursery has a guidance booklet on when kids are permitted back in after various illnesses - eg. 48 hour after S&D bugs). It is also handy to know if you will still be charged whilst they are off.)

Also, make sure you check out their last Ofsted (or Estyn if you are in Wales) report online. It will give you a flavor of the place. Although you should always take them with a pinch of salt as the inspectors can only judge on what they see on the day and this can be a really brief snapshot.

It is also worth noting when looking around if displays and play things are at child height. Then you know if they are for decoration or actually for the kids.

Thank you, that's really helpful 😊 fingers crossed I can actually afford to send him there now!

I remember visiting nurseries while pregnant, we cared about things like their meal plans and how nice the facilities looked. After we had the baby all we cared about was how loving and caring the staff were with the children! Not really something you can ask, but perhaps observe... Or ask about how they manage children being upset/tricky behaviour

For me it’s if the walls look identical with same hand prints. I’d rather a baby who can sit up is exploring paint and making a mess so some will be covered and smeared in paint. Others tiny mark. If all the activity for the baby is the staff holding their hands and covering with paint just long enough to get the perfect symmetrically hand prints. It hardly fun or exploratory play for them.

For older children from a year say I’d ask how long they are expected to sit still or “carpet time”. I’ve seen nursery’s which have umpteen carpet times a day so they can clean up from activities or meal teams. When you add them together can be a lot over the course of a 10 hour day.

Don’t be afraid ask how long staff members have been there yes there will be some movement but says something if no one seems to stay more than 18months.

Look at the staff interaction with the children. Watch how happy and engaged the children are.

Look too at the outside area as well. This should be well resourced and used to maximum benefit.

Also, staff turnover .

How is this? If it's big it's not good.

What about parental reviews of the setting ? Have you read those ? Look at the latest ofsted too.

Ex nursery manager here .

As someone who works in a day nursery all the questions suggested to you are very important but go by how you feel when inside. You will possibly see some children upset who may have only started there look more at the interaction with the staff. When a child starts in a day nursery and for some as little babies it’s natural for them to be upset and for me the comfort they receive is more important than knowing what they have eaten or what they played with that day.

Children have their hearts cared for before their minds and that’s something we have always practiced in any day nursery I’ve been in. I can tell you from my own experience that the staff will do everything they can for each child because for a lot of people it’s their passion not just a job. I hope you find somewhere for your little one

Thank you for all your support everyone I agree with all your comments I want to have somewhere he can run around and play and not just be plonked in front of the telly whilst staff focus on kpi's etc!

I had loads of questions prepared but then I walked into one and saw a nursery worker sitting on a rocking chair with a maybe 2 year old over her shoulder. She kind of shhhd me then whispered that he's had some upset at home and isn't sleeping in he's cot well these days. She laughed and said she's delighted really as she loves snuggles and she gets an extra sit down most days to get him to sleep... . I got a good feeling. I was right. 4 years later and I still love them, as do both my kids.

So I'm saying trust your gut.