URGENT-Need advice from London parents

[horsemadmom]

I've been asked to put my marketing hat on and help (for free) a nursery which used to be thriving and has seen a fall in enrolment. It is in NW3.

What did you look for in a nursery?
Why did you choose the one that you did?
Are you local to NW3?
How much was price/hours/location/feeders a factor in your decision?

Please let me know what you think. I am grateful for any replies.

Hi horsemadmom, I'm in NW6 and send my DD (3) to a voluntary sector nursery round my way. I briefly looked at NW3 nurseries but decided against them due to distance from home as a) I have a younger DS to haul around and b) driving/parking is just stressful. So location was key for me. Also flexibility was an issue as I wanted 3 full days per week and I found a few nurseries in NW6/NW3 were fixed about how many mornings/afternoons they had to do - some were mornings or afternoons 5 days only. For me I felt mornings or afternoons only were just too short for me to get any quality time with the baby once I'd got back from nursery drop off, tidied house and then set off again to pick up. Hope that helps.

Thank you so much Caro3211! You have raised some important issues. Flexibility is key.
Anyone else?

Hiya - I'm in SW London so not sure if this is any help but hey ho..

I used to send my DS to a nursery that had a webcam. I loved that I could log on and see what he was up to whenever I wanted.

Staff are key. If you walk into a room full of sullen looking staff that make you feel unwelcome you are clearly not going to feel comfortable leaving your child there.

Parking, getting ticketed by over-zealous wardens is a real problem, they often loiter arond schools and nurseries to target parents. The alternative is feeding the meter twice a day to drop off and pick up which was expensive.

Safety, security lights outside where parents are picking up and dropping off. It gets dark early in winter and I heard of several car-jackings/break-ins at my DDs old nursery.

Facilities, cleanliness, activities. My DD was at a nursery where they were all in one room all day for every activity. Then I found another nursery that had several rooms, provided nappies and wipes, hot meals twice a day and insisted shoes were removed at the entrance hall. It was more expensive but for me, worth it.

Just a few thoughts, hope that's helpful!

Very helpful! Does that nursery offer outside space? Our nursery has parking (Camden wardens are like vultures!) but the hours we offer mean that parents are fighting through the worst of the traffic.

I love your nickname! Have a great mental image of honest drunken stoats.

It did have outside space, but not much and no grass. There was a little playground with various bits and bobs and lots of little cars and things to keep the kids active. All in all you can't have everything I think and you just need to (as a parent) decide what your priorities are. I am a big believer in gut feelings as well, if you are made welcome, the staff welcome your child, it's clean and fun then that goes a long way I think!

Fighting through the traffic I think goes with the territory if you need to drive to any nursery. I used to walk 30 mins there and back most days just to avoid the queues!!

I looked at a few nurseries in NW3 when I was local.
Outside playspace was important to me (with greenery).
Price was hugely important and led to me not enrolling in any in that area.
One lady who showed me (after waiting half an hour) around actually said that they had no time to fill in information about your child's day/diet usually. I therefore assumed that they were too overstretched and that I didn't feel comfortable leaving my child there.

Staff morale is a major thing for me as it ensures continuity. And if they enjoy working there then it obviously reflects in the care they provide.

Hi,
Thanks for responding. Price is a problem in Hampstead. Were you considering nurseries that are feeders or was this not part of your calculation?

Is there any way you can get on to the families who have left recently (especially if it was to another nursery, not Big School), and find out feedback from them.

Price is important (and as belts tighten, will become more so), as are late fees (be generous - London traffic is hell, waive fees completely or reduce enormously)

Was there a change of management in the months before the failure to thrive? If so, can ALL the new management's changes be unpicked?

No, we weren't considering nurseries that were feeders specifically as we had never heard of the concept at the time!

We moved out of the area and I left my job to stay at home in the end.

I work in a pre-school and have been involved with it for 11 years (since dd was first there).

Reasons people (including me) like it:

you can do 2 or more sessions a week and you choose which ones when you start. If you want to change we try and accomadate.
If for some reason you need an extra session, we will help all we can (if another child is on holiday or sick, you can have their session that week)

The equipment and toys are clean, bright and undamaged. We have a cross section of things out and change activities daily.

We pride ourselves on knowing the children and families very well and being very individual in our approach according to the child.

All the staff are well treated and encouraged to attend courses and are shown they are valued. They are all encouraged to contribute ideas. Consequently staff turnover is very low (despite not brilliant pay) but morale is high. We feel we are actually doing a good job. It is a very happy place to work.

Most people who attend here walk.
They think the rates are brilliant (I think we are cheaper than a lot of places but that is partly because we run out of a church and get it rent free (we are a charity)
We are in North London btw

I chose small, very small for my pfb a few years back. Eleven kids maximum, 3 staff. It was what he needed.

I've sent both now to the same tiny NW5 pre-school because apart from size they offer 1) flexibiity of days 2) same staff have been working there for at least four years and 3) it is very low key. By that I mean it is in the back of church hall, no sense of social or time pressure from staff or other parents. The others I saw seemed to take the pre-school thing so damn seriously, too businesslike, not so much relaxed fun as you'd like to see the kids having. Finally, 4) it has a garden and borders 2 children's play areas.

I asked how they were coping with recession as it doesn't seem to have enrollment issues, she said they have really noticed it drop off, but were so oversubscribed before they are doing OK now. Head says she relies on strong word of mouth and repeat business.

Hi!
No, we haven't had a change of head but we do have high turnover of staff. Recent construction panicked some parents and they left. I think there was a failure to reassure parents that the nursery wold carry on as normal.

We are located in a synagogue but welcome children of all faiths or none.

Did anyone think about where they would send their children at 4? Were private, competitive entry schools a factor?

Yes, we avoided them:)

Have they considered having an after school room/holiday club if they are undersubscribed? Our local nursery has this and they are incredibly popular for that reason.

As a nursery manager i think the key is in the 'high turnover of staff'. Is there a reason for this, is it just bad luck. Poor staff morale has the biggest effect on the nursery 'feeling'.

What about an incentive for the staff for introducing new parents (say after 6 mths they get a bonus).

Are staff salaries competitive?
What are working conditions like?
Have they carried out an anonymous satisfcation questionnaire for customers/staff?
Have they viewed local nurseries to see whats on offer?

Word of mouth is so important with pre-schools. If you have a few disastified parents in an area with lots of choice, people will run a mile.