Nursery class-what are your dc doing when you collect them?

[SavoyCabbage]

I am starting a job share in a nursery class. At the moment, the door is opened at 11.45 and the parents can come to the door and pick up their dc between 11.45 and 12.00. When that is going on the dc watch a CBeebies programme on iplayer.

I'm trying to think of something else we could be doing in that time. Firstly because you will need a tv licence from September to watch iplayer but mostly because it makes me feel like the only time the parents are seeing their dc in school, they are glued to the tv.

I don't want to suggest they just sit there instead, which is the only other thing I have seen happen at picking up time, but I can't think of anything else either.

We will have already done singing. And if it's educational then parents will pick their dc up at the end of the fifteen minute window! AGH!

[Mamabear12]

At my sons nursery, and he is only two...there is a small space where kids are picked up. We have fifteen minutes as well. Kids all just sit on a bench waiting, with an option to choose a book to look at. When being picked up, each child puts the book away

[Pengweng]

Oh yes the things they pick up at school. The DTs had never even heard of Frozen and a week after starting were walking around singing Let it Go!

haha

[ShelaghTurner]

*hats

[ShelaghTurner]

Ours is a private nursery and like I said, hard and coats on and waiting and handed out one by one to parents. We only go in if asked in for a chat about something.

[mrz]

What an generalisation!
It's not a private v school issue.

[Mov1ngOn]

Gosh what a huge difference between a school nursery and a preschool. Ours seemed so much more nurturing. Parents went into room to pick up child, quick chat with key worker maybe, kid shows you what they've done that day/shows you tadpoles/whatever then you go to the peg area with them and do coats etc. The school nursery sounds like our reception year!

[Pengweng]

I am talking about a school nursery so there are 20+ kids getting collected from one door at the same time and parents are not allowed into the cloakroom to help with shoes/coats etc. Each parent goes up to the door, kids name gets called, they come out, next parent and so on until all kids have been collected. If we had to stop and wait for each kid to put their shoes and coats on (teachers don't help them) we would be there all fricking day so yes i do prefer that they are ready and waiting to go for the last few minutes.

It also means the teachers/TAs can get the play stuff tidied up for the afternoon class coming in 45 mins later.

[Millionprammiles]

"Our parents would be horrified if children weren't ready for immediate collection ...lots of moans if there's a slight delay."

What a bunch of miserable parents. At dd's nursery parents have a chat with the key worker and say thank you (you know, for looking after/educating their child....).
Yes we want to get home, yes we might have things to do but why take that out on the nursery staff?

[drspouse]

Gosh, at least if I'm one minute before time I don't expect pictures and if I'm late I know the DC will be in the late room and I'll be charged!

[mrz]

Drspouse our session finishes at 11.30 and parents can collect from then onwards. It was often the parents who were routinely "late" for pick up (20 mins or more) who moaned loudest if they had to wait a few minutes for coats / pictures etc which is why our nursery staff now have children on the carpet with all their belongings engaged in a carpet time activity rather than free play. It also means that the learning areas can be restocked and prepared for the next session.

[ShelaghTurner]

Ours are sitting in a circle with their coats and bags singing songs which finish with their goodbye song. Then the doors are opened and the children handed out to the parents. The children still waiting seem quite happy sitting in their circle being chatted to by the teacher leading the songs.

[drspouse]

mrz I do feel for our nursery staff sometimes with those that arrive in good time (10 mins to pick up a child in one room followed by one in another) but then child 1 won't put on their coat/takes off their shoes/runs around madly and child 2 has an accident just as you put on their coat... and they are desperate to get home for their own tea...

However as we don't have a fixed pickup time unless you are really late i.e. 1 minute before the hour they don't have their coats on. You know that you are really late if they do, in fact!

[mrz]

"I just don't get it - why do they have to be watching tv or sitting with their coats/shoes on? "

Our parents would be horrified if children weren't ready for immediate collection ...lots of moans if there's a slight delay.

[drspouse]

PS Shoes stay on all day, coats are only put on as parents pick up children (even if it's raining/freezing out).

Almost nobody walks to pick up their children with a younger sibling as it's a workplace nursery so those that leave via public transport/bike/walk don't have a younger sibling with them. Those that bring younger siblings in the car will carry them in to the nursery from the car, though there is the odd tiny baby asleep in car seat that will get wheeled into the room.

[drspouse]

Private nursery so parents pick up when they get there (before the end of session time obviously) but there is only one door and it's down a narrow corridor, not accessed through the outdoor play area. So they couldn't all leave at the same time, realistically.

The last half hour is usually Lego/trains/blocks out and they are playing round those on trays on the floor. Any children who aren't picked up till the last 5 minutes have been helping to tidy those up within the last 10 minutes. If they are finished with that the last 2-4 children are reading a story or watching YouTube with a carer on the sofa.

[SavoyCabbage]

That is pretty much what is happening at ours now Pengweng. I don't know what is happening with the coats as when I went in it was too hot for coats. I don't have the 'power' to change the times, only to do something else in the fifteen minutes.

On the other hand I don't want the 15 minutes to become part of the session or seen as something they don't want to miss or the parents might not come until 12 . We only have 30 minutes to have a break and for the room to be set up for the afternoon children.

[Millionprammiles]

I just don't get it - why do they have to be watching tv or sitting with their coats/shoes on?

Dd is usually playing in the garden or (if its rainy) the kids are playing indoors, where the various play 'stations' are set out (eg a drawing table, a lego table, a kitchen area, a book corner etc).
Parents arrive and collect child, coat and bag and go. I thought all nurseries were like that.

[Pengweng]

DTs were in nursery (part of the school) last year and collection was at 11.30. All the kids who were being collected were on the mat watching an episode of something (sometimes educational, sometimes peppa pig) on the screen.

I think it's easier to have all the kids on the carpet with shoes and coats on ready to go and then when parents arrive their names get called and they come out. The full timers would have gone to lunch already as they eat at 11.30 and the afternoon lot start at 12.15.

I don't have a problem with them watching something for 10 mins when i've already seen on Twitter that they have baked cakes, been to forrest school, been counting beads and drawing in foam etc.

[mrz]

Carpet time -teacher handing out models and paintings etc

[SavoyCabbage]

It is a school nursery yes, which is why I was surprised that they were watching tv every day. They start at 8.45.

The reason for the 15 minute pick up window is that there isn't much space at all anywhere. So parents collecting with a pushchair with another child would find it almost impossible to negotiate their way through the tiny playground to the door.

It's a great idea to have them already outside but the parents have to come through the small nursery playground so it would be too hard to manage any escapers I think. I'll take a look though.

I had never heard of dough disco but I've looked it up and it looks like a lot of fun.

[springwaters]

If this is a school nursery then watching a video is not acceptable. How long is the session? Is the 15 minute apart of the funded 3 hours or additional? Do they start at 8.45 or 9.00?

[museumum]

Garden is perfect as they already have coats on.

[Snazarooney]

Dough disco
Stories
Celebration of morning's events - showing models etc