Finding a good nursery

[Killerheels]

Any tips on what makes a nursery exceptionally good? The ones in my area all appear to be ok and say the right things about care/homely feel/ security and development, but does anyone have any experience of something I should look out for which makes a nursery exceptional? Any tips greatly appreciated!

smiling children, happy parents picking up their darlings. have you looked at their ofsted report? do they have outside space? how involved are parents in decision making? what are their policies on sickness, food, behaviour..and do they fit in with your philosophies? staff turnover also important, if you can find out that kind of detail.

gut reaction? you just feel your child would be happy there!

Cameras, make a note when looking round, my dd nursery have a control room, where the manager tapes what goes on in each room and can look at 4 rooms in one go. Is the nursery clean, are the nursery nurse hands on, or do they just order the children to do things, are any of the children upset in anyway, if so are they being comforted, do you have to supply your own nappies, food etc or is it all thrown in with the cost. Also make a note to ask them, if you are charged for bank holidays (most nurseries do charge you, even summer vacations, this is to ensure your child keeps that place in nursery), otherwise exactly as bundle stated, honestly, I have paid over the top for a good nursery, or what I thought was a good nursery (thats a different story) that was brand new and when we moved, I had to find another nursery which was much cheaper, nearly 150.00 gbp per month and my dd loves it so much.
I knew straight away when I wanted my daughter to join the nursery which she is now at, it smelt nice, the staff welcomed her with open arms and when she was sad, they comforted her. The most important thing when visiting a nursery and I was told this a long time ago. DON'T MAKE AN EXACT APPOINTMENT, of course you have to ask them if you can come and visit, but arrange a time between certain hours, they like you avoiding feed times, but otherwise just say can I come tomorrow, don't ask them what time would be suitable, as they have time to cover things up (not all nurseries of course), but some can get rid of whining kids and mess etc etc. Good luck

Hmm - I'd actually be a bit suspicious if it was TOO clean, tidy and obviously all brand spanking new. Kind of says to me that it's trying to appeal to the parents rather than to the kids. I like our small rural nursery where the the kids are allowed (even encouraged) to jump in puddles and get muddy!

Actually the amount of outdoors time they get is a good indicator in my book (though it depends upon you and your child of course) - and I'd be very tempted to rule out anywhere which doesn't have wellies and waterproofs on the list of items you should send in with them.

And in contrast to Malinki ours is nowhere near big enough to have a room with cameras where a manager watches what's going on (sounds a bit like being a security guard to me!) - our owner/manager is hands on with the children.

we don't have cameras either. i love it when dds come home with dirty clothes in a bag because they've been muddy/painting all over themselves. fantastic.

Thanks all for very helpful comments. I guess it's less about the amount you pay - and let's face it, all seem expensive - and more about your gut reaction as you walk in, staff and happiness of the kids. One last question - how easy have you found it to find a nursery that cooks healthy - preferably organic - food?

ahhh. that's where the expense can come in. i've had friends place their children in nurseries which only use organic food & they really can charge a premium for this (imho based on the premise that you are an anxious parent). the mother i mentioned withdrew her child from it after a v short time because she really didn't like it, despite its nutritional credentials.
another nursery near to us is at least £20 per day more expensive than mine, because it's run as a profit making concern, whereas ours is a community nursery and a registered charity. it has a mix of colours, abilities etc, and a good record of working with children with special needs. they don't try to hothouse or teach them french, just let them play whilst following the early years goals, which are laid down for anywhere that looks after children over 3 (these are adapted for the babies, younger chidren too). the food at our nursery is pretty basic, but mostly fresh seasonal veg/fruit, with special diets for allergies/cultural diets, such as no pork for muslims, veggie alternatives.
I have lovely profile books for each room my girls have been in, to monitor their progress & a formal meeting every few months to chat about how things are going, with her keyworker.

To my mind the most important thing to look out for is the atmosphere. The nursery ds goes to is decrepit and run-down, but the children are all contented and happy, they make eye-contact with everyone and interact freely with staff and each other. The first thing that particularly impressed me with this nursery was that when I first phoned them and asked if I could visit, they told me to come at any time I wanted, with ds and without calling them first, just to avoid meal and rest-times if I could.

My council sent me quite a good checklist of things to look out for, and I added more things to the list as I looked at nurseries. What the brochures say is, IMO, far less important than what actually happens at the nursery. Go and have a look at the nurseries, take your child along so that he or she can join in, and stay for an hour or so to get a good feel for the place and the staff. Watch the staff and the children, and chat to them as well.

Atmosphere: 'ordered chaos' ie not just screaming and running around, nor completely quiet, neat, tidy and all in organised groups, but a sense that the children are playing freely yet the staff have everything quietly under control.

DS (3 years) goes to what I would call a very well runned nursery. They have a list of all their activities on a noticeboard for a month so you know at a quick glance what they're meant to be doing at any time on any given day.

The toys are separated by context eg. toys which encourage motor skills, musical toys, make believe toys and they're not all brought out at the same time thus encouraging the kids to play with one type of toy. They follow a programme called High Scope which encourages children to learn through play.

There is a kitchen and laundry facility on site (for accidents). Food is cooked fresh daily by a cook who comes in - menus are put up once a month in advance so you can see what your kids will be having. Snacks include fresh fruit.

The staff look after the children and a different set of cleaning staff comes in in the evenings to do the major clean up which is great I think because it means the staff who are there predominantly to look after the kids do just that and don't have to worry about major cleaning before they leave.

And there is an outdoor play area and kids are encouraged to play outside for a little every day and every so often, they organised trips to zoos, farms, a show etc.

But the best indicator of a well runned nursery is how happy your child seems to be there and if you're introducing a child to the nursery, you should give the child at least 2 weeks to settle into the new routine and be prepared to stay for longer in the early days.