day nursery or playgroup what would you recommend?

[sportyspice]

I'm not going back to work but want advice on childcare so hope i've chosen right topic! DD1 is coming up to 3 yrs and i'm wanting to put her into a nursery/playgroup twice a week but don't really know the difference between the two, apart from the cost differs greatly. I'm not wanting to ship her off all day but purely want her to begin that natural progression of interaction with groups of children. Can anyone tell me what the difference is between the two and which one they think is best, ie is a day nursery to structured? plus i'm terrified having watched that awful documentary on nurseries the other night. Advice please

Hi Sportyspice,
I have used both types of childcare for my kids, as a means of getting the kids to socialise.
With Dd1 i used playgroups as there was no way i could afford a nursery and there wasn't any close enough to me. Luckily both playgroups that she went to were really good, although it's worth remembering that at some playgroups you will be required to go on a rota to help out. That gave me a bit of a headache as i had Dd2 aswell and my dp had to have time off work just so i could help.
She then went to nursery at 3.9

Dd2 has never gone to playgroup as we moved and there weren't any. Instead she started at nursery at 3. It is a private nursery attatched to a school and because she was 3 she was entitled to a grant which meant she got 12.5 hours free a week. This greatly reduced the cost and she went for two full days a week, but you could have morning or afternoon sessions too.
Dd2 has greatly benefitted from it all and after her 4th birthday i increased her attendance to 3 days a week.

I also have a Ds (20mths) and so will be going through the whole thing again soon.
If i go back to college in september he will be going to their nursery one day a week so I have decided to just try and do some other activites with him on free days. Then when he is 3 he will go to the same nursery as Dd2.

Really it will firstly depend on what is on offer in your area and what their waiting lists are like. TBH If your Dd will get the free 12.5 hours (she should) then I would probably choose a nursery so long as you find one that you are happy with.

HTH

I think that a playgroup would suit you more if you only wanted your dd to meet other children and you have a break. They are usually from 9.30-12 and cost between £4-7 per session. In my area they are paid from when your child is 3, so hopefully that would apply to you. I started both of my children off on 2 sessions a week and then gradually added more days when I felt that they could cope.
I think the difference with day nurseries and playgroups is that quite often day nurseries are used by working mums as they are open all day. They also take babies - 5 years (I think as I have had no need to use day nurseries). Playgroupls are children generally from about 2.5 - 4 (before they start nursery).

Thanks for those bits. Do you know whether the activities they do vary or the level of expertise amongst staff?

To be honest I think it varies on each individual place that you go to. For example my children go to different Primary schools and they both differ so much!