Calling all parents and Child care workers...

SarahNeedle1872

Hi, not very DFW, but I trust the opinions/advice of people on here, so I am asking for a bit of help.... I need a babysitter!

But seriously.... I am looking at some nurseries for DS when I return to work in August, and I need to know what sort of questions to ask when I go and look round. My first appointment is 1030 on Tues, and I have a rough idea of the sort of questions I want to ask, but if u lovely people could throw a few more at me, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Sarah x

tigzem

I've recently put my DD in a nursery.

I didn't have a list of questions as such but I went on gut instinct. See how the other children seem, is there a nice atmosphere there? Visit more than once at different times if this is an option.

I was keen to know what she'd eat during the day, one nursery didn't have the facility for providing hot food, but another did.

I'm sure someone else will give you some more ideas.

Good luck.

ps - I visited both childminders & nurseries before making my decision.

SarahNeedle1872

Thanks. I looked into child minders too, but there aren't enough round here that take babies, so it's gonna have to be a nursery. I have a choice of 3 near me/MIL that take babies.... I really didn't realise there were so few nursery places available!

thriftychick

I work in a nursery and I would say you need to:

Talk to as many of the staff who would be looking after your child as possible-Are they kind? How do they talk to the children? Are they qualified?
Ask how long the staff have been there-high staff turnover is a sign that the management may not be as good as it seems.
Ask about ratios of staff to children-the lower the better.
Trust your instincts, if it doesn't feel right, then it isn't right!

Good luck finding the right place

tigtag02

Hiya

My eldest went to a nursery - my youngest a childminder. With the experience of both I would choose a childminder everytime :)

I *interviewed* 2 childminders with little legs. She had a few *problems* as a baby , specific things that needed to be watched out for and medication that needed to be administered.

One childminder listened to EVERY word I said and totally ignored the baby. The second wouldn't have noticed if I was explaining the theory of relativity being that she was too busy coochy-cooing :eek:

I chose the first she was truely interested in the care of little legs and not how cute she was when she smiled IYSWIM. She showed my all her certs, etc and explaned that her hubby and both her sons had CRB certs too AND anyone else would be if likely to be spending time in her house when the kids were there (sons g/f's, etc)

I must admit - maybe we ahve been lucky - but I made a fantastic choice, she amazing and little legs LOVES her. She has been with her 4.5 years now and even though OH is now out of work we will find the cash to still send her 2 days a week :)

HTH
tigtag

immoral_angeluk

How old is your DS? I would ask to see a list of the kinds of activites they do and how they implement the birth to three/foundation stage framework. ASk to see all their policies and procedures and read them all.... may seem like a ball ache but that'll tell you how their staff are expected to treat the children. Also read their past ofsted reports on the website.
Most of all go on gut instinct. If it doesn't feel right then it probably isn't.

SarahNeedle1872

He'll be 5 months when I go back in Aug. They are supposed to be sending me an information pack which I assume has that sort of stuff in, but I doubt very much it'll be here by Tuesday morning, so I'll have to get copies.... I have no idea what the birth to three/foundation stage framework is.... can u give me a quick explination? Would be much appreciated

Sarah x

Whino

Visit lots.
It helps you get a feel for the place.
And visit at different times.
You need to decide what is important to you.
Outside play?
Good food?
Variety of food?

Other things that will probably be just generally important
Staff attitude (If you go in and the staff are ignoring the child they are feeding to talk to you- that's probably a bad thing)
Cleanliness
Safety
Look out for things that make you feel uncomfortable - A child asleep strapped in a buggy under a porch, out of everyone's line of sight,
Look how the staff interact with the children, if all the children are sat round a table having a snack, and the staff are sat in a corner chatting to each other, not engaging at all with the children- again, that's probably bad.
Staff ratios. There are legal minimums. If they start saying "And this is where we do baby massage" - It's a one on one thing, how many staff are looking after the babies not being massaged.
Are they asking what you want them to do.
COst - yes we all wish it wasn't a factor, but not everyone can afford £200 a week etc etc

At the end of the day, you'll probably find one that you feel happy leaving him at.
remember to visit more than once, and if they will let him have a play see how the other children interact, and how happy he is.

SKIPPY

Just so you are aware ratios for under 2's is 1:3, 2-3's is 1:4 and 3up is 1:8.

scaredy_cat_2

i have to say as a teacher - ofsted wasn't always the thing that concerned me most dd1 is at preschool and will start next year and with both of these i really concentrated on my gut instinct. One preschool i never even looked at because i hated their info pack - no shoes indoors!! must go to loo on own. I went to visit the other and just loved it - no fancy building, no fancy toys just staff who are dedicated to children and are long serving. They were warm and welcoming and didn't rush me to leave my daughter before we were both ready - it was an open house - and explained that the chain on the door was to keep children in not parents out - and i could visit anytime!

she is very very happy there

taxi73

Gut instnict here I'm afraid...I got my little grandson into a nursery(he's 2)...they have seperate areas for each age group and seperate outdoor activities for each age group...and a proper staffed sleeping area...I found the seperate areas and times are ideal as this keeps the littlies away from the more boisterous ones...the menu is important as well...the interaction off the staff ..do all the children look happy!!!
My grandsons nursery isn't a posh place but is absolutely fantastic...he gets a report saying what he's done and eaten that day and they follow the routines you have for toiletting training....he absolutely loves it and every morning grabs his coat and asks if he can go to nursery ...then sulks if he can't/....
Gut instinct will guide you..