Choosing the Right Nursery for Your Child

We understand that getting ready to send your little one to nursery can be a daunting time, one that sneaks up on you faster than you prepared for. Choosing a setting that is right for you and your child can be difficult. To help with the decision we asked our nursery managers to share their best advice when looking for a nursery. 

• It is important to visit the setting whilst it’s in full motion, the initial feel of the nursery is very important, your very first gut feeling and impression means a LOT. We often get parents saying, “I’d like to get a feel for the place”. We often invited those coming to the open day back again whilst the nursery is in session as it just gives a more natural, realistic impression.  
• When looking around the setting how do the other children seem? Are they generally happy? Do they seem engaged? Are the staff attending to their needs?
  Children coming up to you and greeting you is also often a good indication that they are confident and happy in their environment. Don’t be fooled by a perfect looking nursery, if the children don’t look engaged or the staff look on edge trying to make things appear clean and tidy it’s maybe not the best fit. 
• Think about what you want for your child. If your child loves to be outdoors, try to look for nurseries that have a big garden or that offer forest school. If you are looking for a baby space that caters for small babies, then check what the nursery can offer in that sense. Does your child need a lot of sensory stimulation or has specific needs? Speak to the nursery manager and ask what they have in place to meet your child needs.  
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions, managers prefer parents asking questions as it gives them prompts to show off their setting and things that might be important to you. 
• See if the nursery offers something like Famly (or any system) as it can really help with parents’ anxiety, the staff can send plenty of photos or parents can message back and forth as much as they like to ask about the child’s day. It has helped us as well as the parents. 

What we offer at Spring 

Within our settings we have practitioners qualified in PANCO (Physical Activity and Nutritional Co Ordinator), Forest School, Mental Health First Aid and Paediatric First Aid. We are proud to be knowledgeable, passionate, and dedicated to providing the best possible care for each child. When it comes to play all Spring Nurseries follow an inspiring learning ethos which encompasses pedagogy, Montessori, Reggio, HYGGE and the Curiosity Approach. To find out more click here.