At Spring we understand that starting nursery is both an exciting but daunting experience for children and parents. It’s a big step to start your child’s learning journey and can be a change of routine. Every child settles into nursery differently and there are no expectations from us. We are here to make the transition as calm, happy and reassuring for both child and parent.
When starting nursery, we ask parents to ensure children have all weather appropriate items clearly labelled with their name. This includes wet weather items such as wellies and waterproof coats and warm weather necessities like sun cream and sunhats. We like to spend a lot of time outdoors when possible so it is helpful to ensure your child is dressed suitably for the forecasted weather (although we are aware this sometimes changes!) We ask parents to prepare their child’s bag with wipes, nappies, spare underwear (if toilet training) and spare clothes for any spills, accidents or creative mess!
We believe in fully supporting children’s transitions to nursery, so we allow as many settling in sessions as needed, free of charge– every child is different and has their own unique needs.
The first settling in session is for you to stay with your child and support them in exploring the new environment and growing their confidence with their key person. You can use this session to share as much information as you can regarding your child’s health, routine and family dynamics. Our staff can speak to you all about our nursery routine, activities and more so you get a full understanding of what a normal nursery day will look like for your little one. You will be asked to share your child’s likes and dislikes and help staff become familiar with how they can best support your child’s needs and own routines. This might cover how they like to be comforted, their favourite toys, which foods they do/don’t enjoy and any toileting or sleep routines they may have.
After the first settling in session, the following sessions are usually for you to leave your child for a short period of time (usually 30 minutes-1 hour) to help your child bond and trust their new key person whilst becoming more familiar with the nursery atmosphere and surroundings. We build up the time you leave them until they feel comfortable and happy in our care. Rest assured we would never allow your child to be upset for long periods of time and would always call you if they weren’t quite confident enough to leave their parent/carer yet.
At Spring we believe building strong partnerships with parents is key to a positive development journey. We use the Famly app to communicate with parents throughout each nursery day. This is in the form of observations, care updates and photographs. We welcome parents to call the nursery or message us on Famly as many times as you like to check in on how your child is doing. We’re here to support parents with the transition too!
When your child starts nursery, they can bring a comfort item from home such as a favourite blanket, toy, teddy bear or comforter. Sometimes we may ask you to bring in familiar photos of their family members or places they like to visit for us to talk about.
It is a positive step to speak to your child about each time at nursery to create positive associations and familiarity. Give yourself enough time in the mornings to make the routine enjoyable, organised and include your child so they understand what happens on nursery days.
