Choosing Childcare

Childcare can be very daunting for anyone in this situation, we like to see childcare as a jigsaw if you will, there are different parts to the jigsaw, and parents may not know all these different parts to it. So we are here to advise you and help you about the different parts so we can put it all together, if you will, to make the full childcare jigsaw picture. At home, mums and dads will bring their children up their way and what nursery does is exposes the children to so many other opportunities. Nurseries, childminders and schools are set up as an environment specifically for children and when you are at home then you can't always have paint, playdoh, sand, water whereas nursery environment is created for that purpose. Every day they do something different so there is a lot of things that I wouldn't do at home like feet painting, hand painting, you know they are in water everyday doing different things. She's got the playground outside which obviously we don't have at home. So I think all those things together, you know that's why she loves you know everyday coming to nursery. When children come to childminders it's a small...smaller group, there... well there is only 3 maybe 4 children. Some days there may only be 1 child so it's fantastic they can get one to one. Not all parents necessarily realise that childminders offer the same curriculum and services as children's centres and nurseries. Every nursery is required to abide by Ofsted standards, it's called the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum and Framework, it's law. Drawing and holding the pencil right, I am doing it now, I am good at that now. I feel qualifications are crucial to improve the quality within the nursery setting. It's statutory training it's also good practice to take other relevant training and over the past 12 months I've done probably about 90 hours of additional training. Parents have to build up trust with a nursery. I was worried where he was going to sleep during the day; I was worried about what they were going to feed him. The nursery does have a facility for a webcam so that you can see your child so that got rid of a lot of the fears. I was worried that he would cry and that he would miss me and... but all them worries were alleviated because her came and was absolutely fine. We also provide financial information to help pay for childcare. Every child aged 3 and 4 is entitled to Free Early Years Education. As an accredited childminder I can offer Free Early Years Entitlement as well, so that gives parents flexibility whether they send a child to nursery maybe 2 or 3 sessions and have 2 or 3 sessions with me. It just gives you that extra little flexibility where children are socialising at 2 and 3 and 4 year old with other children but still having this familiar environment part-time as well. We support all children with additional needs, we have had a lot of children in our setting with a range of disabilities from speech and language to cerebral palsy. I have been looking after a little boy sometimes Saturday, sometimes Sunday and his mum has said what an absolute relief it is sometimes just to have six hours where she doesn't have to worry about him and that she knows he is being cared for and he is happy. All nurseries as part of the standards set by Ofsted should... provide healthy food and drink. We only allow milk or water and we have a healthy eating policy where all our meals are home cooked meals but sometime the children make their own dinner as well and they'll make their own pizzas or they'll make their own sandwiches. What is your favourite thing to eat at nursery? Curry, stings doesn’t it!? Lasagne. Is that your favourite? Yes. All nurseries have a duty to cater for every individual child and if parents have a special dietary requirement or cultural requirements; nurseries should respect that and key to that is communication with your nursery to say what your needs are. Parents have choice, it's best to go and see all your local providers of childcare and you make the choice which is best for you and your family. It may be work constraints influence your choice as to which nursery you choose. Some nurseries open at 7 some at 8 o'clock we are all different but parents have the choice of where they send their child. I see my job as a way of changing the next generation and helping them grow into confident young adults and this is the starting point. It's just the way she has developed and it has made her such a happy little girl.