Parents most common questions answered to your child starting nursery.
Q My daughter is about to start nursery. We’ve always been together – I wonder how she will cope.
It will be a very big thing for your child to get used to being away from you for the first time, but our staff understand this, and are very good at making sure that children feel safe and secure. The 'settling-in' process is very gradual and normally takes a couple of weeks, while you leave her gradually increasing lengths of time. During this time, she will start to get to know the new environment and to make relationships – with other children and, crucially, with a key member of staff. In this way, she can slowly build up her confidence and trust in the new situation.
Try to not convey your anxiety to her, but to give her confidence that you believe she can enjoy these new opportunities in her life. Children often do cry at first when their parent leaves, but once they learn that you will always safely return, they quickly move on to enjoy their time at nursery.
Q My son is very shy. I am worried that he will be left out at nursery and find it hard to make friends, while more confident children may get more attention from staff.
Your child should have a key-worker who will get to know him very well – his likes and dislikes, his interests and skills, and the particular ways in which he needs special support. They will work to ensure that he is included and valued as part of the group and allowed to do this at his own pace.
Don't worry. I am sure you will be able to talk through any concerns you have with our nursery and that we will support your child in every way we can.
Q The nursery my child has started at seems very nice and my son loves it. However, I do worry that they seem just to play all day long and that he will struggle with real lessons when he starts school.
It is wonderful that your son is enjoying nursery. Though what you see there seems 'just' to be children playing, in fact they are learning hard. Young children do not separate learning into different categories such as maths and science – they are learning all the time, through whatever they do. A good nursery will be aware of this and will provide access to the whole curriculum through play provision. They will observe children's special interests and strengths and know the areas of learning where they need extra support and development. In fact, planning for their play (and learning) is now linked in nurseries to the Foundation Stage curriculum, which in turn is linked to their later school learning; if you'd like to know more about how this works, I'm sure any of the nursery staff would be happy to explain. The fact that your son is happy and secure is a firm base for early learning and will stand him in good stead when he starts school.
Q My friend's child always seems to be covered in paint and mud at the end of a day in nursery. But it's important to me that children keep clean and tidy.
The staff is usually well aware of how hard it can be to keep children's clothes clean and they understand the importance of hygiene. They will probably suggest that children don't wear their best clothes to nursery. They will also encourage them to put on aprons when involved in messy activities and will teach them to wash their hands before eating. However, they do try to offer activities where children can be creative and know that they will learn best through being given opportunities to make discoveries for themselves. This does sometimes involve them getting into quite a mess! But it also allows them to become fully immersed in the experience of play and exploration. The pleasure of this concentrated activity fosters a sense of well-being, which we would all wish for our children.
