It is interesting to note that parents of secondary school age children are prepared to travel miles, and sometimes even move house, to ensure their child gets a place at a good school. For the most formative time of a child’s life a large number of parents choose convenience over suitability. There are many different nurseries in Edinburgh and not all offer the same standard of service. It is ridiculous to choose a nursery based mainly on the closeness of the nursery to your house. Surely a ten-minute car journey is worthwhile to guarantee an excellent standard of care and early education? Obviously if a very good nursery is two minutes’ walk from your front door you should count yourself lucky.

Some nurseries are based in converted private houses, some in converted shops and others in purpose-built premises. An attractive nursery setting can be created in almost any building so do not be put off by the type of building.  It is also difficult to judge a nursery from the outside. A nursery may be much smaller or much bigger than you think once you are inside. Many nurseries advertise that they offer ‘a home from home environment for your child’.  Although this tagline sounds catchy this may not be what you want for your child. Children, even as young as three months, quickly realise that home is home and that nursery is nursery. Most nurseries are now painted bright colours that are far removed from the decoration in your own house. It is more important that you like the feel of the nursery when you visit. You will know if you think the staff look friendly and approachable. You will quickly be able to judge how staff care for children. If a child is crying do not let this put you off.  Children do cry at times, so instead look at how the staff deal with the situation.

Gardens and outside play areas are often mentioned in nursery advertising.  Some nurseries offer small, paved city gardens while others have huge grassed areas with lots of play equipment. A number have no garden at all but have access to playpark facilities. While a big garden is attractive, and can look more so on a hot summer’s day, it does not mean your child has more opportunity to enjoy physical activities. For example, a nursery with no garden has to ensure its staff carefully organise outside activities as they cannot simply open the door and let children wander outside. Instead of just sitting on the grass, children who have to be taken outside a couple of times a day may take part in more running and ball games. You should ask the nursery manager what kind of physical activities the children take part in and how often. If your child is under two you should find out how often the children are taken on walks and where they go.

Cleanliness is a big point for most parents. However, a nursery that is covered in sand or flour or playdough is not necessarily unclean. One of the reasons for sending your child to a nursery is to allow them to sit on the floor and play with a big bucket of cold spaghetti or play in the sand tray or splash water.  Very few parents would allow their children to make a similar mess at home on such a regular basis. A nursery that is totally spotless, particularly at the end of the day, has clearly not been letting children enjoy these kinds of activities and, if it has, cleaning staff must have been working while children are being cared for. Cleaning after hours is obviously safer.

Nurseries split their children into different age groups. Some have a baby room, a tweeny room, a two to three room and then pre-school rooms. Others have baby, toddler and two to five rooms but there are many variations.  Some nurseries are for just ten children while others cater for 60 and more. A small nursery may appeal to you but these can be very quiet and not necessarily the ideal place for every child to spend their pre-school years, as most primary 1 classes in Edinburgh have up to 30 children. This can be a big leap if your child has spent their pre-school year in a nursery class of just five or six children. Other children can, of course, thrive in a smaller setting. There is no right and wrong way to split children into groups. It is more important to see how the nursery operates and to understand why they work the way they do. For example, a large nursery with 40 children aged two to five in one room may sound chaotic to you. When you visit you should see if the children are split into smaller groups for activities and outside play and how they run their day in the room. Often large rooms such as this can be surprisingly quiet and parents like the idea of the younger children learning from the older ones – and often having an older one look out for them. Children are separated by age for their whole life from primary 1 onwards so there is a case for letting them mix, at times, while still at nursery.

Regular outings used to be mentioned by nurseries as a major selling point.  However, over the last ten years there have been a number of incidents in Edinburgh nurseries where children have been lost or left behind! Although these incidents are very, very rare and have led to increased safety procedures being put in place, some parents are not as keen on outings as they once were. If a nursery offers regular outings find out how many children they take out at once. Clearly it is more difficult to look after 40 children in a public place than just 12. Also check the staffing ratios on outings and the type of transport they intend to use. Some nurseries may arrange more visits to the nursery instead of a large number of outings. These can be equally, if not more, rewarding for children as they get more time to look at things and there is not the added complication and time spent travelling. Some nurseries arrange wonderful visits by the fire brigade, birds of prey and animal handlers.

Home-cooked meals sound a wonderful time-saving feature. However, it is important to check the menu as some fancy-sounding dishes can simply be fish and chips or sausage and beans. A nursery providing cooked food obviously has to cook a dish that the majority of children will eat. If a nursery does not provide food and asks you to send your child with a packed lunch you should check to see if food can be heated up. A lot of parents, particularly those with children under two, prefer this option as they know exactly what their child is eating and they know they will like it.

It is important a nursery offers space for children to sleep. This does not necessarily have to be in a room solely dedicated to sleeping but it should be ventilated and should be easy for staff to hear if a child needs attention.  Some separate sleep rooms do not make it easy for staff to hear if a child has woken. You may have a set routine for your child and find that the nursery of your choice is unable to follow this precisely. Most nurseries will make every effort to adhere to your routine but they obviously are caring for a number of children and all of them have to be considered. Slightly altering your child’s routine from what you do at home is often not a bad thing as it allows children to become more flexible.

Most nurseries caring for children over the age of three are now in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council’s early years department to offer grant-assisted places to all parents. These nurseries should offer a similar curriculum and be regularly checked by inspection services. However, some nurseries have been guilty of ‘pushing’ children too far and others of not stretching children enough. It is not unreasonable to expect your child to be able to recognise some letters, write their name, recognise numbers and know the days of the week, among other things, by the time they finish their pre-school year. You should ask if the nursery covers different cultural events, if they look at different themes that are slightly more interesting than just the usual seasons and how they help children prepare for school. Remember it is just as important to monitor children under two, so a nursery should have some developmental record and organised activities for children of this age group as well.

Cost is a consideration but most nurseries charge a similar amount. Some parents get a little confused as some nurseries charge over 50 weeks instead of 52. However, the ones charging over 50 weeks often charge more and annually there is little difference. If a nursery charges considerably more or, just as much of a concern, a lot less, you should ask why. Most parents will not allow £1 or so per session to alter their decision.

Partnership nurseries are able to offer all children over the age of three a grant. This rarely covers the full session but it is a very helpful contribution. It should be noted that council-run nurseries usually offer a session of just two and a half hours against five hours per session in a private nursery. The staffing ratio in a private nursery is often more attractive and therefore, even with the grant, it is not surprising there is an additional cost.

Many nurseries now also accept childcare vouchers. Your employer can join a voucher scheme that will not only save you money but also the employer. It is worth asking your employer about childcare vouchers if you have not already been offered a voucher scheme.

Staffing ratios are very important. All nurseries must have a minimum of one member of staff to every three children for under-twos, one to five for children aged from two to three and at least one to ten for three to five-year-olds.  However, some nurseries have many more staff than this and in some cases pre-school children are being cared for on a one to five ratio. These nurseries clearly should charge more. It is also worth checking how many staff are qualified. 

A lot of nurseries in Edinburgh have now been purchased by large international groups. Others are family businesses. Many people feel more comfortable knowing who the owner is and where to contact them. However, as stated earlier, it is important to visit a nursery before making a judgement.

Lastly, if a nursery has been established in an area for some time and has an excellent reputation in the area and with your friends it is almost certainly the one for you.

chris.slater@headstartnursery.co.uk