Nursery open day - what to look out for

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fionapm
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Nursery open day - what to look out for

Postby fionapm » Tue Mar 13, 2012 2:59 pm

We are going to an open day on Saturday in the Asquith "Balham Day Nursery" on Radbourne Road. This is our first baby and we've just had our 21 week scan so I'm a bit new to all of this.

Any guidance on how to make the most of the open day would be very much appreciated. What should we expect from the visit, what are the good/bad things to watch out for, how much do nurseries usually cost, how far in advance do you need to put the baby's name down (and what does this involve? do you pay a deposit? Asquith said they are booked up until January 2013!), etc.

Also, what other nurseries are there in Balham? I've seen a few places mentioned on here, but the names/owners seem to change so it's hard to compile a full list.

Thanks girls!
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BalhamMumWorkingFT
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Re: Nursery open day - what to look out for

Postby BalhamMumWorkingFT » Tue Mar 13, 2012 3:28 pm

Congrats on your pregnancy!

As for nurseries, it is worth having a short list of 2-3 you like and revisiting them after your baby is born. Some questions you might not think of immediately:

1. What is the staff turnover like?
Basically how long do people stay, this is indicative of the working conditions and many other factors. Don't expect people to stay for years and years, but if staff turn over is less than a year, it is worth questioning more)

2. What is the daily routine with your "x" year olds?
X being the age you want to put your baby in at...

3. How many siblings do you have?
If people are happy, they will send their second and third babies there too...

4. What is your policy on sickness?
Each place has slightly different takes on this. Good to know when thinking about your work situation.

Other than that, look around for cleanliness and general feel of the place. Get the policies and take home and read. Finally, Re-visit in a few months when you are ready to put their name down or deposits...

Good Luck and Congrats again.
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SFMC
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Re: Nursery open day - what to look out for

Postby SFMC » Wed Mar 14, 2012 12:41 pm

Ask them their policy on staff and mobile phones. My son's nursery does not allow them to have their mobiles on them.

Find out about use of agency staff. My nursery uses them, they seem to be the same ones (and I like them!) but think this would be good to know. it's not necessarily a bad thing.

Ask about sleeping arrangements. Mostly they will sleep together on matts on the floor. My nursery had cots available for very young babies. Don't be put off by this sleeping on matts. My son does it now. I would've never believed it.

Look at the outside play area. A garden is nice to run aruond in when they are older

Good luck with the seach!
Ask them if they prepare lunch on site , if not where it comes from and a sample menu.

find out if they take nursery vouchers etc.

I imagine which nursery you choose will be dicated by location and price. don't underestimate the time and chaos getting them ready when they are toddlers. So think about convenience and your route to and from work (walking, by car whatever).
think about who and when picks them up and how you get to it and back.
really try and narrow the choice down. They all seems to charge a £50 wait list fee which adds up.
Once you've had your baby and it gets closer to when you will send them you likely will have different 'eyes' when you view. but if you can narrow the choice down you can put your name down in advance.
I dragged my feet as couldn't decide and got a place on time... a year in advance would be safe.

Ask the manager how long they have been there.
Find out about opening hours.

My nursery costs us £57 per day. This is a bit cheaper than most in the area.
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fionapm
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Re: Nursery open day - what to look out for

Postby fionapm » Mon Mar 19, 2012 2:46 pm

Thanks for the replies girls! We went to the Open Day on Saturday armed with a list of questions and had a really useful visit. Will pop along to see one or two more nurseries for comparison, but we did like Asquith/Balham Day Nursery so it's a good start.
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nsemple
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Re: Nursery open day - what to look out for

Postby nsemple » Tue Apr 17, 2012 10:15 pm

A bit late for you, but any others looking for a nursery, you may find these suggested questions useful:

http://www.lifeaftermaternityleave.com/ ... rsery.html
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fionapm
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Re: Nursery open day - what to look out for

Postby fionapm » Wed Apr 18, 2012 8:59 am

This is excellent. We are going to revisit places closer to the time and make a concrete choice so will definitely use this list of Qs then. Thank you!
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hjm
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Re: Nursery open day - what to look out for

Postby hjm » Wed Apr 18, 2012 12:37 pm

If you really like a nursery put your child down on the waiting list NOW. Don't wait until they are born;if the nursery is popular you will be too late to get a place by then. I think most nurseries charge about £50 to register, so worse case if you change your mind you've lost £50.
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fionapm
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Re: Nursery open day - what to look out for

Postby fionapm » Wed Mar 27, 2013 6:27 am

We are moving out of NV in a few months and are starting our nursery search again in Godalming. It is so handy being able to come back to this thread to remind myself of the Qs to ask!
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HattieKidsUnlimited
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Re: Nursery open day - what to look out for

Postby HattieKidsUnlimited » Tue Apr 02, 2013 4:06 pm

Hi,
I was just reading through this thread and hope you don't mind me posting about kidsunlimited day nurseries.

We have two nurseries in the Balham area, one on Northcote road which is a lovely brand new nursery, Gareth the nursery manager would be happy to show you around if you would like to pop in any time. We also have a nursery just next to Wandsworth Common, again this is a lovely spacious nursery, the manager Kay and her team will too be very welcoming at any time.

In all of our nurseries we have a large outdoor space for the children to let off steam! We hold a range of activities both in and out doors and so they can explore all areas. We also have on-site chefs in each of our nurseries providing healthy balanced meals for the children daily.

Please take a look at our website for more information on any of our nurseries http://www.kidsunlimited.co.uk/

Thanks and Happy Easter!
Hattie
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