Childcare

  The Baffling World Of Childcare.

      Once I had finally made the decision which childcare I was going to choose, life was much easier. I attended college when Suzi was 10 months old, spending three days away from her. Financially, we could not afford a nursery and I was keen to have family members help out, this was purely due to the fact that she was so young and it was only three days a week, and my Mum, Mother in law and close friend were keen to help. Suzi really enjoyed her few days away from me; she quickly became very independent and confident. After a year, Michael was doing really well in his job and we decided it would be good for Suzi to start interacting with other children. When she was two I began looking at childcare options. I explored all the available options. I had worked with a childminder previously, looking after about five children in her own house. The children attended on a daily basis;  some before, some after school. It was lovely they became a family, the children were very comfortable and used her house as they would their own, she was almost a surrogate mum. She lived on a farm and the children played outside and helped feed the chickens and rabbits.  They would go for daily walks and role-play together in the house, setting up shops and so on. We wanted Suzi to go somewhere structured, with more of a routine. My theory was this would help her adjust to school later on.

     I had also worked in a nursery and really enjoyed it. The children were encouraged to be independent- hang up their coats, remove their outside shoes and wash their hands before eating. Education was taught subtly, without pushing it on the children at too young an age. For example, finding their names, tracing pictures, ball skills and colour matching. They would have a letter of the week and be asked to bring in items beginning with that letter. I also liked the fact that different children went on different days, encouraging Suzi to be sociable, not sticking to one friend all day, every day. I felt this was the best option for Suzi, she liked to be independent and would thrive in this environment.

    I was right she loved it. Once I knew this was the right option our other three children would follow. Although Oscar is not old enough yet, he will attend a nursery next year. It was a time that I thoroughly enjoy with them. Parents evenings are held, which allowed us to view their activities and the milestones they had reached.  Best of all, each milestone was photographed and put in a book. Looking at the pictures of what our children get up to when I am not around is a very odd. The reminder that they are little people, no longer a part of me, they have their own  voices and ideas when I am not around! As you can imagine these books are kept locked away, safe and sound. Sometimes we pull them out and re-live  times which seem to  have gone in a blink.

    One of the best things about this particular Nursery for me is Sports Day. So many nurseries and schools have made Sports Day non-competitive, or a day where everyone has to be a ‘winner’, or they just no longer have Sports Day. I believe l this is a terrible! No way does it reflect life.  Like it or not, life is extremely competitive and if our children believe they will achieve without trying, how can they become ambitious adults? I love sports days I think my children have only won about three events, but hearing them say "I got distracted, I know what to do better next year," or watching them practice weeks before, determined to get that first prize sticker makes me proud. I also love the look on their faces when I am sitting at the edge of the grass with my camera, even when they miss the word 'go' and are left at the start line waving and blowing kisses for me to catch.

    Another joy is the nativity play. For me Christmas isn't Christmas without a children’s nativity play. A lot of hard work for the staff, but the fact that they continue to come up with slightly altered versions of the same play, year after year, is so touching. The children love it, with the exception of the odd one that spots his/her parent and cries throughout the play! Or the poor little mite who, even though the teacher has made it clear that they must go to the loo before the performance, wets him/herself and has to be escorted off stage
    Something which immediately draws me to a nursery is the location, primarily the safety factor. However well staffed and with locks on every door, too high for a child to reach, I will worry. In my mind my child is Houdini (in reality they struggle to turn a door handle) and if he/she gets out what danger lurks ?  ‘Our’ nursery is on a farm at the end of a long track, traffic is minimal so a collision with a car speeding through the village is unlikely. There are not likely to be unexpected visitors using a nearby car park or attraction.  The only people in the vicinity of the nursery are the staff or other parents.

. The first consideration when we choose a nursery is the staff.  If I am greeted by someone who seems bored or disinterested, no matter how amazing the setting, our child will not be attending. Children are so precious, so priceless, they deserve one hundred percent commitment from their carers.

     A nursery’s decor is very important. Colour - no one wants their child attending a dull and dreary nursery. I like to see individual places for various activities so that I know my child is going to have a full day and not just be plonked somewhere doing the same thing all day. An big, fenced outside play area - a grassy area for rolling, reading and other activities is a massive plus. Our children take after their father and love to be outside. A hard-play area for riding peddle bikes and tractors and drawing shadows is great.     As I was not working, I was able to pick and choose the times they attended nursery. The first three have been lucky to begin with just three mornings a week. Long enough to settle, get to know the staff and take part in activities. After their first term two of the days were bumped up to  include lunch. All our children have really loved lunch at nursery it made them feel grown up, and their table manners improved dramatically. After another term, if they seemed ready, afternoon sessions were added to the two days on which they had lunch.  I believe attending the nursery for a full day during the second year prepared them for the full day they were soon to have at school.