Choosing the right nursery for your child can be a challenging task.
Generally, this is the first interaction with outsiders for most children without parental supervision and it’s quite natural for parents to be apprehensive when sending their children to a new place. However, a few guidelines can help them decide on a suitable nursery for the child. Following are the 3 most important factors that parents should consider when choosing a nursery.
Qualified Staff
It is an understandably daunting task for parents to leave their little ones with a new person. This is why the trust factor is very important and parents should ensure that the person looking after their child is trustworthy. They should also see that the caregiver, be it a teacher or an assistant, has an understanding of the child’s needs, and the child feels secure and comfortable in the caregiver’s presence. Moreover, the pre-schooler should be able to communicate his/her needs to the caregiver. Parents should also confirm that this person has qualifications in dealing with young children.
Such attributes are largely possible due to proper training through authorized courses, such as CACHE qualifications (the UK’s leading provider of vocational qualifications). Training ensures that they are capable of handling their roles as per the highest standards.
For example, at British Orchard Nurseries, we see to it that our staff is suitably qualified. We also continue to do professional development with all employees throughout their career at our British Orchard Training Centre with all employees and outside nurseries’ teaching staff. This is to ensure that they’re developing and following new and researched best practices.
Getting ready for the ‘big’ school
One of the main reasons why parents send their children to nurseries is to prepare them for the ‘big school’, and nursery is that stepping stone.
A good nursery not only teaches children to socialize with their peers but also creates a platform for further education. When choosing pre-schools parents should be mindful of this in particular, and opt for institutions where their child can be individually assessed. This baseline will help to develop their learning graph accordingly.
At British Orchard Nurseries, we do this through our award-winning baseline book which we have created. This book sets out the guidelines of developmental learning intentions for each child from birth all the way up to ‘big school’, so that we know exactly what each individual child’s needs are and where they stand developmentally.
Moreover, pre-schools that have a better understanding of various curricula practiced in the UAE and teach accordingly have an edge over others. Nurseries which have the knowledge of the requirements of each of the curriculum are better placed to teach and prepare young children for big schools, as per the demands of the particular curriculum.
Health & Safety
Safety and security are probably two very fundamental factors when choosing a nursery. Without parental supervision, children are entirely dependent on the pre-school to provide them with a safe and secure environment. For parents, it should be of paramount consideration that the nursery their child goes to is safe in terms of how well the pre-school is built and designed, the level of comfort provided, tools and toys used for teaching and the standard of caregiver staff, among others.