How do I choose the right childcare setting for my child?

What type of childcare is right for us?

There are many different types of childcare setting, they all offer something slightly different, so it’s important to firstly decide what type of setting might work best for you.

Nursery

A nursery will usually take both young babies and children right up until the age of 5 or until they are due to start school. They will vary in size, and often offer all year round support, including early drop off times and later pick-up times. 

Pre-School

A pre-school will usually take children between the ages of 2 and 5, many are attached to a school. They are considered a good way of helping prepare a child for school. Opening hours tend to align to schools, so they may not offer early drop offs or later pick-ups and may not open during non term time.

Childminder

A childminder will be self-employed and look after babies, toddlers, and children from their own home. Many offer a little more flexibility and might also be able to help with older siblings by providing before and after-school childcare.

Nanny

Nanny’s can often offer the most flexibility, as well as caring for your child in your home, they might also be able to assist with babysitting, cooking, cleaning and other chores around the house. Some Nanny’s might even live in the home with you.

 

It’s normal for parents and carers to be looking for different things when it comes to finding the perfect setting, so write a list of things that are important to you and focus on these as a priority.

Cost can play a big part, calculate how much the setting will cost per month and how much salary we be left for other things. It’s important to research what Government Childcare Funding might be available to you too.

To ensure you cover everything, create a list of questions to take with you. We’ve added some below to help give you a few things to think about. If you forget to ask something, get back in touch with the setting, ensuring you have all the answers you need to make the right choice.

Things to look out for

We know there can be lots of fun messy play that goes on in every setting, and that’s great, but are the premises clean and does there appear to be good health and safety measures in place?

Does the setting having a nice outdoor space enabling the children to get some fresh air and explore the outdoors?

Do children look happy?

What’s the settings Ofsted rating ?

Have you discussed this new chapter as a family? Who will do pick up and drop off, who will pay, who will look after the children if it’s a setting that is term-time only?

It’s a great idea to do a trial run to the setting, considering what time you would need to leave to do drop off and get to work and what time would you need to leave work to get there for pickup.

Our best advice is to follow your instinct, when you know, you know, it’s a feeling you get when you walk in and as you walk out, you’re likely to get that “This is the one!” moment.

Our Top 25 Questions you may want to ask

1. What hours of childcare do you offer?
2. What is the cost? (Hourly/Daily/Weekly). Are there late pick-up fees?
3. Is there a deposit to pay to reserve a place?
4. Do you have places available now? If not, when might you?
5. Can you offer last minute extra hours if needed?
6. What training do staff members have?
7. What hours do staff members work?
8. What is the staff to child ratio?
9. How many children are in the setting at any one time?
10. Will my child have a key worker?
11. Do you cater for SEN children?
12. How will you help my child settle in?
13. What types of activities will my child do throughout the day?
14. Is outdoor play all year round or weather restricted?
15. What type of meals and snacks are available? Can you support my child’s allergies and intolerances?
16. What items such as nappies, milk, etc will I need to supply? What do you supply?
17. How is quiet time supported? Will my child be able to nap?
18. How will I know what my child has done throughout the day?
19. Do you take the children on trips or outings?
20. If my child is upset, how will they be comforted?
21. How is diversity supported?
22. What is staff turnover like? Which staff members have been here the longest?
23. How is safety, security, and safeguarding managed?
24. If I have concerns about anything, how can these be raised and how will they be responded to?
25. Do you have references from other parents you can share?

Wherever you choose, we hope you’ll find a great setting. There are some wonderful ones around and if you do find a great one, we’d love to hear from you at stag@mumbler.co.uk. We’ll get them added to our website, ensuring other parents know about them too.

We know that letting go of your child and sending them off to a childcare provider can be a huge cause of anxiety for many parents, you’ve probably spent the last 6-12 months together and suddenly you might be preparing to go back to work, not seeing them as much, and be placing all the responsibility for their care with a complete stranger. Kathryn at STAG Mumbler is a trained Return to Work Mentor and Coach, if you’re struggling with this new stage in your life, you can always get in touch at stag@mumbler.co.uk for advice and support from someone who has been there.