Questions to ask when choosing a nursery

 

Questions to ask when choosing a nursery

There are some crucial questions parents should ask when choosing a nursery. When looking for a nursery, certain questions will help you determine if a specific early years setting is right for your child.

There are a whole range of different nurseries in the UK offering different fees, hours, ethos and curriculum. When it comes to what questions to ask a nursery, the checklist below will help you find the right childcare place for your child.

1. How much does the nursery cost?

Childcare can be expensive, so it is important that you ask the nursery questions about how much it will cost.

• What do the nursery’s fees include?  
• Do you have to pay extra for nappies, formula milk and snacks?
• Does the nursery offer free childcare for nine-month-olds- to four-year-olds? 
• Does the nursery ask for a retainer fee for before the child starts at nursery and does this get refunded?
• Does the nursery still charge fees if my child is ill or on holiday?
• Are there any other hidden costs?

2. What facilities are at the nursery?

Another important question to ask is about the facilities at the nursery.

• Does the nursery have space available for your child at the time you are looking for? 
• Is the nursery open only in term-time or does it offer all year-round provision?
• What learning resources do they have?
• Are the learning resources good quality, clean, safe and age appropriate?
• Do they have webcams so you can monitor your child while they are at nursery?
• Is there a good outdoor area which children can access freely?
• Do they have diverse books and toys?
• Do they have a role play area?
• What are the parking facilities like, are they on the street or on-site?

3. What activities does the nursery offer?

You can ask the nursery about children’s activities to understand if the nursery offers activities that your child will enjoy doing.

• What is the philosophy of the nursery? e.g. Does it have a Montessori approach, Froebelian, Curiosity, Reggio Emilia approach?
• Does it run Forest School or Beach School sessions?
• What activities does the nursery provide?
• Does the nursery put on extra wellbeing activities such as yoga or mindfulness?

4.What are the nursery’s policies?

Nursery policies are another area that parents need to know about.

• What is the nursery’s settling in policy? 
• Is there a set routine which children follow daily at the nursery?
• Are they free to choose what to do and what to play with? 
• Can children have a nap if they need to and is there a designated area for this?
• What is the nursery’s policy if your child is ill?
• How can parents be involved in their child’s learning?
• Can my child bring in toys and books from home?
• Are superhero costumes allowed?
• What is the potty-training policy?

5. What are the nursery staff like?

Nursery staff should provide an environment where your child feels secure and cared for.

• Are the staff welcoming, friendly and professional?
• How do the staff interact with your child?
• What is the ratio of children to staff?
• What happens if staff are ill – how are the ratios maintained?
• Are all staff first aid trained? 
• How many of the staff have a paediatric first aid qualification?
• Who will be your child’s key worker? 
• How does the nursery communicate with parents? 
• Does the nursery regularly use customer feedback forms to make sure parents and children are happy with their care?
• What feedback about your child’s day will you receive?
• What is the nursery’s policy on cuddling your child if he or she is upset as some nurseries have a non-cuddling policy.
• Does the nursery take children out into the community or on outings? 

6. What does the nursery do to safeguard your child?

Your child must be safe at nursery so ask questions about security and how children are kept safe.

• How secure is the nursery and what system do they use for signing in and out of the nursery?
• What is the procedure when someone else collects my child?
• What extra safeguarding steps does the nursery take when the children are on a trip?
• Is everything clean and safe? 
• What is the nursery’s nappy changing policy and how does it keep children safe?
• Where does nappy changing take place, e.g. in view of staff or in another room with one staff member?
• How often are nappies changed?
• Do the children look happy and settled? 
• What happens if a child gets ill or has an accident at nursery?  
• Does the nursery maintain a record of the vaccinations that children have had?  

7. What does the nursery do to reinforce good behaviour?

• How does the nursery promote good behaviour?
• How does the nursery deal with challenging behaviour?
• How does the nursery deal with children biting?

8. What is the nursery food like?

When it comes to what questions to ask a nursery, your child may have specific dietary needs, so find out how your child’s nutritional needs are met. 

• Is the food fresh and is it prepared daily? 
• Does the nursery offer cooked food or will you need to give your child a packed lunch?
• If hot food is offered, study the menus to see how the food is prepared. Can I look at the menu? How often do you change it? 
• Do you offer vegetarian or vegan food?
• What is the nursery’s food hygiene rating?
• Can they cater for your child if they have any allergies or dislikes?
• How do they deal with fussy eating?

Questions to ask a nursery checklist

You can download and print the PDF version of this checklist of questions to ask when visiting a nursery. 

If you are looking at more than one nursery, the nursery questions checklist can help you compare them against each other. 

To remind yourself of what questions to ask a nursery, bring this checklist to any early years setting you visit so you can easily refer to it.