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Day Nurseries

Day nurseries provide childcare for children up to the age of five often while their parents work or study. They may be run by local authorities, community groups, Montessori organisations, commercial companies or workplaces.

• Day Nurseries are registered for childcare with OFSTED and inspected every year.
• As part of their childcare registration all groups must demonstrate that they meet educational and developmental needs but only some have an additional inspection to provide Early Education

Those Day Nurseries that are registered by Ofsted to provide Early Education and are part of the Local Authority "Directory of Providers" can offer part-time Funded Early Education places for children from the term following their 3rd birthday.

• They are usually open from 8 am to 6pm Monday to Friday for most weeks in the year.
• Part-time places are often available.
• Nurseries are run by a team of staff and activities are planned to help children enjoy learning and provide opportunities for children to learn and play with friends
• Day Nurseries are usually geared to the needs of children with working parents

What sort of nurseries are there in Kingston?

As with all childcare providers look around for one that suits your child and you.

• Private nurseries that are open to applications from all parents and are usually open most weeks of the year
• Workplace nurseries which some employers run to meet the childcare needs of their staff, they run most weeks of the year but you must be a staff member to apply.
• College or university nurseries to meet the needs of staff and or students which often open term time only
• Nurseries can take children from birth, 3 months, 12 months, 2 years or 3 years up to the age of 5 years. The age range they are registered to care for will be on their certificate of registration as will the numbers of children they can care for.

Registered with Ofsted?

• Nurseries must be registered with Ofsted to provide childcare
• This means checks are carried out to make sure the staff are suitable to look after children, at least half of the staff in a nursery must be trained.
• A check on the nursery premises is carried out to make sure the building and any outside play area is safe and suitable for children.
• After the nursery is registered, every year an inspection is carried out to make sure the nursery is continuing to provide a safe and suitable service.
• Ofsted will specify on the certificate of registration the number and the ages of children that they can care for. There may be up to 26 children in one room. There will be one adult for every eight children aged from three to five.
• You should ask to see the nursery's registration certificate and the latest annual inspection report.
• As part of their registration all groups must demonstrate that they meet educational and developmental needs but some nurseries are also registered by Ofsted to provide Early Education. This means that they can offer part-time Funded Early Education places for children from the term following their 3rd birthday if they are part of the Local Authority "Directory of Providers".
• If they are registered by OFSTED to provide Early Education they will have combined Childcare and Early Education Inspection.

Ofsted also has responsibility to investigate any complaint against a registered nursery and then to enforce any actions or decisions that are taken in light of that complaint.

How much does a nursery cost?

• Day nurseries that can provide full day-care for children aged 0 to 5 yrs can charge between £90 to £230 for a full week. They can sometimes provide part days and can charge different rates for different ages so it is best to speak directly to the nurseries to get an accurate costing.
• Some nurseries charge a fee to put a child on their waiting list and in some cases this is non refundable.
• If your day nursery is registered by Ofsted to provide Early Education and is part of Kingston's "Directory of Providers" Funded Early Education . Your child will be entitled from the term following their 3rd birthday to five funded 2 1/2 hour sessions a week for a maximum of 33 weeks per year (increaseing to 38 weeks from April 2006).  Your day nursery or Kingston Children's Information Service can give you more information about the funding and the charges you may have to pay for the childcare "wrapped around" the free session of Early Education.
• You may be able to get financial help to meet your childcare costs through the Working Tax Credit,and  New Deal for Lone Parents or through a scheme run through your employer such as Childcare Vouchers.

When should you start looking for a Day Nursery?

• As early as possible
• If you are pregnant and plan on returning to work it is advisable to put your child's name onto any appropriate waiting lists as soon as you know you want a place.
• Day Nurseries in the Kingston area can have long waiting lists, especially for full time places for the under 2's. As soon as you can, view as many nurseries that are registered to care for your aged child and where appropriate put your child's name on to the waiting list.
• Some nurseries charge a fee to put a child on their waiting list and in some cases this is non refundable.

Questions to ask when choosing a day nursery

You know your child best, so look for a nursery you feel will suit your child's needs.

You will have things that are very important to you so prepare your own questions in advance. You need to feel confident in your choice of childcare so do ask about anything that worries or concerns you. A day nursery will expect you to ask lots of questions and should be able to provide you with satisfactory answers.

Apart from the practical questions of opening times, holiday, sickness and bank holiday arrangements other things you may like to ask are:-

• Have you achieved any quality awards?
• How many staff are qualified and to what level?
• Can I look around the building to see the rooms and outside play space? If there is no outside play space - how will you make sure my child gets the chance to play outside?
• Where will my child rest?
• What kind of food and drink will you give?
• What will my child do all day?
• How do you encourage good behaviour?
• Will my child be with a regular group of children?
  How old are they?
  How will their timetable fit in with my child?
• Are you included in the Local Authority "Directory of Providers" which will enable my child to access funded Early Education after their 3rd birthday?
• How will you make sure I know how my child is getting on?
• If there are other things you want to know, do not be afraid to ask good childcare staff expect you to ask questions and will be happy to answer them.

Further Information

• Further information on the registration and inspection ofchildcare can be obtained from OFSTED's helpline 0845 601 4771 and OFSTED's website www.ofsted.gov.uk  We recommend that Ofsted inspection reports are viewed before choosing a childcare provider.  These can be downloaded from the Ofsted website or contact the CIS to make arrangements to read the latest report.  All childcare providers should have copies of their latest inspection report available to view at the premises.

Things to look for when choosing a day nursery

1. Are the children calm, safe and happy?
2. Do the children play and talk together?
3. Are the staff listening to children and answering them carefully?
4. Are the staff friendly and proud of their work?
5. Are the staff joining in with what the children are doing?
6. Are there lots of fun activities planned to help children learn and play? Can children plan some of these themselves?
7. Are there plenty of clean toys and equipment for children to use?
8. Is the premises clean, well-kept and safe for children with a fun outside play area (or will children go to parks and other places regularly)?
9. Do parents have plenty of chances to say what they want for their children?

How do I find a nursery?

Ask your employer or prospective employer if they have their own nursery or links with any private nurseries

And for a full list of Registered Day Nurseries in the Royal Borough of Kingston contact:-

Kingston Children's Information Service (CIS)
132 Kingston Road, New Malden, Surrey  KT3 3ND

Telephone:  020 8547 6582
Fax:  020 8547 6667
Email:  cis@rbk.kingston.gov.uk
Visit:  Open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday