Waving your precious child off on their first day at nursery can be one of the hardest things for any new parent to do. Will they be safe? Will they be upset? It can be a minefield of concerns. However, by choosing the right nursery and doing your homework, you can make the transition from your child staying at home, to being looked after by others, a little easier.
Charlotte Borghesi is not only a mum of seven, but also the owner and general manager of Children’s Oasis Nursery and Kidz Inc Dubai. Even with her wealth of experience she admits that choosing a nursery can be overwhelming and confusing for new parents.
So, once you have established an affordable nursery, where should you start?
1. Interaction
“The simple answer is that you can spot a good nursery as soon as you walk through the door,” says Borghesi. “The first thing that hits you is the feeling of the place and its strong ethos. For example, the positive teacher-children relationships as well as the friendliness of the place.”
2. Teaching ethos
Although the children might be young at nursery, you still need good teachers. “Strong teaching ethos should be the first factor when choosing the right nursery for your child,” says Borghesi. “This ethos is there for everyone to see and feel and you can sense if the staff and children are happy at the nursery.”
3. Research staff turnover
It is extremely important that the staff are happy. “Young children thrive on building caring trusting relationships that offer positivity and consistency in a child’s day,” says Jo Holt, Lead Maternity Manager, Malaak Mama & Baby Care. “Constant staff turnover interrupts a child’s routine and can have a negative effect on your child. The overall happiness of the teachers will have a major impact on the positivity in the nursery.”
4. Curriculum
With a variety of different nursery curricula available in the UAE, this is another important factor that parents must take into account.
“Read up on the curriculum offered and make sure you feel it will meet the needs of your child,” says Borghesi. “Curriculum sets the foundation for children but it shouldn’t be all about academics. Curriculum in nurseries should be fun and worked around the children’s interests — children learn through play.”
5. Environment
One of the biggest concerns for anxious parents is keeping your precious baby safe and secure. You should therefore ask some questions when you visit any nursery, advises Borgesi. “For instance, is the nursery setting safe, secure, well resourced, happy and well organised? Classroom equipment and resources must be age appropriate and inviting and allow children to explore and learn in a safe and stimulating environment.”
6. Health and hygiene
While it is important that any nursery keeps your child safe, it also needs to promote a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, Holt says that parents should consider the following, “Does the nursery have hygiene policies ensuring the overall health of teachers and children? Does the nursery advocate healthy and nutritious meal times for the children? Is the environment safe, exciting, clean, engaging and calming all at the same time?”
7. Policies and procedures
Deborah Newman, Nursery Manager, Babilou Umm Suqeim, says, “If I was a parent looking for a nursery, I would want to know more about the facilities and the quality of the premises and equipment. Also, whether there is a senior teacher on duty at all times (many nurseries only have nannies/babysitters in the afternoon). I would want to know details of all the policies and procedures in place, in addition to safety and hygiene and the induction process. Finally, find out about staff ratios and how these are managed and if the nursery has an open door policy to parents at all times.”
8. Parental engagement
Don’t forget that having a good relationship with the nursery is also imperative. “The nursery experience is not only for the children but also their parents,” says, Carissa Valentim-DuToit, Centre Manager at Hummingbird Pre-School, DIFC. “Accessibility to the teaching staff, regular participation with your child, and extending the learning from the nursery to home are crucial factors that will make attending the nursery a wholesome experience for the entire family.”
9. Accreditations
Before considering any nursery, you need to ensure that it is fully licensed. “With the sheer volume of nurseries available, having the right licenses and permits is an absolute necessity,” says Valentim-DuToit. “This is not only to ensure a great quality learning environment, but also assist to gauge how open, competent and transparent a nursery actually is.”
10. Gut feeling
Finally, like most big decisions you need to follow your instincts. Borghesi suggests, “Evaluate your nursery choice with attention, but never disregard your gut feeling. Listen to your instincts — only you know your child best.”
On the nursery trail
A GN Focus staffer finds the perfect home away from home for her child
As a working mum who didn’t drive (yeah, one of those endangered species), I was clear about a couple of things even before my son started crawling — that his nursery should be at an easily commutable distance from my workplace and home and that it came recommended by people I trusted.
Luckily for me, a colleague had packed her child off to one of the preschools near the office and she was pretty happy with it. Having zeroed in on a nursery, without too much legwork myself, I sat back and relaxed, in the knowledge that if this one didn’t work out there were others in the neighbourhood that I could fall back on.
When our son turned two, we put our choice to test. What we wanted was a safe and secure — not to mention multicultural and inclusive — nursery where he could spend time with peers under the supervision of caring and competent adults.
The nursery didn’t disappoint: we weren’t welcomed by bawling unattended children or classes in uproar. With a teacher and an assistant handling each class, there was a healthy teacher-to-student ratio.
An in-house nurse and a visiting doctor addressed concerns about illnesses and accidents. Though the curriculum — Early Years Foundation Stage — was not a deciding factor, the fact that the nursery had grown to two branches went in its favour.
Moreover, it had a bus for pickups and drop-offs, but we weren’t sure the little guy was ready for that level of independence and decided to incur the wrath of taxi drivers for short trips, on a regular basis.
Meanwhile junior was all excited about nursery, but it didn’t dawn on us until quite late that he was under the impression that Mum and Dad will join him. On the first day, as expected, there were waterworks as we were about to leave. Having read up on how these things play out, we were ready to say a quick bye and get out of sight. But it is never that easy.
We somehow managed but hung around unseen to hear him cry for a few minutes. This carried on for some days.
Our boy was among the youngest in his class. Thankfully, his teacher understood his need to feel comfortable in the new setting. In the first few minutes of parting from us, she would hold him close and attend to him as she carried on with the class activities.
You know you have found the right nursery when you see teachers make earnest attempts to understand your child and deal with them with the right mix of care and authority. That’s when you hand over the responsibility of your little one to an outsider and go home in peace.
— Priya Mathew/Deputy Chief Subeditor
