Whether you need to head back to work early or you’re planning ahead for when your little cherub is older, selecting their nursery is serious business. Firstly, there are practicalities to think of – is it in a convenient location for drop off and pick up? Are you looking for a school nursery where your little one can stay until reception? Would a private nursery with longer hours work better for you?
It’s important to think about what your little one needs now and later. You’ll really need to consider what the priorities are for you as parents at the different stages your child will be in nursery. With this in mind, we’ve crowdsourced this comprehensive list of questions for potential nurseries from the lovely Bump community. Here you’ll find questions relevant for newborns, infants and toddlers, so you can be prepared for every stage of their learning.
Why not print off the list and highlight the ones you’d like to ask on visits? Looking around different childcare settings, you’ll soon get a feel for where you’d like your child to be. And while every question might not be important to you, remember there is no such thing as a stupid question when it comes to looking after your child. Plus, nursery managers and staff are absolutely used to being asked these sort of questions and should be ready to put your mind at ease.
Your Nursery Question Checklist – Save or Print to Take on Visits!
Activities | What type of activities do the children do? |
Activities | How much time do little ones spend outside? |
Activities | What do you do if it’s raining/snowing/bad weather? |
Activities | Do children go on any external trips? |
Communication | How do you provide parents/carers with feedback and progress updates? (books, apps, online portals?) |
Communication | How do you involve parents? Do you have events for them to get to know each other? |
Communication | What is your accident/injury policy? |
Communication | What type of end of day/session update do you provide? |
Cost | What’s provided? Lunch? Snacks? Nappies/wipes? |
Cost | How do you allocate ‘free’ hours? |
Cost | What activities are included in cost or extra? |
Cost | Is any clothing/equipment provided? E.g. wellies, rainsuits |
Cost | Do you still have to pay if child is on holiday? |
Cost | How often do I need to pay? Monthly, termly etc |
Cost | Is there a registration fee? |
Cost | Do you accept childcare vouchers/payment via tax-free childcare accounts? |
Cost | Is there a penalty for late pick ups? |
Food | Will staff follow BLW or traditional weaning and what training do they have in them? |
Food | Can I see a typical food menu? |
Food | Is your food cooked at the nursery? |
Food | Are sweets and treats offered, if so, when? |
Food | Do you accommodate special dietary requirements/allergies? |
Food | Where do children eat? |
Food | Do you feed babies on demand or to a schedule? |
Food | Do children with food allergies have equivalent foods and activities provided? |
Food/Staff | What qualifications do cooks have? |
General Care | Will you give medicines if necessary? |
General Care | How do you comfort a child if they are upset? |
General Care | How do you manage children’s behaviour e.g. being ‘naughty’ |
General Care | What are your safeguarding procedures for things like bullying/biting? |
General Care | Why do you like working with children? |
General Care | What is the most challenging thing about working with children? |
General Care | Do you use time outs? |
General Care | How do you handle babies crying? Do you comfort and hold them? |
General Care | How much/often will my baby be held? |
General Care | Will you adopt our home routine with baby? |
General Care | How often do you change nappies? On demand or to schedule? |
General Care/ Safety | What allergy policies and safeguarding do you have in place? |
Learning | How do you approach nappy/toilet training? |
Learning | How do you support children’s learning interests |
Learning | How do you help young babies to develop? |
Learning | What is your most recent OFSTED grading and where can I read the report? |
Learning | What SEN polices and procedures do you have in place? |
Learning | Can you talk me through the routine of a session/typical day? |
Learning | Do children have any screentime? |
Learning | Are there set activities planned throughout the day? |
Learning | How do you ensure all children make progress and follow their interests? |
Procedure | What hours/sessions do you offer? |
Procedure | What is the notice period for leaving? |
Procedure | What happens if I can’t make it back in time due to train cancellations? |
Procedure | When does the nursery close for holidays? |
Procedure | I early/late drop off or pick up ever possible? |
Procedure | What needs to come with the child to nursery each day? |
Procedure | If parents provide wipes and nappies – do they want provided monthly or daily |
Procedure | Do you do pick ups and drop offs at local schools? |
Procedure | What sort of settling in period do you have? |
Procedure | Do children move between rooms/groups by age or ability? |
Registration | Is there a waiting list? |
Registration | What spaces do you currently have available? |
Safety | What safety procedures do you have on site for access? |
Safety | What safety procedures do you have in place for going out on trips? |
Safety | Do you have the Millie’s Mark? |
Safety | How are babies transported when out and about? |
Sleep | Where do they sleep? |
Sleep | Will someone stay with my child while they sleep? |
Sleep | How do you approach children dropping naps? |
Sleep | Do you have a nap schedule or routine? |
Staff | What is the staff to child ratio? |
Staff | What ages to children move between rooms/classes? |
Staff | Will we be informed if child’s keyworker changes? |
Staff | How many first aid trained staff are there? |
Staff | What level are staff trained to? |
Staff | What continual professional development do staff undertake? |
Staff | How many children does each keyworker have assigned to them? |
Staff | How long have staff members been working with you? |
Staff | How are ratios maintained if staff are ill? |
You might have to visit a bunch of nurseries to find the perfect fit or hit on lucky and narrow it down early on. Not sure a nursery is a good fit for you? There are lots of other childcare options available, many of which you can still use government free hours to fully or partially fund if you qualify for funding. Forest school sessions, a childminder or some play groups are possible alternatives that many parents choose instead of or alongside nursery care.
Want some real mum perspectives? Check out our Content Editor, Katie’s experience of putting her son into nursery, and our top tips for choosing a nursery