Parents & Guardians
Settling your child into Nursery
We want your child to feel safe and happy in the absence of their parents, to recognise other adults as a source of authority, help and friendship, and to be able to share with their parents afterwards the new learning experiences enjoyed in the Nursery. We also want parents to feel welcome and involved from the beginning.
Children cannot play or learn successfully if they are anxious and unhappy. Our settling procedures aim to help parents and their children feel comfortable in the Nursery, and to ensure that the children can benefit from what the Nursery has to offer.
In order to accomplish this we aim to create a partnership with parents in the following ways:
- By encouraging parents and children to visit the Nursery during the weeks before an admission is planned.
- By introducing flexible admission procedures, if appropriate, to meet the needs of the individual families and children.
- By making clear to families from the outset that they will be welcome and supported in the Nursery for as long as it takes to settle their child here.
- By creating opportunities for the exchange of information both verbally and by use of the ‘Getting to know you’ form.
- Continuing dialogue between parent and Nursery about the child’s current achievements, interests, concerns or joys.
- By reassuring the parents whose children seem to be taking a long rime to settle into Nursery.
- By encouraging the parents, where appropriate to separate from their children for brief periods at first, gradually building up to longer absences.
- We also strongly advise that parents let their child know when they are leaving the Nursery and that they will return. This may seem difficult, but for a child to suddenly become aware that Mum/Dad/Carer has gone is very traumatic for them. The hardest part is for them to learn that you will be back!
- We also suggest a favourite toy accompany your child to Nursery.
Please help us
Please send your child to nursery in clothes that are comfortable and that they are not worried about getting dirty. Although we provide aprons for messy play, accidents do happen!
Please make sure your child’s clothing and belongings are named, especially lunch boxes and drinking bottles.
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