Parent advice. Things to look out for when visiting a nursery
1. Does the nursery have a welcoming, happy and cheerful atmosphere – are the children and the carers having fun?
2. Are the children happy and settled? Does the person showing you around know the children? Do the children want to chat with you or the person showing you around?
3. Are child carers sitting with and interacting with the children or with each other?
4. Do the premises and equipment look clean but used? (Perfect equipment has not been used by children! Any experienced parent will tell you that an environment where children are active and enjoying themselves will NEVER be pristine!)
5. Do the children have opportunities to learn, explore and have fun in a natural environment outdoors? (Children need to learn about their world and so outdoor play environments should give them opportunities to explore mud, sand, leaves, grass, and build, run and jump. A ready made road and climbing frame isn’t nearly as challenging as crates, planks and den building equipment.
You can download this list from our funcare website here.
If you have any more questions, we’d be happy to answer them and show you around our lovely nurseries.
Questions to ask when choosing a child day nursery in Harrogate
It is very important to visit a nursery before making such big decision about where you child will be happiest and best cared for. We would be delighted and proud to show you around our nurseries. Here are a list of questions to ask any nursery that you may visit:
1. How long have your baby room child carers been at the nursery and what experience do they have in caring for babies?
2. How many of your staff hold child care qualifications? (The OFSTED requirement is a minimum of 50%, but in a high quality nursery most if not all staff will be qualified or in training)
3. Will my child have the same carer team each day?
4. How do you cover sickness and holidays to ensure that the nursery is always open, and my children have continuity?
5. Is the nursery open all year (for example between Christmas and New Year).
6. Will I be able to pop into the nursery during the day unannounced?
7. At the beginning and end of each day will I be able to go into the rooms, to see where my child has been and meet the people who have been caring for him/her in person (and not just the supervisor).
8. What is provided and what will I have to bring or pay for? (eg nappies, milk, food, suncream, uniform???).
9. What opportunities will I have to meet other parents and make friends. Will there be any social events for parents?
10. How regularly will my baby/child be able to be outdoors?
and a couple of other important questions…
11. How flexible will the nursery be, if for instance I need to swap a day, or come in for an extra day?
12. Does the nursery have it’s own cook, and what kind of food is provided?
You can download this list from our funcare website here.
If you have any more questions, we’d be happy to answer them and show you around our lovely nurseries.
Harrogate day nurseries support Children in Need
funcare nursery harrogate supports children in need
The children and staff of PlayAway & Woodlands Day Nurseries are excited about Children in Need this Friday November 20th. Children will be dressing up in their pyjamas and bringing their teddy bears at PlayAway Day Nursery. At Woodlands team leader Emily will be spending the whole day in song. She is being sponsored to sing instead of talk for the whole day, entertaining the children and of course staff and parents!
Harrogate nursery team finalist in national nursery award
Simply the best nursery in Harrogate
We are delighted that our dynamic nursery team at Playaway has reached the final in the Nursery Management Today nursery awards 2009. Manager Dee Sturges says
Our dynamic team loves making the most of all opportunities to create fun and meaningful experiences for children and parents. We enjoy challenging ourselves and are one big happy family.
We are so proud to have reached the final 6 in this competition out of over 100 entries. The team enjoy their work and this is evident in the high quality of our childcare practice.
Are you looking for the best childcare for your c hild?
To meet our lovely team please contact us. We would be happy to show you around.
A MINUTE FOR MADELEINE … HELP SPREAD A NEW ONLINE POLICE MESSAGE
London, 3 November. The UK’s national law enforcement centre for protecting children - the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre - has today issued an online viral message (http://www.youtube.com/ceop) aimed at anyone close to the person who was involved in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
The person we are looking to reach is likely to be a partner, family member, friend or colleague of the person or people who were involved in Madeleine’s disappearance. It is also highly probable that they, or someone close to them, is using the internet to search for any updates that may suggest the police are getting closer to discovering the truth.
“Today we want to deliver a message to that person and we’re asking everyone who goes online to help us. We want the message to become so widespread that it becomes just one click from any Madeleine search as a constant reminder to that person that it is never too late to do the right thing - that it is never too late for that person to redeem themselves.
“So if you are a parent or carer, a student or member of the public who is a social networker, blogger or emailer, or if you run any type of online environment, big or small please look at the film today, link to it, share it with your friends and post it in the online communities you occupy. Do everything you can to spread it around the online world. We want to make it omnipresent so that the person we are trying to reach sees it and is prompted to do the right thing.”
The message is available at ceop.police.uk and is in seven different languages - English, Arabic, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.
Thank you for helping us get out this important information.
Looking for a nursery in Harrogate? Look no further, OFSTED love us!
PlayAway was visited by OFSTED in July 2009, and we were delighted to be awarded an overall ‘good’ rating, with 2 elements of ‘Outstanding Practice for Inclusion and for continuous improvement’.
Playaway Day Nursery Harrogate
Woodlands Day Nursery
We wholeheartedly agree with their findings although we did feel that an outstanding would also have been appropriate for our ‘partnerships with parents’. We always get such positive feedback from parents in our questionnaires and it really does feel like one big happy family at PlayAway.
The inspectors also visited Woodlands in June 2009, and found Woodlands to be Outstanding at Being Healthy, Keeping Safe and Partnerships with Parents. It was a lovely day for all involved in the inspection, as the inspector made us all feel so relaxed and happy, and we truly showed off our nursery in it’s natural state!
New PlayAway baby spaces from November 1st 2009!
Playaway Day Nursery Harrogate
We are happy to announce the official opening of our new baby sleep room on the first floor at PlayAway in the old office.
The new room has been approved by OFSTED and has been fully kitted out with brand new cots and mattresses as well as some new storage drawers for babies’ clothes, sheets and blankets.
The new room has allowed us to increase the number of babies we can look after each day by 4. We already have a waiting list for these spaces however, so it won’t be long before they are filled! Contact us to secure a place.
Carly Worth joins the Woodlands pre-school team
Woodlands Day Nursery
Due to an increase in attendance, Woodlands is delighted to have welcomed a new member of staff in Carly Worth, who joined our pre-school at the beginning of November.
Carly has worked part-time in the Cannon’s crèche and has also experience of US kids camps. She is a positive and fun person and will shortly commence her NVQ3 in child care with us. We hope she will feel welcome and look forward to many years of fun and laughter with her!
Funcare teams up with NCT
National Childbirth Trust
As well as taking a stall at the recent National Childbirth Trust Nearly New Sale, we will also be showcasing our nurseries at the forthcoming morning at Winkies in Knaresborough.
The event will run from 9:30am-12:30pm and for only £4 per adult families can come along and get free play at Winkies, sample activities with their children, including French for Fidgets, Enjoy-a-ball, Singamajigs and Baby Ballet. Every adult will be given a goody bag with the NCT out and about guide inside.
Funcare Day Nurseries Harrogate November Newsletter
Welcome to our November Newsletter. We’ve got so much to tell you!
Important Dates:
1. Parents Evening : Wednesday 18th November 6.30 - 8.30. Have you booked your time slot?
christmas bells
2. Christmas Party : Wednesday 16th December Babies and Toddlers 10.30 - 12.30, Pre-school 2.30 - 4.30. *if your child does not attend that day, you are welcome to bring them along, but you will have to stay with them due to staffing ratios and numbers
3. Nursery Nativity Play : Friday 18th December, Christ Church, 2.00pm. Everyone welcome!! A nursery video will be take that can be purchased. Parents are welcome to take photographs of their child.
4. Christmas Card Orders : must be in by November 25th. Sorry no late orders accepted.
5. Children in Need : We are regular supporters of this worthy charity. This year we are having a pyjama and bring a bear day!!! Friday 20th November
6. Christmas and New Year Times : please note that we will be open from 7am - 4pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Please ask for a form when you come to see us next, so that we know who will be in nursery between Christmas and new year, and return it to us as soon as possible. Best wishes for a wonderful Christmas and New Year with your family.
7. Good luck to the staff team for 27th November at the National Nursery Awards! In our eyes you are all winners regardless of the result.
8. Employee of the month for September is Sue, for always going the extra mile. For October, the winner is Mira, for her wonderful meals, helping everyone out and being patient. Goodbye Katrina, we will miss you stacks as you move back to Woodlands. You have been a star! Welcome to Sam! We are so glad that you are now with us full time in the baby room.