Nursery, playgroups, mother & toddler! where do u start!

[lulu]

I really really need some help on this one, I am so confused what to do, where to look???

Jack has not been in nursery as, while I have been working, he goes to his nana's house.

I start uni in October and with the new baby going to nana's, Jack needs to go to nursery.

I was talking to my sister who has worked in childcare for years and she said she wouldn't put her child in nursery, play group would be a better option.

Im really confused with the whole thing, should I put him in nursery, or playgroup? how old does Jack have to be? what are the free government places? do I get financial help with nursery and playgroup? and what are the costs? How do I find out about places near me???

Im stressing out over it a bit as I really need to sort it out and get organised - just don't have a clue where to start.

Please, please help!!!

 

[Sherlock]

http://www.netmums.com/h/f/HOME/home/ might give you some pointers in your area

Nursery is full on day care for your child. And its not cheap. Morning or afternoon sessions or both. Play group (as I've experiencd it when nannying) is usually more only for a few hours a couple of times a week. Children can be left but often I've found Mums stay if their LO's are on the younger side. Age wise I recall putting a 2.5 year old into playgroup for 2 two hour sessions a week. She stayed till she started nursery at school then aged 3.

I'd look round your town/area noticeboards or villiage hall etc as they usually have signs for playgroups etc. Local facilities in towns often run playgroups.

Have you considered a childminder over a nursery place? Would work out cheaper. You can search online in your local area for a listing of them etc. They will all be approved and homechecked etc and will have paperwork to back it up.

Does your uni not have childcare facilities? Or can they not give you advice?

As to free Gov places, again you'd need to contact local places and discuss. Maybe call your local Coucil offices and see if they can point you in the right direction?

 

[lulu]

Hi, I have arranged to see some local nurseries this week.

The money is a big issue for us and also Jack wont be in nursery full time, some weeks not at all, due to OH working shifts.

I have emailed the uni for information. I have also looked round locally for information but really struggling to find anything.

There is the option of a childminder but then Jack wont get the interaction with other children which he really needs.

I am just going to look at the link you gave, thanks, hopefully that might help.

I cant understand why this info is not easier to find on the internet.

 

[Sherlock]

There is the option of a childminder but then Jack wont get the interaction with other children which he really needs.

I am just going to look at the link you gave, thanks, hopefully that might help.

I don't know, childminders have more than one child there, and more often than not have their own also. So he would see and play with other children and it could change each day of the week depending on how a childminder is booked up. He might see the same children on Tuesdays and Fridays and then different ones on other days. I'd look into it for sure. Local newspapers are often good for small ads for places.

I've found Netmums quite useful for info and so on in my area. It was recommended to me by other mums so I thought I'd give it a go.

Good luck. Sorry I can't be of more help

 

[lulu]

No that's been a great help thanks. Will look into the child minder thing. I just had it in my head that they would come to us, a bit like a baby sitter.

I have arranged to see 3 nurseries this week and put some adverts out regarding childcare. Will have a look round for childminders to, do a bit of research.

Its hard to know how often we will need childcare due to my OH working shifts and not knowing my timetable yet.

I might even go back to the village school, and ask them.

Thanks!

 

[Strangeness]

I'm trying to also look into this and have found a pre school in the local church hall but it will only take children from 3. I have searched everywhere for mother and toddler groups in the area but it comes up with nothing. My ds doesn't mix with children very often and I don't want it to isolate him. He's so good with other children that it would be lovely to see him with loads of play mates. It would be a lot easier if the information was more publicly avaliable. I've looked on net mums and they don't have any toddler groups on there. Looks like I'll just have to keep looking and put his name down for the pre school in the mean time.

 

[Sage]

Right i think i can help you with this. Im a nursery nurse and all private nurseries take children from 3months to 4 years. they're open from 8am till 6pm so you can either put them in all day or morning and afternoon sessions which will be 8am - 1.30 or 1.30 til 6. Private nurseries are EXPENSIVE its around £35 a day. But you can get some funding for childcare if your apply for working tax credit. they will also definatly help you if you go back in education

State nurseries are free but only offer morning or afternoon sessions you'll find it hard to find one that is available all day. Also you child will have to be potty trained and usually over 3.

Anyone who works in private childcare will tell you not to do it lol but thats coz most of us hate working there for pennies and they're always understaffed!!

 

[lisa282]

Ok, I know exactly how you feel about this. Its such a major decision and there is help out there, but knowing where to start is just not advertised enough. When I first wanted to put my son into childcare about a year ago I had no clue where to start and searched the internet but came up with no help really. Then I bumped into an old friend by chance who works in a nursery and she gave me the heads up on what to do. First of all, contact your local council who will supply you with details of ALL childcare available in your area, from childminders to nannies to day nurseries. This information should be quite extensive and should give you their opening hours as well as a rough idea of cost along with their policies and the way they are run.

After doing my research this way, I came up with a shortlist of the ones I was interested in, all of which were nurseries for several reasons. I made appointments with them all to go and have a look around, and then my favourite 2 I went back to again with my son for a taster session. Only then having seen them in action did I make a decision, and opted for a nursery quite close to home.

They can be expensive, dont get me wrong, but the one we now use is quite reasonable. My son goes for short day sessions, which are 9.30 to 3.30 and costs £16 per session. He goes 3 times a week so it costs me £48 a week. Thankfully we do get help from tax credits, who will pay up to 80% of the cost depending on your circumstances. In our case they pay approx 60% of the cost and we get around £30 a week towards the nursery. It could be better, but at least we dont have to find it all ourselves.

As for the govt funded places, these do not apply until the term after your child turns 3, so this could be January, April or September. In our case my son is 3 in may, so he will get a funded place from september.

I hope Ive helped a little bit. It really is a minefield when you step into this world, but like I said contact your local council and ask for child services or early education and get yourself the information. It might take you a while to take it all in and make an informed decision cos theres so much to learn and different options to consider. Its also really hard to leave them the first time, but after a short while you will begin to see the benefits. My son loves going to nursery now and he is a really well-behaved, grounded and bright kid now. He is being educated very well and the staff are excellent with him, I do not regret sending him there at all. Cant wait until its free though!! Good luck with your decision, hope you find the help you need x

 

[evemarie8]

I was looking for local mother and baby groups so I e-mailed our local district council who passed my enquiry on to family services, the next week I got a huge list through the post of all our local groups, it was really helpful!