Choosing a Nursery: What to Expect When Visiting a Nursery

When the time comes to choose a nursery for your child, you will probably want to shortlist a number of day nurseries to visit. Most parents consider the following when deciding which nurseries to visit:

• Reputation through friends, family, and within the local community
• Ofsted rating and report
• Review sites such as Google Reviews or daynurseries.co.uk
• Whether older siblings have attended the nursery before
• Proximity to home or along a commuting route

Once you have shortlisted your preferred local nurseries, you will want to reach out to arrange a nursery visit.

Making Initial Contact with the Nursery

There are several ways to contact nurseries, including via their website, phone, email, or through an online booking system. At this stage, a responsive nursery is crucial, and your experience of this may confirm or exclude some nurseries from your shortlist.

You may wish to have a conversation with each nursery on your shortlist ahead of visiting to ask about:

• Availability, especially for younger children and baby rooms
• Opening hours and session times
• Pricing and fees

Availability for under 2s is often the biggest challenge for parents, with baby room places sometimes booked up to 18 months in advance. Smaller baby rooms tend to fill quickest, so early nursery visits and bookings are essential.

Visiting the Nursery: What to Expect

On the day of your nursery visit, you may feel excited or apprehensive about exploring settings that could become familiar to both you and your child. It is normal to experience a range of emotions, such as:

• Realising maternity leave may be ending, coupled with anxiety about leaving your child in a new environment with unfamiliar people
• Concerns about whether the nursery can provide the same level of care, love, and routine that your child receives at home
• Worries about managing nursery drop-offs and collections alongside your work schedule
• Apprehension about how your child will settle during their first day and beyond
• Navigating funding arrangements, which can initially feel overwhelming

These feelings are common and understandable during this big decision-making process.

Arriving at the Nursery and What to Look For

When you arrive at the nursery, you might feel nervous, but you should expect:

• A warm welcome from the nursery manager or designated person showing you around
• A feeling that the nursery was expecting your arrival
• Staff greet you and your child as you enter rooms
• A full tour of all rooms and outdoor spaces, including outdoor play areas
• Discussions about the daily routine, including mealtimes, nap times, and early years education curriculum
• Information on fees, funding, and payment arrangements
• Details on registration, key policies such as special dietary requirements, staff qualifications, including paediatric first aid training, safeguarding, and security measures

It is important to note that unless you visit outside of nursery opening hours, your visit will take place during a typical day. Nurseries try to schedule visits outside busy times, such as mealtimes and sleep times, but this is not always possible. Nurseries are busy places, and while this can feel overwhelming to new parents, it is completely normal.

Even during busy times, you should expect to see:

• Staff interacting warmly with children and comforting those who may be upset
• No concerns regarding children’s safety within the setting
• Kind, welcoming, and compassionate staff attending to the children’s needs
• Children appear happy and engaged in their environment
• A well-maintained building free from disrepair

Choosing the right nursery is ultimately about the feeling you get when visiting the setting. The people and team you meet on the day should heavily influence your decision.

Questions to Ask During Your Nursery Visit

It’s a good idea to prepare questions in advance to ensure you cover everything important to you. Writing them down can help you avoid forgetting anything during the visit.

To know what questions to ask, you might find our post below helpful:

The Best Questions to Ask When Visiting a Nursery

Follow-Up After Your Nursery Visit

After your visit, you may receive additional information about the nursery, such as a prospectus or brochure. You should expect the nursery to contact you via phone or email to follow up within 24 hours. While some parents may not be ready to make an immediate decision, it’s important to note that nursery places are usually not confirmed until you have completed the registration process.

Early registration is especially important due to waiting lists and limited availability in popular nurseries.

By following these tips and knowing what to expect when visiting a nursery, you can make an informed choice that best supports your family’s needs, your child’s learning, development, and well-being in their new environment.