Settling in at Nursery
At Hurley Pre-School, we understand that all children are unique, and that the time it takes a child to settle in can vary enormously. All children will therefore be given time to settle in at their own pace, so as to make them feel welcome, safe and confident in a new environment.
During the settling-in process, our qualified staff take the child and the parent/carer's needs into account.
During the settling-in process, our qualified staff take the child and the parent/carer's needs into account.
- Parents/carers should visit any childcare setting with their children before they are due to start. They will receive an induction where all policies and procedures of the Pre-School will be discussed. Parents have the opportunity to ask any questions and are given this document to take home to have the information they may need to check how things are done.
- As per level of understanding, children will be informed about the settings routines and the programme of activities. They will be shown around the premises, told where they can and cannot go, and have both registration and signing out procedures made clear. Ground rules will be explained to the child and if appropriate, they will be encouraged to ask questions and raise any concerns.
- All staff will supervise children new to the setting to ensure that they are happy in their new surroundings. The appropriate level of such supervision will be judged according to the child’s age, maturity and previous experiences.
- We use a keyperson system where we assign the child to a member of staff who will be responsible for doing keyworker activities once a week where the child’s development and progress is monitored and helped to the next steps in their development. Also any concerns can be noted and discussed with parents and staff.
- Parents/carers are expected to stay with their child for a period of time until their child has settled in to the Pre-School. Please note that it is important that when we ask you to return at a certain time that you do so promptly as this will build your child’s trust in us and you. Your child will realise that when you leave you will come back.
- If it seems that a child is taking a long time to settle in, this will be discussed with their parent/carers at the earliest opportunity. Likewise, if a parent/carer feels that there is a problem during the settling in period, they should raise this with a member of staff.
- Staff will always be available to discuss any concerns or other issues with parent/carers regarding their child and their attendance at the setting. If the parent/carers wish to meet with the manager, they should make an appointment to come in for a chat.
