Providing Day Nursery Care

Day nurseries are for children under five years old, in which they can play and learn, and have fun in groups while their parents' work or study.

Nurseries are registered with OFSTED (the Office for Standards in Education) and are inspected each year to ensure they are meeting the proper standards.

Day nurseries are usually open all day for most of the year, and often offer part-time places for those parents who wish to make use of this option.

Nurseries are run by a staff team, and activities are planned so as to help children learn through play. At nursery, children are involved in a range of different activities through which they learn new skills and make friends.

Day nursery places can be good for the child and the parent in a number of ways, including:

• Socialisation - children get the chance to play and learn with other children, and to develop their own friends and relationships
   
• Parental support - day nurseries are often geared to the needs of working parents, allowing them to relax knowing that their children are in good hands if they have to work during the day
   
• Value for money - some day nurseries offer free, part-time early education or pre-school places for children aged three and four

Read about the National Standards childminders are expected to meet - please note that this is a large pdf file (253 kb.)

What to do next

If you're interested in setting up a Day Nursery service, then you need to pre-register your interest with Croydon Children's Information Service by filling in the pre-registration form.

Back to Setting Up Group Care

Wednesday, 27 August, 2008

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