Settling into nursery life

Starting nursery can be enormously beneficial for your child and you as a family, it can also be an anxious time too. Here is an insight into what we do to make the process of settling your child into nursery positive both for you as a family.

Your child is unique, some children settle straight into the new routine and environment whereas others take a little longer, which is why we don’t have a one size fits all settling in period. Our settling in process is unique to you and your child and it is carefully planned by your child’s key person and parent.

The first part of our settling in period starts with a home visit, your child’s key person and another member of staff will visit the family home to talk with you and interact with your child. They will bring a bag of nursery resources for your child to play with or we can play with toys familiar to your child if they wish.
The Key Person will interact and create a bond with the child whilst the other practitioner will go through some paperwork and book in some settling in visits for your child.
The home visit is optional; however, we have found that they really do help massively with the settling in process but don’t take our word for it, here is some feedback from families who have had and benefited from a home visit………….

After the home visit, you and your child will be invited to visit the nursery and become familiar with your child’s key person and the environment. Your child is unique and may need several visits until you are happy for them to stay without you, this is absolutely fine – On the settling in visits your child’s key person will spend time getting to know them and support them in getting to know the nursery environment, initially alongside you and then when you feel confident, you are able to leave them for the rest of the session to play with their new special adult and interact with some new friends. The length of time you leave your child depends on how confident you both feel about separating – there is a lovely tearoom opposite if you want to pop out for a hot cuppa.

We always encourage you to say goodbye when leaving and when you will be back, this lets children know that you are leaving but will be back soon and leads to less separation anxiety than if you just slip out – we know it’s hard but its better in the long run.

It will take time for your child to get used to their new environment, to key adults and to each other. Much of the first half term will be devoted to establishing a routine to build their sense of security and confidence. As your child gradually settles, they will become much more independent.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED) is recognised as the main building block of success in life. It supports children’s development by helping them to interact effectively and develop positive attitudes to themselves and others. PSED is high on our agenda because we know and believe that when done right children will flourish.

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