Nursery Care to Suit Your Child

Nursery childcare can often seem like a less-than-ideal option, due to the often-large groups of children and staff.  Parents often worry that their child will be ‘lost in the shuffle’, missing out on the individual care and attention they need to learn and develop.

However, not all nurseries are created equal.  There are three main types of nursery, some of which will take children from a few weeks old and some that don’t enroll them until the age of two, which provide different types of early years education.

Montessori Nurseries
The Montessori approach to education is one that has become very popular with parents (and childcare professionals) in recent years.  Montessori education is based on the belief that children should be allowed to learn, develop and grow at their own pace.

In Montessori nurseries, the teachers provide learning opportunities and guide the children, rather than planning organised activities. The children explore the world around them on their own terms, choosing for themselves what they want to play with and using their senses to explore those items and activities.  Montessori nurseries focus on each child as an individual, allowing them to facilitate their own learning.

Steiner Nurseries
Sometimes referred to as Steiner Waldorf education, Steiner early years education is based on creativity, practical skills and placing the child at the centre of their own learning.

The Steiner ideals place cognitive, emotional, physical and social skills side by side in terms of importance.  Reading isn’t usually introduced until after age 6 (when the child would leave the Steiner nursery and, ideally, attend a Steiner primary school) and children are encouraged to master physical skills first – such as baking their own bread to eat together, and tidying up after themselves.  Movement to music is a big part of Steiner nursery education, and the children are taught by example rather than instruction.  Free play is encouraged every day throughout all age groups in Steiner educational facilities, as playing well is linked to increased empathy and less aggression in children.

There are many accredited Steiner nurseries in the UK, and many more that adopt Steiner principles but are not accredited, due to the fact that they only offer childcare and education up to the age of 5, rather than 6.

Mainstream Nurseries
The aim of most mainstream nurseries is to ensure that all children are at the same level, education-wise, by the time they move up from nursery to primary school.  To do this, they have adopted the Foundation Stage Curriculum.  Many Montessori nurseries have adopted the Foundation Stage Curriculum too, but use different methods to achieve the goals.

Mainstream nurseries mostly work on the principle belief that children need structured and planned activities in order to get the most out of their education.  The nursery staff are required to create a balance of adult-planned activities and free play, both indoors and out, in order to help the children achieve the goals set by the Foundation Stage Curriculum.

Many parents choose mainstream nurseries because they feel that it will make the transition to a mainstream school environment easier later on, due to the structured activities and scheduled days.

Nursery Jobs

Nurseries take care of children from just a few weeks old until the age of 4-7 (depending on the nursery), so they are usually very noisy and busy places! One thing’s for sure – no two days will be the same!

 

You don’t usually need any specific qualifications to start – employers generally want to see some evidence of education in the form of 3 or more GCSE passes, but specific childcare qualifications are unnecessary for somebody starting out as a nursery assistant.  One thing that everybody who works with children is required to provide is a CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check, the cost of which will usually be met by your employer.

 

Aside from qualifications, to be a great candidate for any nursery jobs you may apply for you will need certain traits, such as:

 

  • A caring and sensitive nature
  • A love for spending time with children
  • Responsibility
  • Ability to work as part of a team
  • A positive, fair approach to discipline
  • A good sense of humour
  • Creativity is always a bonus
  • The ability to relate to young children
  • An awareness of safety and hygiene practices, although training on these areas will be provided

 

As a nursery assistant, you can expect to earn about £10k-£12k pa.  Fully qualified nursery nurses can earn up to £18k and other nursery jobs, such as a nursery manager, can provide in excess of £30k.  There are other jobs available in a nursery, such as cooks and cleaners, the wages of which are usually not far above minimum wage.

 

In nurseries, there are separate rooms for different age groups, the baby rooms having a higher staff ratio than the rooms for older children.  The days are usually structured, especially so for the older children, but play is the focus for the majority of the time.  Gone are the days of strict learning schedules for young children.  Play-based learning has been proven time and time again to be more effective (and more fun for all involved!).

 

So what does the average day look like for somebody with a nursery job?

 

  • Planning and facilitating activities such as arts, crafts, cooking, music and dancing
  • Personal care such as changing, feeding, bathing, and assisting toilet training children with using the bathroom
  • Reading stories in a group setting, or one-on-one
  • Taking children on planned outings
  • Playing outside
  • You may be responsible for some paperwork
  • Implementing health and safety guidelines
  • Being aware of possible signs of abuse and neglect, and reporting any concerns you may have to the appropriate person

 

There are many opportunities for advancement in nursery jobs.  From being a nursery assistant, you could qualify as a nursery nurse, then a senior nursery nurse, and move on to becoming a nursery manager or an EYP (Early Years Professional).  To gain further qualifications, you may be able to train on-the-job (an apprenticeship), or work part time and attend a college course.