Leaving your child with someone while you pursue your career is not just a question of ensuring the carer is responsible and the environment safe, as the early years are crucial for development. Of course, you need to return to work as soon as it is practical, and before you decide on a day care centre, there are some things you should bear in mind.

Loving Environment

It is important that your child feels welcome when entering a strange environment, and with experienced carers who know how to stimulate curious young minds, your child will not only be safe and secure, but they will develop social skills and creativity.

Activity Based

The ideal child care centre would have an indoor soft-play room, which is the ideal place to release all that energy that toddlers seem to have an endless supply of. Blocks, picture books, and other resources would be evident, and the toddlers would regularly sing and dance. Art should play a large part in the early years development, and if a child shows interest, the carer would encourage exploring to a deeper level. It’s always a great idea to shop around for affordable child care in Nottingham that fits your budget, and the internet is a great place to start.

Experienced Staff

Ideally, each small group of children would be under the control of one senior staff member, and they would have 2 or 3 early years practitioners, who are gaining valuable experience. The children would be exposed to sound moral values, with respect, equal rights, and fair play, all coming into play.

Secure Facility

Leaving your child anywhere means a level of trust, and the ideal nursery would have full CCTV coverage, a secure perimeter, and electronic locks on the access doors. Anyone who wished to enter the nursery would be verified first, and with safe areas for the children to play, both inside and out, the ideal nursery would be well designed and monitored. Any nursery would have to pass very high government standards in order to obtain a licence, which means any licensed nursery would be safe and hygienic.

Social Skills

Of course, your child would not be learning anything academic at this early stage, and with the focus on developing social skills, the groups would regularly interact, allowing all the children to be comfortable with dialogue, and with dancing and singing, the toddlers are socially interacting, which is an essential requirement for preschool.

Creativity and Imagination

These two traits should be developed at a very early age, with children encouraged to explore with art or any form of expression, and with daily storytelling, the children are developing their imagination. Ideally, activities would be short, no longer than 20 minutes, with regular breaks and rest periods, as short, interesting activities are designed to hold the child’s interest.

Finding the right nursery for your child is not difficult, and by checking out their website and arranging a personal visit, you will soon know whether it is the right place for your child.