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Knowing whether or not the time is right to send your child to preschool nursery can be a difficult decision for parents. As you may or may not be aware, the UK government funds nursery places for children between the ages of three and four, so you may consider this an appropriate age. However, this doesn’t really consider your personal circumstances. For instance, you might want to return to work and focus on your career. So, here are some things to think about when deciding if your child is ready for nursery.
It would be good to ask yourself the following questions:
- Is your child fairly independent or do they have separation anxiety?
- Is you child familiar with spending time away from you?
- Does your child play nicely with other children?
- Do they enjoy group activities?
- Can your child use the toilet independently?
If the answer to any of these questions is no then there’s no need to worry – in many cases attending nursery is a great way to help. But it is useful to know in advance if your child might take some extra time to settle in a new nursery setting.
If your child hasn’t spent much time away from you or with other children their age, you might want to consider practising before sending them off to nursery. The same applies to using the toilet, as lots of nurseries have a no touch policy. Of course, your child would settle in eventually, but it’s certainly worth getting them prepared as much as possible.
Pastoral care is at the heart of a good nursery and the staff are fully trained and experienced in dealing with any issues that arise when children start attending. So, even if your child has a few hiccups, it won’t be something that the nursery staff haven’t already dealt with a thousand times.
Essentially, there’s no right or wrong time to send your child to nursery. You need to do what’s right for you and your family, so don’t listen to judgemental comments from other parents. After all, not everyone has a choice but to seek out childcare options.
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