by: Mrs T - 15-03-10 18:05
I was just wondering if anybody knew if there were any guidelines for how long a baby should be in a nursery for a day? At my setting we open from 7.30 - 6.30 and some babies are here for most of that time.
If there is guidelines does this change as they get older?
by: red sun
No there are no guidelines. I once had a 3 year old in nursery for 60 hours in 1 week (we offer an extra hours opening time 7am to 7pm). I rang Ofsted to see if they had guidance such as you are asking and was told that there was nothing they could do or suggest as its a contractual matter between the nursery and the parent. They went on to say that if I had concerns I shoould phone social services; very helpful NOT!!!
by: me
if you offer those hors then why be surprised when some people use them? when settings offer them they are indicating to parents that it is acceptable and normal. the head should lead the way if she os concerned by saying that there is a max hours that a child can stay BUT of course they wont as the reason for their existence if private is the income.
by: red sun
I can see that I didnt explain myself properly. Our core hours are 7 till 6, but we used to offer an extra hour if booked 48 hours in advance. Most parents used it occassionally maybe once a week or a fortnight. However this one family decided to put their 3 year old in for 60 hours, this is not what it was intended for, hence the reason for the call to ofsted. Needless to say by the end of the week the child was exhausted, let's face it she had done more hours than the staff!! They never asked for 60 hours again and fortunately no-one else has. We only offer till 6.30pm now again if booked at least 48 hours in advance.
by: red sun
I can see that I didnt explain myself properly. Our core hours are 7 till 6, but we used to offer an extra hour if booked 48 hours in advance. Most parents used it occassionally maybe once a week or a fortnight. However this one family decided to put their 3 year old in for 60 hours, this is not what it was intended for, hence the reason for the call to ofsted. Needless to say by the end of the week the child was exhausted, let's face it she had done more hours than the staff!! They never asked for 60 hours again and fortunately no-one else has. We only offer till 6.30pm now again if booked at least 48 hours in advance.
RE: RE: Hours in nursery - 17-03-10 09:44by: newsetting
Hi, We are open 7-7 five days a week and we have a number of children who get here just after 7 and dont leave until nearly 7pm. We are a long commute into the city/west end and parents need to drop off early to get to work.
You need to make sure that children who do these long hours have adequate rest time, as well as times where they are fully engaged in play. The early mornings tend to be calm, free play sessions, as do the late evenings. There are plenty of rest areas in the nursery too. We offer a service which is the result of parental demand. I agree that it is a lot of hours, but when parents work full time, it figures that their children are going to be in nursery full time too PLUS the time the parents spend travelling to and from nursery, which in some cases can add an extra 3 hours onto a day in childcare.
by: Maestro
If you are offering a service between those times then you have to expect people to use it. As if you rang Ofsted because someone used your service and you disagreed. We have children in longer than the staff and they treat the nursery as a second home. They kick off their shoes, rest, play, work, socialise, and generally have a good time. If they are tired then they go to sleep.
I do not see what the fuss is about unless the parents were not working, and leaving the child for the sake of it. The luxury of staying at home with the children is just that these days, a luxury. Who's to say that when the child is at home they were not just plonked in front of a TV till bed time? It's swings and roundabouts.
RE: RE: Hours in nursery - 18-03-10 06:57by: red sun
Am I alone in thinking that 60 hours in a nursery is too long for a child of any age?
Pardon me for thinking of the needs of the child.
And yes I am well aware that staying at home with the child is a luxury I'm not stupid.
RE: RE: RE: Hours in nursery - 19-03-10 18:39by: lilynic1
Hi I totally agree, parents shouldnt have children if thay cant find time to spend with them. I'm frankly apalled by these parents animals get treated better!!!! I would even go as far to say that its a form of child abuse. No amount of money id worth putting your child through that
RE: RE: RE: RE: Hours in nursery - 20-03-10 11:47by: allie
Be careful here, we do not know the circumstances as to why they need to take full advantage of this service! I am a mother, working full time and studying for a degree, so spend a lot of time working or studying - does that make me a bad mother? No, because the time i spend with my son is quality and i'm striving to provide and give my family the best start in life!!
by: Maestro
No one said that you were stupid. If you are open 60 hours then you will always have people that use the service to the full. Its normal. Look at how long some people work.
by: red sun
Actually we don't, we've only ever had that one child use the 60 hours once.
End of discussion for me
RE: RE: Hours in nursery - 18-03-10 17:17by: raramoo
If you open a 12 hour day then you will have parents who want childcare for 12 hours a day. Not because they are bad parents, but because you are open for 12 hours a day and you provide a childcare service that ensures their children are cared for and educated and develop on a day to day basis. Gone are the days of the 9-5 job and the ease of a part time job in the corner shop, people work long hours and many as have been said commute for a long time to and from work. Gone are the days of mum staying at home. Gone are the days of being able to up and leave your desk the minute you finish work. Employers are more demanding and therefore employees have more boxes to tick in order to keep their jobs, this leads to a longer day.
If you feel so strongly about having children in your setting for such a length of time then you have to take the choice of either not opening for so many hours or limiting a child to how many hours they are allowed to attend for on a regular basis.
In my opinion, and it is nothing to do with running a business to make a profit, if taht child was not with you it would be at home playing second best to a pile of paperwork that mummy or daddy need to bring home each evening as they can't work as late as needed.
by: Dons
We cannot be in this job if we are going to start judging parents decisions. They do what they think is right for themselves and their families. At least most do. Take it as a compliment that they have judged you well enough to put their children in for how ever many hours the children are in the nursery for. We will come across parenting styles we disagree with, parents generally do the best they can with the best intentions.