Settling In
To help with your child/children’s transition to run smoothly we advise a settling in period. We recognise that each child has different needs and some children may need a little longer. Our experienced staff will work in partnership with you to ensure this period is a positive experience for you and your child/children.
Parent/carers are very welcome to stay with their child for as long as they feel is necessary during the settling in period. It is a good opportunity to get to know the nursery staff and the nursery day. Our aim is to foster children’s well-being and help the child to feel at ‘home’ at the nursery, for them to be themselves and to have their emotional needs met. To help with this any information about what your child likes to play with and how they are best comforted etc. will be very helpful.
Some guidance that can help with the settling in process.
- When settling your child into nursery we find it is helpful if parent/carers can come into the nursery with the child and stay for a couple of sessions. Please bear in mind that your child will overall come to you and not to the nursery staff during this period. Sometimes children will find it difficult to join in with group activities, this is something that we overall expect and see it as being a normal part of the settling in process.
- Children can gain reassurance from seeing their parent/carers and the nursery staff starting to build a trusting relationship.
- When you do feel ready to leave your child we are more than happy for you to begin by saying goodbye and going to sit in the staff room.
- When you do leave your child it is really important to say goodbye and when you return to then stay (or leave with your child) rather than be back and forth several times in a session/day. This way they get used to ‘goodbye’ means you’re going and when your back it’s time to go home.
- It is also best to leave during a ‘free play’ session rather than during a changeover period and to say your goodbye fairly quickly, talk to the nursery staff about these times.
- When you do feel ready to leave the building we are happy, if it works for you, for you to gradually build up to being away for longer periods of time. Please ensure you have left contact numbers with the key/contact person.
- In your early settling in sessions please spend some time with your key/contact person (and/or their partners) it’s a good opportunity to exchange information.
- We are all here to support you through this time. We appreciate it can be difficult for both your child and you. We also appreciate that all family circumstances are different and that busy lives can also add to the difficulties at this time. Please talk to us about how we can support you and we will do our best to meet all your needs as well as those of your child.