Settling in
The first few days.
We want children to feel safe and happy in the absence of their parents, to recognise other adults as a source of authority, help and friendship and to be able to share with their parents afterwards the new learning experiences enjoyed in the nursery.
In order to accomplish this, we will:
- encourage the parents to visit the nursery with their own children during the weeks before an admission is planned if this is possible.
- introduce flexible admission times, if appropriate, to meet the needs of individual families and children until your child has settled.
- make clear to families from the outset that they will be supported in the nursery for as long as it takes to settle their child there.
- reassure parents whose child seems to be taking a long time to settle into nursery.
- encourage parents, where appropriate, to separate from their children for brief periods at first, gradually building up to longer absences.
Children cannot play or learn successfully if they are anxious and unhappy. Our settling procedures aim to help parents to help their children to feel comfortable in the nursery, to benefit from what it has to offer, and to be confident that their parents will return at the end of the session/day.