Communication from nursery

[0203]

My little boy has just started nursery, he is a bit unsettled at first but they say he is happy after I leave. That's the only thing they really say about what he has been up to, pick up is busy and I understand they can't stand and chat. I've worked in a few different places and we've always done little sheets about a few details of the day - food, sleep, mood etc but they don't do it here. I'm finding it really strange not knowing anything about his day - or is that normal for nurserys?

 

[CaptainMummy]

Normal in my experience. My youngest two are at the same nursery (in different rooms) and half of the time they don't say anything at all, apart from 'bye, see you tomorrow!' They go to a council nursery joined onto the school, and there aren't enough staff to allow them to write sheets for every child every day. They always say if they have a concern, or will mention if they have done something exciting that day etc.
This is only my youngest girls second week and they don't tell me what she has done, how she has been or anything... but I hear them tell other parents if their child has been unsettled or has had a bit of a hard day. I just take it that mine are happy and having fun and don't cause any trouble!
No idea what they have for snack, I asked dd3 today and she said she had 'poop' for snack!

 

[0203]

Thanks,

Guess it's just weird for me letting go of not knowing what he is up to it's not been that often that he has been left since I went on maternity leave.

I must admit it's nice to think that the staff are actually interacting and playing with the children rather than being in a corner doing all the paper work!

 

[MindUtopia]

I would say it's fairly normal. Ours used to do the little sheets, but I think frankly they take up a lot of time (time when they could actually be working with the kids) and not everyone really cares to see them. I know I didn't personally. I always assume everything is fine and there are no issues, unless they talk to me about it. I usually get a quick verbal update on the day - if she ate well, sometimes they mention what she recently had for snack (just before pick up), how long she slept (when she still napped), what they did, or if there were any issues (like she seems hot, fell and banged something, any problems of that sort). It's usually like 30-60 seconds and then we're off and out the door. That's personally all I need and I don't really want to stand there for 5 minutes talking about what she's done, but I think you can always ask. If you have time, get there a bit early or hang around after when it's quieter. Usually no one is trying to rush you off too quickly. If you feel like you need specific info, I'd just tell them you'd like to know those things every day or ask that they write them down when they have a quiet moment. I suspect they don't because a lot of parents aren't too bothered (I rarely read those sheets) as they're just trying to get home and start dinner, but they will likely be happy to give you more info if you actually want it. Ours also has an online platform where each child has an account and you can log in and see photos and notes about what they did. It's not daily and it doesn't give info on what they ate, naps, etc. It's more focused on developmental milestones and learning activities, but it's nice to see photos of what they get up to.

 

[Joybell]

Yes, normal i'd say. My son goes to a private nursery one day a week and we get a big long chat about what he's been doing, how he has been, what he has eaten etc. At the school/council nursery we get a "See you later!" and that's it.
I found it a big adjustment first when we moved to the school nursery and felt that they didn't care but i've come to realise that it's just normal. They have made a point to speak to me the few times where there has indeed been a problem which was very reassuring.

 

[ClairAye]

It's normal. My daughter was in nursery from 2-3 years old and every day got a slip about her activities, what she ate, if she used the toilet or had an accident and so on but my son in his second year of pre-school has never gotten this. My daughter has now moved up into the pre-school group and no longer gets them. I understand though because before the key worker had a group of up to 5 kids but the pre-school key workers have more and all work with all the kids so it would be just about impossible trying to keep correct tabs on what each kid does through the day. When I pick mine up a child explains what they did and so does the key worker but if I want to know anything specific I do manage to catch them after the session.

 

[broodymrs]

When ds was in the baby and toddler rooms we had a book that detailed what he'd eaten, what he'd played with, when he'd slept and what dirty nappies he'd had. Once he went up to pre school the diary stopped but they still say what kind of day he's had. I actually quite liked the book, I mainly liked knowing what he'd eaten as they also circled whether he'd have none, some or all

 

[kirstybumx3]

Yes very normal. We do get a tiny sheet with what he had for lunch but that's just because they have choices and it would be difficult for staff to remember what each individual child chose so I think they write those at lunch as the food is given. Other than that we pretty much get "he's been great today" or if they've done something he's particularly enjoyed they'll tell me.

 

[JumpingIn]

At pickup I get told what he ate, when he slept and how many nappies they changed. That's it. I always press them for some detail about his day. Sometimes they tell me he's been in the garden or was dancing to music or did some painting etc

 

[k4th]

Dd had a book in baby & 2-3 classes at nursery. The book detailed nappies, sleep and food plus a short sentence about what she had been doing. When she moved up to pre-school we got a slip of paper with food on & that was all - but by then she was toilet trained & didn't nap anymore so there wasn't much else to add!!

Ds has a book in his baby-2 year class at nursery. They detail the same re: nappies, sleep & food. They also stick photos of him if he's done something special - it's a really nice touch and not too much trouble as the admin print them off rather than nursery staff & "a picture paints a thousand words" & all that.