What is a day nursery?

Day nurseries provide care and education for children between the ages of six weeks and five years. Many also offer out of school care for five to eleven year olds.

Children will be cared for and grouped together by age and looked after by specific carers. They work to strict adult child ratios and employ qualified staff.

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What are the benefits of a day nursery?

• There will be qualified staff.
• Day nurseries are open most of the year.
• If one carer is sick then there is backup.
• Opportunities for children to learn through play with groups of other children.
• Most nurseries are registered for the Nursery Education Grant to offer free, part-time early education or pre-school places for children aged three and four.
• Many nurseries offer flexible child care, i.e. wrap around/full day/sessional/after school and holiday care.

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What sort of nurseries are there?

Day nurseries can be run by the council, the community, based in work places or privately run.

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How do I know my child will be safe and secure?

All nurseries must be registered and regularly inspected by Ofsted who will check to ensure that all staff are suitable to look after children. At least half of the staff in any nursery must be qualified. Ofsted will also check that the delivery of free part time early education is satisfactory. You can ask to see the nursery's registration certificate and latest Ofsted inspection report.

There should be one member of staff for every eight children aged 3 to 5, one member of staff for every four children aged 2 to 3 and one member of staff for every three children aged under 2. In addition the premises are inspected for safety. Many day nurseries have successfully completed quality assurance awards.

• Quality assurance

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How many children will there be in a nursery?

Most nurseries provide places for between 26 and 50 children although some are smaller and others larger. Children are usually divided into smaller groups based on their age.

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What age range are the children in a nursery?

Nurseries are for children aged up to 5. Some nurseries have places for babies and toddlers as well as for children aged 3 to 5. Some nurseries provide childcare for older children.

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When are nurseries open?

Opening hours usually range between 7.30am to 6.30pm . Some offer different hours for the children of people working shifts. Most nurseries are open all year round except for public holidays.

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What about part-time childcare?

Many nurseries are happy to offer you part-time places.

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How much does a nursery cost?

Expect to pay between £130 and £165 per child per week in Kirklees.

• Paying for childcare

If the nursery is registered to receive the Nursery Education Grant they will be able to offer 3 and 4 year old children free part-time places. Each child may have a maximum of 5 sessions per week of 2½ hours duration during school term time only.

The Family Information Service offers free information, advice and guidance for children, young people and their parents or carers on finding and paying for childcare, parenting issues, family activities and organisations that can offer further support.

• Tel: 01484 414887
• Email: fis@kirklees.gov.uk

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Texting service

You can text these keywords:

• childcare
• parenting
• activities
• organisations
• money

Plus:

• your name

To this number:

• 07800 002 431

An information officer will call you back within 6 working days to talk about how we can help you. Standard network charges apply.

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