We recognise that each child, parent, and nursery relationship is unique, and we use our experience to support everyone in making that transition into nursery life as smooth as possible.
There is no doubt, settling takes time for many children but for some it would appear it takes no time at all. We at Monkey Puzzle Chesham believe that every child is unique and therefore every settling in period should be planned and adjusted to support their needs.
To avoid feeling overwhelmed, at Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Chesham we provide a settling in process which is completed over three gradual steps. These sessions are flexible to suit and are usually booked in for the week before their start date over 3 consecutive days where possible.
Settling in sessions
Whilst our children aged 3 months to 2 years of age are offered 3 settling in sessions, we invite our preschool children aged 3-5 years old to session 2 and 3 as outlined above. There may be times where some children can take more time to feel settled and this could be due to their personal experiences and/or personalities – e.g., first time nursery experience, being the only child at home or secure attachments with parents. In that case, the setting would adapt their settling in procedure by offering more and shorter sessions to ensure the child is fully settled.
Room staff or management at Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Chesham, will stay in contact with you during the time the child is left, this could be a quick phone call, or you would receive a message/picture on the FAMLY app showing how your child is doing.
We recommend that parents arrange times for a settling-in visit when their child is normally at their most content, i.e. not hungry, tired or under the weather.
From past experiences, we know that the more the setting knows about the child, the more they can support them to settle in. Hence, we would request the parents to help the setting find out as much as they can to support each child and help them settle safely, happily and confidently.
Strong relationships – Your Key Person
Our experience has shown that having a Key Person for your child is the most effective way of ensuring that children develop a strong relationship with a significant adult in the nursery, giving every child the reassurance to feel secure, familiar, and confident in the nursery environment.
At Chesham your child’s Key person will:
- Be assigned to your child on their first settling-in session, getting to know the child and family well in order to form strong relationships to support emotional needs.
- Be with your child at every settling-in session in order to make the handover as smooth as possible, providing essential consistency for you and your child.
- Ensure they have all of the information about your child and share this with other staff so that your child’s individual needs are cared for throughout each and every day.
- Carry out assessments and plan for your child’s development, ensuring they are always challenged and supported to reach their full potential.
- Prepare a report every 6 weeks to ensure you are kept up to date with all of the information about your child and their development.
