Settling In

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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.

Gradual steps – your first sessions

Your child will then be invited to 6 FREE settling in sessions within the nursery that will be organised as follows:

Settling in sessions

Session 1

For our first session we’ll invite you all into the nursery. This will allow you to meet with your child’s key person and for us to learn about your child. We will complete an “all about me” booklet with you about your child’s interests, favourite toys, and allergies etc. The visit will also allow your child to meet their key person in your child’s own environment enabling them to feel safe and secure.

Session 2

The second settling in session will be for two hour. Upon arrival, your child’s key person will greet you, and toys of interest will be available for your child to come in and play with. Whilst your child is with us they can experience activities taking place and meet their peers. Due to Covid restrictions, parents will not be able to stay in the room with their child but will be able to stay on the premises.

Session 3

The third settling in session will be a four to five houre visit. This visit can be in the morning or afternoon. It could be mid-morning enabling your child to experience having snack and lunch with us, or you may wish to choose mid-afternoon enabling your child to have a snack and afternoon tea and maybe a nap!

Session 4

The fourth session will be a visit of around 8 hours. This session lets your child experience a full day at the nursery, taking part in our activities, understanding our key times of the day like learning sessions and meal times and helps them to get to know the routine of the day. It really helps your child begin to become familiar with their surroundings as well as spending quality time with the staff in their room. They will also spend lots of time with their keyworker as they begin to get to know each other.

Session 5

The fifth session is very similar to session 4 and will last around 8 hours so your child can continue to get to know their surroundings. They will continue to take part in our full day and getting to know the day to day to routine whilst spending time with their key worker and new friends in their room.

We advise settling in sessions to take place with a morning and afternoon session as this enables your child to experience all of the activities and mealtimes that go on throughout the day.

These sessions are free and flexible to suit. Usually booked in for the week before the start date keeping the experience fresh in your child’s mind, your key person will fill in a report each step of the way which will help us and yourselves to track your child’s settling in and plan future support and development.

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 Woodford 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.