Settling In - Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Hither Green

Register your interest with Hither Green

Our children are at the heart of all our decisions at Monkey Puzzle Hither Green. This includes when we support children transitioning into the setting as well. Children are unique and will all settle differently. Therefore, we offer a 5-day settling period for all children, however we might sometimes find that a child will take longer to settle or sometimes will settle after the second or third day. Each child will be supported with love and guidance from our practitioners.

Settling is taking place slightly differently due to Covid-19. Since 2020 we had to change and review the way we are settling our children as safety is paramount for us within the nursery.

We are hopeful that we would be able to return to welcome families back into the building, but for now we are thankful for the trust and support from all our families.

When your child’s placement has been confirmed from management you will receive an email containing the following:

confirmation email that will inform settling and starting dates alongside the days attending.
information regarding your settling

Please ensure that you bring your child’s birth certificate, red book and proof of address along so that we can make a copy to keep on file, as per Ofsted requirements. Without the information we will not be able to continue the settling procedure or start formally with us.

Settling in sessions

Day 1

You and your little one will attend the setting for half an hour to an hour today, sometimes a little bit longer. Management will welcome you and we will take you to the settling area. If possible, we will introduce you to the whole team, but at the given stage you will meet one practitioner whom will support you. This practitioner could potentially be your Key Practitioner unless your little settles with someone else within the team. You will not be able to enter the class with your child for the duration of the visit. The purpose of today is to familiarise yourself with the practitioner(s) and letting your child explore the garden while they feel safe with you. A staff member will spend some time with you getting to know you and your child. We will ask you to complete some paperwork so that we can get to know your child and be made aware of any special requirements.

Day 2

Today your child will spend one hour up to two hours in the setting within the room. We understand that this could be emotional, but we promise we will give you a call if your little one finds it too challenging or a general update. Before you leave, we encourage you to say goodbye to your child and explain that you will return. The purpose of this visit is to demonstrate to your child that their parent will return. Please find the following link supportive to understand separation anxiety

Day 3

Your child will be attending the setting for about three to five hours, all depending on how your little one is finding settling-in with us. He/ she will be having snack with his/her peers and if possible lunch as well. The purpose of today’s visit is to extend the length of time your child is present in the room and let them have the freedom to explore their new environment and importantly start to build relationships with the practitioners and other children in the room. We would request that you stay near the setting in case your child becomes unsettled and too distressed. There are some good coffee shops in the area.

Day 4

Today we will aim to have your little one most of the day. Your child will have snack and lunch/ tea with us, which would be a lovely nearly full day with us. Today we will support the bonding that will take place as well as support your little one to form friendships.

Day 5

Your child will be attending the setting as a full day. We make use of this day, as a “practice” run for parents returning to work the following week. We request parents to drop children off, as per time they would do the week coming as well as collecting. We do ask parents to stay close to the setting, for in case an earlier collection would be required. Your child will follow the room routine and join in for morning snack, lunch, sleep time and afternoon snack.

*Please share any detailed information – as if your little one sleep at different times we would like to stay within your child’s routine as at home.

Additional notes:

If we feel that your little one would need some additional time to settling, we would continue to start as per enrolment the following week but could request to come in during the days you are not attending. We will only be able to accommodate this if we are able to support you on these days.

For parents doing 5 days per week, and this option is not available, an earlier settling arrangement can be made with the manager to discuss the separation anxiety. We value our parent’s input, especially with such an important “next step”.

With Covid that entered our lives since 2020, we do understand the anxiety within to join a nursery. We strive to support our families within the best possible way. Please reach out to us that we will be able to support you as a family even better.

The management team will always be at the nursery to support parents throughout.

Where Next?

Environment

Care

Nutrition

Curriculum

Meet the Team