Sessions and settling

Sessions in the Nursery and Baby Unit are a minimum of 4 hours. These sessions need to be between 8.00am - 1.00pm or 1.00pm - 6.00pm.Our baby unit sessions are either 4 hours or 8 hours. We are not able to offer sessions of 5, 6 or 7 hours in this area. Of course your child can attend a shorter day, but you will be required to pay for the full day. A limited number of Term Time only spaces are available in the Nursery but not in the Baby Unit.

Sessions need to be consistent in day and time each week. This is not only for ease in bookings and daily registers but also for continuity for your child enabling them to settle and adjust to nursery life more easily.

Settling Sessions within the Nursery and Pre-School

We encourage you and your child to visit two or three times prior to starting. These sessions need to be pre-booked with the Childcare Manager or her Deputies. There is no charge for these sessions. Settling sessions are normally between 9.30am - 11.30am or 1.30pm - 3.30pm.

On the first visit we suggest you stay with your child for one to two hours depending on the child's age and previous nursery experience. This gives you a chance to spend time with your child's key worker to discuss issues such as weaning, sleep patterns and dietary requirements.

On a second visit we suggest you stay with your child until they are happy for you to leave. We may suggest that you leave the Nursery and go off into Brockenhurst for an hour or so. Always say "goodbye." Never sneak away without saying "goodbye."

If after these two visits your child is still not settled, then we will suggest another settling in session. This will depend on the child. Some settle very quickly and others take longer.

The idea of these sessions is to ensure that your child does not feel like he or she has been abandoned on a desert island. That may sound a little extreme but to a small child that could be just how they might feel if you were to just come in and leave them in completely strange surroundings with people they have never met. We feel that settling your child in is time well spent.

Once the initial visits are over, we ask that for the next few visits you arrive and spend a little time settling your child in, (five to ten minutes at the most). Please do not arrive, thrust your child through the door and rush off, as this initial entering and settling time can affect the whole of your child's day.

If your child becomes unsettled when you leave them at any time over the first few weeks of starting Nursery, please feel free to ring and ask how they are. Nursery staff will be more than happy to check on their progress and let you know.