As a parent or carer, it’s only natural that you want to ensure that your child is given the best care, education and development opportunities from a young age. But, looking for childcare or early years education can be a difficult task.
The truth is there are a lot of different child care establishments; it’s easy to assume that they all mean, or offer, the same thing. In this post, we’ll be discussing the important differences between nursery schools and day nurseries, in an attempt to make the daunting – and understandably emotional – process of registering your child or baby less of a chore.
Day nurseries
Day nurseries offer full-time or part-time care, socialisation and development skills to young children. They can accommodate babies as young as sixweeks to toddlers as old as five and, typically, their opening hours follow ‘business hours’. Therefore, parents and carers are able to arrange the care of their young children around their work and personal schedules.
Most, if not all, day nursery staff will hold a certificate in childcare training, and will offer your child age-appropriate care and activities. For example,
- Babies are given much more personalised care, based on their individual sleep and feeding routines. When they’re not being cuddled (or fussed over), their education is based on sensory, explorative and playful activities.
- Toddlers, on the other hand, receive more activities that help them develop verbal, social, creative and coordination skills.
- Children who are preparing to enter nursery schools are given a taste of early years education that will prepare them for the next stage.
Local authority vs private
Local authority (LA) day nurseries can be run by your county council or your local community. They tend to be a cheaper alternative to private day nurseries, but are often difficult to get your child into due to long waiting lists.
Private or independent day nurseries, on the other hand, tend to be run by individuals or employers. The cost, of course, depends on the age of your child. For example, the cost of caring for babies is higher as they need a larger staff to child ratio.
Both private and LA day nurseries must be OFSTED registered.
Nursery schools
Although all early years establishments follow the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, nursery schools provide more educational exercises and assessments that aims to prepare children for primary school education. This, of course, will involve literacy, numeracy and creative learning. That being said, your child will also receive play time and rest time, too.
Local authority vs private
State nursery schools are run by your local authority and are funded by the Early Years Foundation. They’re either found next to their respective primary school or in a separate building of their own. It’s important to note that every child, from the ages of three to four, is entitled to 38 weeks of free nursery education a year.
Private nurseries have varying fees and, depending on where you register your child, a more demanding or independent approach to learning. For example, Steiner schools offer a learning curriculum based upon Rudolf Steiner philosophies. Some private nurseries follow the same term time as local authority schools, whereas others can be open for most of the year.
Similar to day nurseries, both public and private nursery schools must be registered with OFSTED and undergo regular inspections.
Choosing between a nursery school and a day nursery
Now that you have a clearer idea of the difference between the two, your next step should be to take time out to look at and visit local day nurseries and/or nursery schools.
At the end of the day, no matter where you choose to enrol your child, you can be assured that the education and care will be of the best standard and upmost importance. So when looking at care or schooling options, choose the option that’s the perfect fit for both you and your child.
