fed up with DD's nursery!

[kaylasmum]

My DD is almost 2yo and has been going to nursery for about 9 months now. I really had a problem about leaving her there to begin with as i suffer from PND and anxiety and i really did'nt think that the standards were high enough but as there were no other places and i had to get back to work i had no option. was'nt sure if it was just me being over anxious or not.

Anyway, today when i took her in to nusrsery there were about 8 children already in the room but only one member of staff, i am sure this is'nt right! As i was already late for work i did'nt bother to say anything but decided to mention it when i went back for her. When i picked her up i was informed that she had caught her fingers in the fridge, they said that she had been going in and out of it to get her cup out. Her fingers were quite red and swollen, they had put on a "cold compress and given her cuddles"! This is what they wrote on the letter they had me sign, the same thing they wrote a week earlier when she had been bitten on the hand by another child. When i spoke to them about the lack of staff i found them to be quite defensive, and when i mentioned a fridge lock one of the assistants just shrugged her shoulders while the other one did say that she would speak to the manager and get one put on.

I really feel that they are not doing their jobs properly and felt that i was being patronised when i spoke to them about it. They said to me that accidents will happen and that i have to understand that they can't watch every one of the kids all the time, they don't have to tell me that, i have 4 kids, but a child should not be allowed to be opening and closing the fridge when they are supposed to be supervised.

Anyone got any thought on this?

I think i will have to start looking around for another nursery.

Tracey

[tissy]

Hmm, never got a fridge lock in our house and we have a stone floor and glass milk bottles! If the fridge itself is in the room where she is being looked after and only contains juice cups/ lunch boxes, then I don't think a fridge lock is really needed, TBH.

BUT I would have a problem with 1 member of staff and 8 children. It may be that the other member of staff had popped out for a couple of minutes, but when I have had a similar situation dropping dd off at nursery, I have said something like, "Oh dear are you short staffed today?", and someone else materialises quickly.

Think you need to voice your concerns to the nursery manager, not the staff in the room, I understand why they would be defensive, and the staffing levels are not their fault.They are probably doing the best they can in the circumstances.

[Hattie05]

Hi,
Its hard isn't it, i used to work in nurseries, and now am a Mother sending her child for the first time and i do find myself struggling to not be too overly critical.

My thoughts on your post are - keep an eye on the staffing. They probably work shifts and so two or more staff would have been due to arrive later. But they do need to address that morning situation - it may be that one staff is out toileting? or preparing children's drinks/food?
Why on earth do they have a fridge in the area the children play anyway.
The staff are right in saying accidents do happen, but it is also the nurseries responsibility to ensure the layout limits the number of accidents - so fridges and other kitchen items should be behind locked doors imo.

"cold compress and cuddles" is probably written on 90% of accident forms. Because most of these accidents are the sort of thing, if we were at home we'd pick the child up and cuddle them and then quickly try and distract their attention, so there isn't much more to right about it.

I think it is a good suggestion that you speak to the Manager about such concerns, as nursery nurses, as much as they are qualified to care for children are not necessarily always so good with customer service ! you may find a better response and more results if you go via the Manager.

Nothing from your post makes me think what an awful nursery at all. I just think nobody can do as good a job of caring for our children than ourselves! ( in our eyes ).

[bubble99]

The staff/child ratio for under 2's is 1:3. If there were older children in the room the ratios would be different. In any case there should be a minimum of two members of staff at all times if children are in a closed room.

Accidents do happen, but I find their comment about not being able to watch every one of the littlies all of the time a bit unsettling. A child tripping over or even getting or giving a sly pinch or bite can easily be missed, but a child opening a 'fridge should be spotted if there are adequate staff in a room.

I would suggest having a look at the OFSTED site. If you look under 'daycare provision' you'll find details of required ratios and other standards. If you feel that the standard of care is lacking, you'll then have all of the information you need to investigate.

Good luck!

[kaylasmum]

thanks for the replies,

As far as the fridge lock is concerned, i don't have any either but there is only the one child for me to look after so i don't really see it as necessary, but in a nursery where there are a lot of kids i think it is essential. If there had been a lock on it then my DD would'nt have been able to catch her fingers, they are still grazed and sore two days later, that in my opinion is more than an accident, its negligence!

The staffing thing is something i have noticed before aswell, its not the first time this has happened but there was'nt such a large amount of children at that time so i did'nt bother to say anything. When i spoke about my concerns i was very calm and not blaming anyone, just explaining that i was concerned. There was'nt any reason for anyone to become defensive. As i said before i was'nt overly impressed with the nursery when i went to see it but i put it down to me being over anxious and maybe being too overprotective but there are things that i disagree with, i find a lot of the toys that they have are in poor repair or not age appropriate and on the day that my child hurt her fingers my 21 year old daughter had arrived at the nursery before me as she was meeting me there, when she got there they asked if she was there to pick Kayla up, they were going to let her take her away, but i was told that if anyone other than myself was to be collecting her then they had to informed of this in advance. I really do think they are lacking in quite a lot of respects and i am currenly trying to find a better nursery for her, failing that i will have to try to change my hours at work.

Tracey

[ionaming]

Kaylasmum, I had the same problem with DD's previous nursery. She was under 14 months & wasn't a confident walker. She fell over a lot &, because she had never crawled (she went straight from sitting to walking with no crawling or cruising), she had never learnt how to put her hands out to brace her fall. She would land slap on her head & bruise really badly. The nursery knew this but she was always falling over there, they never seemed to keep an eye out for her, it was very upsetting. I started noticing that their staffing levels were far lower than the law states they should be, and on other occasions the staff would be too busy chatting to each other & I'd watch little toddlers have nasty falls etc, some of which were preventable - you could see they were going to happen. Another time they rang me at work to warn me that she'd been bitten by another child - when I picked her up she had a huge bite mark on her hand. Anyway, we complained to head office about the staffing levels & they did improve briefly, In fact, as I walked in I'd hear them talking about it & quickly getting the right number of staff into a particular room if they saw me coming! But the improvement was short-lived & I was still unhappy so I withdrew DD as soon as I had a place for her at another nursery - this one is independant & very small (only 50 kids) & has been fab. My DD settled in straightaway, something she'd never done at the first nursery - I just wish I'd moved her sooner!

At the end of the day your child's welfare is the most important thing. I had to change my hours etc because of changing nursery & this one is 3 times the distance, but we are both much happier & it was well worth it! Good luck in your search for another nursery, Iona x