Information on working in a Day Nursery or Pre-School
Day Nurseries today are also known as nursery’s or private day nurseries and they all provide care for babies and children up to the age of 5. Some day nurseries take babies as young as 6 weeks whereas others may take them from either 6 months or a year old. Majority of nurseries open between 8am to 6pm with the occasional nurseries opening earlier and staying open longer. With regard to session times most nurseries offer a morning or afternoon session and a full day session, however someday nurseries have other session times available eg school hour sessions .Nurseries are open for 50 to 52 weeks of the years, some nurseries close for 2 weeks at Christmas and some stay open to accommodate those parents working over the Christmas period.
Day Nurseries support children’s individual learning on a daily basis and trained practitioners use their skills and experience to provide a stimulating rich learning environment. There are opportunities to work either full time or part time in nurseries and working with children can be extremely rewarding.
All day nurseries and Pre School’s are registered by Ofsted and at some point they will have an Ofsted Inspection on which they will be given a grade either outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate. Ofsted visits settings to ensure they are working within the statutory framework and delivering the practice guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage.
Thinking of working in a Day Nursery or Pre School
Your job will involve many roles and responsibilities; however your upmost priority is the safety of the children in your care. You will be required to work with and alongside children in their play, whilst supporting their all round development. You will care for a key group of children and ensure these children make significant progress in their learning and development. Using your skills and knowledge you will provide rich learning opportunities that demonstrate your understanding of how the children in your care learn and develop. Your job will involve you observing the children during their play, identifying their interests and planning their next steps.
Developing strong relationships with other team members, parents and other professionals is crucial; this will help meet the needs of the children in your care. Your job will involve organising the environment, planning activities etc to accommodate an effective routine that supports the children’s well being and learning.
When applying for a job in a Day Nurseries or Pre-School you will be given a job specification that contains your roles and responsibilities, this will help you identify what is expected of you.
Jobs available in Day Nurseries and Pre School’s
Depending on your qualification will determine what job position you will be able to apply for. Most Day Nurseries and Pre-School’s have a manager and a deputy and room leaders. The rest of team is then made up of practitioners or nursery nurses.
Within Day Nurseries and Pre-School’s there is scope to train within a specific role, however having previous experience is recommended. The training opportunities are Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) an Equalities Named Co-ordinator (ENCO) or Designated Child Protection Lead Officer
Training and qualifications needed to work in a Day Nursery or Pre-School
Most Day Nurseries and Pre School’s now look for qualified practitioners. The minimum qualification to work in childcare is level 2 however most employers are now employing candidates that hold a level 3. A level 3 qualification can now only be achieved if employees hold GCSE C or above in Maths and English, they can however study their maths and English alongside the level 3 qualification but on completion of the level 3 course they must hold a C or above in Maths and English.
Apprenticeship roles are a great way to gain practical experience whilst also learning new skills and gaining a qualification. Some Day Nurseries offer their own apprenticeship schemes.
To find a job in a Day Nursery or Pre-School contact settings in your local area or visit our online job site