5 Differences Between A Nursery And A Nursery School

You are thinking of taking your child to a children’s center. You have to go back to work after maternity leave or you just think it would be good for me to get in touch with other children. It is time to choose between a nursery school or nursery.

The first thing is that the term “nursery school” has already become obsolete in many countries because most are already defined as “school or nursery school”. The nursery was reduced to a place where children are kept while parents work. The nursery school follows a specific educational project and has the appropriate staff. In addition, you must follow all the regulations of the competent body to guarantee the safety of children from 0 to 3 years old.

The ideal nursery school

Choosing which is the most suitable center for our children is often a dilemma for parents. We are going to explain five basic guidelines to choose the center that may be the most appropriate for your child and to distinguish if it is a nursery school or simply a nursery.

• In a nursery school, classrooms must be spacious and well lit by natural light. It must also be provided with artificial light in case it is needed. All furniture and materials with which they work must be approved and prepared for children. For example tables, chairs, changing tables, kitchenware, floor, columns, pencils … Any type of danger must be avoided. The current safety regulations for such young children must be followed in this type of educational center. For example, the stairs must have a handrail, the doors must be security … Very important is that the cleaning products must be out of the reach of children. From the age of two, the center must have bathrooms adapted to suit children.

• A nursery school of 0 and 3 years old must have at least a certified nursery teacher, responsible for the educational project of the center. You must also have an Early Childhood Technician per classroom. You also have to follow specific rules such as having a patio greater than 75 square meters, bright and spacious classrooms … It is important that you have an emergency and evacuation plan.

• The number of children per educator must comply with the regulations in force in their autonomous community or country. For example, the classroom for children up to 1 year may in many communities have a maximum of 8. The classroom for 1 to 2 years usually has a maximum of 13 children.

• Every nursery or nursery school must have an educational line. We have to inform each other when we are interested in the center. At this stage, children develop many capacities. We have to know what learning activities they are going to do. It is also good to know if they have teachers of English or the language that we want them to learn. At those ages they are true sponges and it can affect their future.

• Another decisive issue when we are going to choose an educational center is that it is not very far from our home or work. We will avoid long journeys by car or bus for our young children. Also another important detail for the health of the children is if the school makes its own food or if they order a catering. Another important one is how they organize nap time. We have to ask if they all sleep together on mats and how many educators take care of them during naps. Also what happens if our son cannot sleep.

Good choice

Many countries do not recognize centers that do not have a defined project or that are not subject to regulations. Our advice is that before enrolling your child in any center, go to it. You can meet with the professionals who run it. Try to be shown all the facilities. You have to ask them to explain its operation and educational project.

Do not entertain any doubt. Ask everything you consider necessary to be sure that you are making the right choice. A good idea is that you also ask the mothers who take their child to that center. They will surely be able to explain their opinion about this nursery school from the mothers’ point of view.

In most cases, choosing the right children’s center for your child will be a personal one. It will depend on a joint assessment of the personal sensations that the center has given you. The treatment you see from the staff to the children or the operation of the center can also be decisive.