{UAH} How to choose a good nursery for your child

The long holiday is almost coming to an end and most of the parents have started the process of taking their children back to school. Importantly there are those parents who are taking their small young children to start school in 2014.It is the first day of school for the 3 year old and every parent may wish to take his/her child to the best school around, however It is usually a very hard to find a nursery that fits in with the standard and style of childcare that may help the child to develop and learn holistically.

As a starting point it's a good idea to ask friends, family and any other parents you know in your local area whether they have heard, or experienced, good or bad things with any of the nurseries near you as word of mouth is a really good starting point from which to begin investigating.

It's important to start with the basics when narrowing down your search for a good nursery. The following criteria are absolute essentials and you should check that a nursery complies completely with these basics before it wins a place on your list of one of the nurseries you may take your “baby” to.

• Qualified staff - At the very least 50% of the nursery staff should be qualified with a relevant childcare qualification. Additionally, at least one member of staff should hold basic training in first aid and care. To be sure about this very important basic requirement, a parent has the right to ask the head teacher about his/her teachers’ qualifications and if possible even have a look at the staff profile and their qualifications.

• Registration - By law all childcare providers that look after children under the age of 8 must register with the education department at the District level in the office of the District Education officer. (Read more about this in the early child development policy 2007). So this is an important requirement and I request the parents to first check before entrusting their children with a certain given school.. Either ask to see the nursery's registration certificate in person or contact your local leaders about this issue

• Staff to child ratios - Generally the more staff and the smaller the group of children in their care the better. However, at a minimum you should look for a nursery that is able to meet the following ratios on all occasions. For children aged 0-2 there should be a maximum of 4 children per adult, for infants aged 2-3 there should be a maximum of 10 children per adult care giver and for children aged 3-5 there should be no more than 15 children in the care of any one adult.
• Health & safety - It's vital that any nursery you consider provides your child with a clean, safe environment in which to learn, grow and develop; even on basic appearances a nursery should look well looked after and organized. The kitchen, bathrooms and play areas should be regularly cleaned and well maintained and toys and equipment should all be in good condition and there should be no visible hazards to your child's safety at all.

• Structured curriculum - Any 'good' nursery school should have a structured curriculum that allows time for learning as well as play. Ideally, a nursery should dedicate time throughout the week for physical activity (if they have an outside 'run around' space all the better), individual as well as group learning, quiet time and activities that allow infants to develop and express their creativity. The National curriculum development Centre has developed the Pre primary learning framework and it is a requirement for all the nursery schools in Uganda. Unfortunately some teachers and caregivers in some schools have not had the opportunity to access or look at this learning frame work and therefore lack a well structured curriculum.

• Security - You should be confident that any nursery you consider is able to provide a completely safe environment for your child. Check that there is no way for your child to either leave the building or for an unauthorized visitor to enter the building without being seen by a member of staff.

Once you've discovered whether a nursery meets the basic 'good nursery' criteria, then I advise parents to look at these important aspects of how to send their children to school. Things to consider include:
Cost - Obviously cost is going to be an influencing factor as to which nursery you choose for your child. I would like to advise the parents to be careful since some of the nursery schools are unnecessarily expensive. The challenge is that the Government has left Pre-Primary education to the private sector or individuals who are mainly business minded at the expense of pedagogy and professionalism. While you will want to get your little one the best care possible it's important not to overstretch yourself financially as having a happy parent who isn't stressed and working the whole time to pay for nursery fees will be better for your child's development.

• Travel - The journey to and from nursery school will be an important factor to consider when choosing a nursery school. A long journey will add travel time to your child. Most of the nursery schools provide transport facilities to the children which has saved the parents the burden of picking their children from school given their tight work schedules, however sometimes this arrangement is abused by making children who are as young as 3 years old to leave home as early as 5 am in the morning and to return home from school so late. This reduces the amount of time the parents spend with their little ones at home. Ensure any nursery school you consider is within a realistic distance.

• The menu - It's essential that any nursery you choose is able to provide a healthy, balanced meal plan for your child. A good nursery should include lots of variety in the menu as well as regular snacks and drinks. It's also a good idea to check whether they are able to accommodate any special dietary requirements.

The environment

As any nursery you entrust with looking after your little one will be their primary carer for at least part of the day therefore it is important that you are happy with the environment your child will be left in as well as their approach to 'parenting'. It's a good idea to find out:
• What kind of space there is for your child to play in. Will they be able to spend time running around outdoors as well as playing inside?
• What approach the staff use for important elements of your child's care such as discipline, meal times, sleep, changing (some will require you to use reusable while others prefer disposables), potty training, education and play.
• Whether other parents are happy with the care their child is receiving.
• Whether the staff are happy in their jobs. Content, well looked after staff are less likely to leave and more likely to provide your child with a stable, enthusiastic level of care.
What extent of one-to-one time your child will receive from nursery staff each day, whether they practice daily reading and if a TV is ever used to entertain the children
As you prepare to take your children to the most important stage of learning t, I request that you carry out the basic checks such that you able to find a good nursery school that is able to create a happy interesting environment for your little one. It is a difficult decision to make but by making a good research, you will be able find a good nursery school that will suit your needs.

Ziraba Abdallah Ndifuna
Education Officer/Lecturer Islamic University In Uganda
Email: aziraba@educ.mak.ac.ug

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H.OGWAPITI
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