Settling In - Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Eltham

Enquire now with Eltham

We recognise that each child, parent, and nursery relationship is unique, and we use our experience to support everyone in making that transition into nursery life as smooth as possible.

Gradual steps – your first sessions

Your child will then be invited to 3 FREE settling in sessions within the nursery that will be organised as follows:

My daughter was so nervous to start nursery after turning 3 in September, especially after such a long time of not seeing other children during lockdown. All of the staff have been fantastic, they have comforted her and made her feel safe, after just a few weeks, she has already made new friends and there are no more tears, I am confident that soon she’ll be running to go in the door.

Settling in sessions

Session 1

The first settling in session will be for one hour. Upon arrival, your child’s key person will greet you, We will complete an “all about me” booklet with you about your child’s interests, favourite toys, and allergies etc. This will also allow you to get to know your child’s key worker and meet everyone in the room. Toys of interest will be available for your child to come in and play with. Whilst your child is with us they can experience activities taking place and meet their peers.

Session 2

The second settling in session will be a two–hour visit. This visit can be in the morning or afternoon. We will ask you to leave your child at the session to ensure they can make a bond with their key worker. This will allow your child to adapt to the routine and explore the environment independently

Session 3

The third session will be a three-hour visit. It could be mid-morning enabling your child to experience having snack and lunch with us, or you may wish to choose mid-afternoon enabling your child to have a snack and afternoon tea and maybe a nap! This will allow us to judge if your little one is ready to officially start the nursey.

We advise settling in sessions to take place with a morning and afternoon session as this enables your child to experience all of the activities and mealtimes that go on throughout the day.

These sessions are free and flexible to suit. Usually booked in for the week before the start date keeping the experience fresh in your child’s mind, your key person will fill in a report each step of the way which will help us and yourselves to track your child’s settling in and plan future support and development.

Strong relationships – Your Key Person

Our experience has shown that having a Key Person for your child is the most effective way of ensuring that children develop a strong relationship with a significant adult in the nursery, giving every child the reassurance to feel secure, familiar, and confident in the nursery environment.

At Eltham your child’s Key person will:

Be assigned to your child on their first settling-in session, getting to know the child and family well in order to form strong relationships to support emotional needs.
Be with your child at every settling-in session in order to make the handover as smooth as possible, providing essential consistency for you and your child.
Ensure they have all of the information about your child and share this with other staff so that your child’s individual needs are cared for throughout each and every day.
Carry out assessments and plan for your child’s development, ensuring they are always challenged and supported to reach their full potential.
Prepare a report every 6 weeks to ensure you are kept up to date with all of the information about your child and their development.

Where Next?

Environment

Care

Nutrition

Curriculum

Meet the Team