Day nurseries are a great childcare choice for your family, offering flexibility and high-quality care.
There are likely to be a number of day nurseries in your local area, and it is important that you find the one that is right for both your child and you. Day nurseries come in all shapes and sizes, and many now offer a range of flexible care patterns including, part-time, morning and afternoon sessions.
We hope you find our section for parents useful, please have a look around by clicking on the links that interest you below and to the left.
who we are
National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) is a national charity that works to support our day nursery members to deliver the best possible quality of care for children by providing information, training and advice.
Holding membership of NDNA demonstrates a commitment that the nursery aims to provide children with childcare of the highest quality. You can search for NDNA member nurseries in your area by clicking here
quality assurance
NDNA also provides a quality assurance scheme, e-Quality Counts, where nurseries can show their commitment for providing quality early years childcare even further.
Nurseries that are doing this scheme illustrate their commitment to delivering a high quality service. e-Quality Counts is a voluntary scheme based on a set of rigorous standards that nurseries have to demonstrate they meet in order to receive the award, and shows that nurseries are working hard to constantly develop the care they offer.
Ask your nursery if they have (or are working towards) e-Quality Counts.
why choose a nursery?
Studies have shown that children who attend day nurseries are more confident as they have mixed with other children from an early age, and can also go on to do better at school. Nurseries work hard to help your child have a great start in life through ‘key worker’ schemes where your child has one main carer, nutritious menus and many opportunities to learn more about the work through play.
Click here to find out how you can get involved in nursery life via our healthy body, happy me campaign.
choosing a nursery
When looking for a nursery it is important to find one that suits your family and we strongly recommend that you visit a short-list of nurseries to take a look at what is on offer before you make your final decision. NDNA has produced a downloadable fact sheet outlining some of the key questions and points to check when visiting a nursery.
You will get a good idea which nursery is right for you from your visit, and it is important that both you and your child feel comfortable with your final choice. NDNA also recommends that you look for a NDNA member nursery that is working towards, or has achieved, our e-Quality Counts/Quality Counts accreditation. Click here to find an NDNA member nursery in your area.
