It is very important that you carefully consider which services you would like to use and which would be suitable for you. When you decide to contact a service take some time to find out about them to make sure they are safe to use.
Below are some questions that you could ask. Remember good services will always welcome your questions.
This will apply to childcare providers or other supervised activities for children or young people. There are two types of Ofsted registration.
Depending on what the service offers it may be accredited in some way. This generally means that the service has made a commitment to a set of standards. If your are wanting to find out more about what different accreditation schemes mean then contact the accrediting body or their website.
Some ones you might want to think about are:
Toddler groups are places where children can play under the supervision and care of their parents. Adults can either join in or socialise with other adults in attendance. There are a variety of different names for groups and they meet in places such as church halls, community centres, family centres and family restaurants.
Toddler groups aim to provide play opportunities for children aged from birth to school age with a parent or carer accompanying the child(ren) at all times. Toddler groups are not classified as childcare and are not registered and inspected. Some of the toddler groups are run by playgroups (or pre-schools) and often the children move on to playgroup at the same premises.
The people organising toddler groups may be volunteers or paid staff. If they are run by volunteers then parents and carers may be encouraged to get involved in helping. This may be with the organisation or perhaps occasional fundraising activities. Involvement in these activities can sometimes lead to a career working with young children. If this interests you please contact the recruitment officer on 01904 554444.
The charges for toddler groups vary according to the organisation of the group and whether there is paid staff. Groups usually meet once or twice a week often for a period of a couple of hours. Some have a waiting list but many operate on a ‘drop-in’ basis. They do not have to be registered and there are no quality standards for them to meet. Some indicators of good quality are:
These measures are only a guide and the best toddler group for you and your child is the one where you feel most welcome and included.