How to Choose the Right Nursery for Your Child: The Complete Parent Guide

Choosing a nursery can feel overwhelming. With so many settings, approaches and promises, how do you know which one will truly support your child’s development, personality and wellbeing? As early years specialists, we meet hundreds of parents who share the same question:

What really matters when choosing the right nursery?

This guide is designed to help you navigate the decision of choosing the right nursery for your child with clarity and confidence. We break down any areas of uncertainty and help you understand what truly matters, what high quality care looks and feels like, and how to recognise a nursery where your child will thrive, so you can make a decision that feels right for your child, your family, and your long-term goals.

A Nursery Should Feel Right Before It Looks Right

Parents often begin their search with practical questions; opening hours, commute, availability. But in reality, the very first thing that tells you you’re in the right place is much simpler:

You feel a sense of calm, warmth and welcome the moment you walk in.

High-quality early years settings have a distinctive atmosphere. Children move between activities with confidence. Practitioners speak to them with genuine interest. The room feels purposeful; not chaotic. Even babies who are new to the setting look seen and soothed.

It’s hard to fake that atmosphere. And it tells you far more than any glossy brochure.

Understanding What Good Early Years Practice Looks Like

While instinct matters, it’s equally important to know the foundations of excellent early years care.

A strong nursery will blend:

✔ Safety you don’t have to question

You’ll see clean, well-organised spaces, confident practitioners, and routines that clearly work, even if no one explicitly tells you about them.

✔ A curriculum that lives through play

Good nurseries weave the EYFS into meaningful, child-led experiences.

(Internal link: Learning Through Play: How Play Builds Early Literacy, Maths & Social Skills)

✔ Practitioners who know why they’re doing what they’re doing

Every activity, from scooping lentils to doing yoga, from squashing playdough to singing in Spanish, or from planting seeds to visiting the local library and park, should have a purpose. Staff should be able to explain that purpose without jargon.

✔ Emotional wellbeing at the centre

Children achieve more when they feel secure. That security is built by their key worker relationship; the person who becomes your child’s anchor.

1. Start With the Basics: Safety, Security and Standards

Before anything else, check the essentials that determine whether a nursery can offer safe, high-quality care.

Check these first:

✔ Ofsted registration & rating

A nursery must be registered with Ofsted. Ratings are useful indicators, but always read the full report to understand why they received their grade. Kidz Kabin's Ofsted Reports are always available on our website.

✔ Staff-to-child ratios

Correct ratios ensure your child receives attention, supervision and emotional connection, especially in baby and toddler rooms.

✔ Training & qualifications

Ask about:

• Level 3 qualified practitioners

• Paediatric first aid

• Safeguarding training

• SEND training

• Continuous professional development (CPD)

✔ Cleanliness & safety routines

You should notice safe layouts, clear evacuation procedures, hygienic changing areas, and risk assessments, even if you’re not explicitly told about them.

Strong signal:

You feel reassured and comfortable in the environment within minutes of walking in.

2. Observe the Atmosphere: Is This a Place Where Children Thrive?

The “feel” of a nursery is as important as the facts. Trust your instincts.

Look for:

Warm, genuine interactions

Children should be greeted by name. Staff should be on the floor, at eye level, engaging, and not simply supervising.

Purposeful play

Activities should clearly support learning, rather than just keep children busy.

Calm, organised spaces

Cluttered or chaotic environments can overstimulate children.

Happy children

Confident, settled children tell you a lot about how emotionally secure the environment is.

3. Understand the Curriculum: How Will My Child Learn Here?

Many parents assume nurseries offer the same curriculum. They don’t.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the national framework, but how nurseries deliver it varies enormously.

Ask:

✔ “How do you plan activities?”

Good settings use the EYFS and the child’s interests, and weave learning into play. Examples?

✔ “How do you track development?”

You want ongoing observations, termly assessments, and meaningful next steps. Every child’s learning journey is unique, and your child’s key worker should track their progress across the seven areas of the EYFS (or the three prime areas for children under two).

✔ “What does school readiness look like here?”

Strong nurseries weave early phonics, early maths, communication, independence and social-emotional learning into daily play. Snack time becomes maths. Putting on wellies becomes independence.

4. Check the Environment: Indoors, Outdoors and Everything in Between

The daily rhythm of the setting will shape your child’s experience. Children need tailored environments and varied spaces for learning, rather than staying in a single playroom. Spaces should invite curiosity, encourage problem-solving, communication and imagination rather than just be a room full of toys. You should be able to picture your child moving, exploring, chatting and creating in the nursery.

Key areas to look for:

Baby rooms

Soft, safe, calm, with sensory play, high ratios and gentle routines.

Toddler rooms

Zones for messy play, construction, books, imaginative play, and movement.

Preschool rooms

Opportunities for challenge: early phonics, numeracy, storytelling, problem-solving, loose parts play.

Outdoor area

Daily outdoor play is essential, whatever the weather. Fresh air and natural materials are some of the richest learning tools there are.

If the nursery offers Forest School activities (like Kidz Kabin), ask how often the sessions run and who leads them.

5. Ask About Key Workers: The Heart of Every Nursery

Your child’s key worker will:

• support emotional development

• track learning

• build trust

• communicate with you daily

Ask:

• How are key workers assigned?

• How often do they update parents?

• What does a “settled child” look like to them?

A brilliant key worker can transform your child’s experience.

6. Consider Daily Life: Routines, Meals, Naps and Behaviour Support

A predictable flow, rather than rigid schedules, gives children a feeling of safety and predictability. Children should know what to expect, but not feel rushed.

Ask:

• What does a typical day look like?

• How do you handle naps for babies?

• What meals are served?

• How are allergies managed?

• How do you support behaviour and emotional regulation?

You want clear, calm and positive approaches; not punishments or bribes.

7. SEND Support: Making Sure Every Child Belongs

For many parents, the search for a nursery includes an additional question:

“Will my child’s needs be understood and supported here?”

A strong early years setting sees inclusion not as an add-on, but as a value that runs through everything they do.

What to look for in a nursery’s SEND provision:

A named SENDCo who is experienced and confident

Ask how long they’ve been in post, what training they’ve completed, and how they work with families and practitioners.

A culture of early identification and gentle intervention

The best nurseries don’t “wait and see”, but they observe carefully, talk openly, and take small steps early, without alarming parents.

Strong relationships with external professionals

A good setting knows how to collaborate with external professionals including speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and EHC coordinators.

Adaptations that feel natural, not segregated

Inclusive nurseries design environments where all children can participate without being singled out.

Warm honesty

Perhaps the most important of all. If a nursery can talk openly, respectfully and sensitively about your child’s needs, then that is a powerful sign.

Parents of children with SEND often say that choosing a nursery feels like choosing a team. When the team is right, the journey becomes less overwhelming and more hopeful.

8. Look at Parent Partnership: Communication Matters

The relationship that you have with your chosen nursery matters just as much as the one that your child has with the nursery.

A strong parent partnership means:

• Daily handovers

• Photos and updates through a secure app

• Termly development reviews

• An open-door culture

• Family events and invitations to join activities

A great nursery will ensure communication with you is both responsive and proactive, transparent, warm and human. The right nursery will never make you feel like you’re “dropping your child off”. They will make you feel like you’re joining a community.

9. Practical Considerations: Convenience, Cost and Availability

This part isn’t glamorous, but it matters.

Think about:

• Opening hours

• Holiday closures

• Commute logistics

• Fees and funding options

• Deposit requirements

• Session flexibility

• Waiting list length

All of these practicalities matter, but they shouldn’t drive the decision alone. Choose a nursery where your child will be known and understood, not just accommodated, and a nursery that will fit your life.

10. Visit in Person: Your Nursery Tour Checklist

You will learn more in 15 minutes inside a nursery than in hours of online research.

Take this checklist with you:

Nursery Tour Questions

• How are the children welcomed and greeted?

• Are the children engaged and content?

• Do staff seem warm and interested?

• Is the environment calm, clean and organised?

• What will my child’s day look like?

• How will the nursery support my child’s development?

• How will we communicate?

• What is your settling-in process?

Listen to both the answers and your instincts.

11. Make Your Decision With Your Child in Mind

The “best nursery” isn’t always the biggest, newest or closest. It’s the one where:

• staff speak about children with pride

• learning is joyful

• the environment is safe

• children are clearly thriving

• your child is seen, heard and valued

Choosing a nursery is emotional, but with the right information, it can become empowering.

12. How to Know When You’ve Found the Right Nursery

Some parents describe it as a feeling of relief.

Others say it’s like recognising the place their child already belongs.

You’ll know you’ve found the right setting when:

• your child relaxes into the space

• the staff feel like people you can trust immediately

• you can imagine your child growing here

• something just clicks

A nursery that is right for your child will make easier and happier, for your whole family.

A Round Up of Thoughts

Choosing a nursery is a significant decision, and it deserves time, trust and thoughtful reflection. The more you understand what high-quality childcare looks like, the easier it becomes to feel confident in your choice.

This guide is designed to give parents clarity, confidence and a sense of calm in what can feel like a daunting process.

We always welcome parents to contact us, book a visit, or simply come and see the joy for yourself.