Next year's nursery?

We visited another local nursery today with a view to possibly moving Oliver there starting next September. There's nothing at all wrong with where he is, but as his birthday is in September, he started nursery almost exactly on his 3rd birthday, so he will have another whole year in nursery before school. So we figured it might be nice for him to go somewhere else rather than "repeat" a year.

To be honest it's not just that. The place we visited today always gets rave reviews from people whose kids go there and it consistently gets a rating of Outstanding from Ofsted.

We went today and I have to say we were impressed. It was an Open Day so we just turned up, but we were shown round by a lovely teacher who showed us all the different areas for different activities and explained the themes they were exploring and how they work them into the areas. I was impressed by how well thought out it was, by the standard of equipment and also by how she interacted with Oliver.

Then I saw the outside play area and I was ready to sign up myself! Oliver and Lucy do already come here occasionally as it has one room in an adjoining building where childminders can bring kids, so Hayley takes our two along with her minded child. Oliver apprently frequently stands at the window watching the kids playing outside saying "Can I go outside Mummy?"

I guess it will depend whether we can get a place (though that sounds promising) and also on how easily we think Oliver would settle in. He does have some friends who are already there so I feel quite hopeful he will be able to move.

It all seems a far cry from my own childhood, when the village had one playgroup set up in a shed by my Mum and a friend. I think it only ran once a week. My Mum told me the other day that it was an old chicken shed that they whitewashed. What a contrast to Oliver who goes to multiple well-funded playgroups and will even have two nurseries on his CV before he is five!