A nursery is helping mums and dads prepare for their child’s first day at school.
Water’s Edge Children’s Day Nursery in Elland is running special sessions about starting school.
The sessions, which begin in June, are aimed at children aged two and above and will run from 9.30am-2.30pm on Mondays and Fridays.
Nursery owner Joanne Wood explained: “Starting school is a milestone in a child’s life and can be a fun but sometimes a daunting experience, not just for the child but for mum and dad too.
“A huge part of our role at Water’s Edge is to prepare all the children who come here for starting school, but we know there are lots of families who don’t necessarily need childcare, perhaps because one of the parents has chosen to stay at home or grandparents look after the child while the parents are at work.
“For those families, we wanted to provide the option of shorter day sessions to help prepare their son or daughter for school in a formal nursery setting.
“It will give those children chance to get used to being away from their main carer for a few hours each week and experience playing and interacting with children they haven’t met before in a nursery setting.”
Joanne advised that when choosing a nursery or pre-school parents should visit a number of different splaces before making a decision.
She added: “Ask as many questions as you can think of. What sort of meals are provided and at what time? Are they freshly prepared on the premises? Are the menus changed regularly?
“Ask about children to staff ratios and how the nursery ensures that children are cared for safely in the nursery and on outings.
“Ask about First Aid procedures, guidelines state that one person in the building should be first aid trained, however I feel it’s beneficial to have as many staff as possible who are first aid trained and over half of the staff here have completed first aid training.”
