Finding the right nursery is important for more reasons than one. Naturally you want what is best for your child, but most of us also have to take into consideration a host of other factors, including the commute to and from the nursery evening morning and afternoon, the monthly cost, the (often limited) flexibility of drop-off and collection times, and languages spoken, to name a few.
This week in Family Matters, we put the spotlight on nurseries and care options for young children with a series of articles to help navigate you through the process of finding a nursery and securing a place, as well as sharing the experiences of other parents who have gone through the process.
In terms of the relationship between cost and quality, it is generally difficult to beat municipal nurseries - but getting a spot in one can be rather difficult. To give some insight into the process, one of the articles we featured shared the experience of a couple who tried and failed to gain a coveted spot at a municipal nursery.
But not all experiences are negative, and some parents opt for private nurseries over public options due to the facilities on offer, location, languages, or pedagogical approach. With so many options available, it’s a good idea to visit several nurseries, public and private, to get an idea of what is available, what the differences are, as well as the costs associated with each option.
That is the focus of a second article we featured this week, in which several parents told us what their ‘nursery journey’ was like.
There is, of course, also a practical side to be aware of: how do you find which options are available to you? When and how do you apply? How do you maximise your chances of getting a spot at your favourite nursery?
Family Matters has this part of the experience covered as well, with Maeve Ryan providing a practical guide which sees you through the whole process of nursery registration. Nurseries aren’t the only option available to you, however, as Luxembourg also has a relatively large number of parental assistants - a subject covered in its own article.
If you still have questions about nurseries or childcare and can’t find the answer in Family Matters, we would love to hear from you. We’re striving to make our guide to family life as complete as it can possibly be, and we are always happy to hear from our readers. The best way to send us your question is to visit this link and fill out the form, or you can send an e-mail to contenttoday@rtl.lu.
This coming week we’ll shine our spotlight on family activities. We’ll kick off on April 23 with an article exploring outdoor playgrounds (and we have lots more coming on this subject soon!), followed on April 25 by a deep-dive into baby and kid-friendly restaurants. We will round the week of on April 28 by combining fun with learning, as we take a look at children’s museums.
