Bosses at a Cumnock-based nursery are being urged to consider utilising a quiet room for children to “sleep and rest.”
The suggestion is one of a few tips handed to management at Cherry Trees Early Childhood Centre, in the Barony Campus.
The advice comes from the Care Inspectorate, who made an unannounced visit to Cherry Trees last year.
Cherry Trees Early Childhood Centre provides a care service for up to 119 children over two years of age until they start primary school.
Among the key messages from the inspection, the Care Inspectorate said children were “overall content, happy and engaged” within the setting.
Staff interactions with children were “kind, caring and nurturing” too.
And staff worked “well together” as a team for the benefit of children.
The quality of the staff team was graded ‘good’ while quality of play, care and learning, setting and leadership rated ‘adequate.’
But the care watchdog reckons the nursery would benefit from a quiet room.
An extract from their report said: “A quiet playroom was available. We could see how this had the potential to support children who needed time away from the busy playroom, giving them opportunities to play within a more calming environment.
“We found that the location of the children’s sleep area did not consistently support opportunities for children to sleep and rest.
“Consideration should be given to the use of the quiet playroom for children to sleep and rest.”
In addition, the Care Inspectorate said the lunchtime experience could be looked at too.
The report said: “The lunch experience for children attending the three-to-five playroom was varied.
“Only some adults supported child participation and encouraged the development of life skills.
“For example, some children were supported to self-serve meals and pour their own water.
“As a result of the large number of children having lunch at the same time, the noise level was raised and did not always provide a calm and sociable environment for children.
“The manager should further monitor practice to ensure a consistent approach to children’s mealtime experiences.”
There was praise for the staff with the report saying: “All staff engaged well in the inspection process and were open and honest during discussions.
“The service was appropriately staffed to meet the needs of the children, which ensured that ratios were met across the service.
“Staff were respectful towards one another, flexibly working together as needed.
“They presented themselves motivated in their work. The children were happy to see the staff when they entered the playroom.
“A parent shared: “My child speaks fondly of the staff at Cherry Trees which I feel speaks volumes.”
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