From Erin being around 1 year old we had a plan for her education. We started thinking about nurseries early with a plan for Erin starting somewhere as soon as she was 2. After we stopped baby classes I knew that Erin needed more interaction with children her own age and I also needed a break from everything for the sake of my mental health. Erin starting nursery at 2 was the best thing for everyone, even if it wasn’t good for our finances.
The nursery that we chose for Erin was pretty much everything we could have asked for and Erin immediately took to it when we went to look around. We went to every open day for a year to make sure it was the right place for Erin and from the day she started, she thrived. The nursery we chose was attached to a private school and we fell in love with the whole thing.
We knew it would be a real push but we wanted Erin to carry on into the school after nursery. She felt comfortable and at home there and before Reception, the nursery children can spend time in both settings to get them ready. The school fees were much lower than other private schools in Norfolk and with some very careful planning we would have been able to manage it.
Not once did we ever think that Erin wouldn’t be in nursery there at any point.
Last Tuesday we received an email calling all parents to an emergency school meeting where we were told the financial difficulties of the school were too much and that the school would be closing in 2, maybe 4 weeks if a miracle didn’t happen. Sadness does not even begin to describe how I felt. I spent hours and hours crying and worrying about what to do.
The next morning we started calling local nurseries to see if they even had spaces. A nursery of at least 25 children were all going to be in the same position as us and there definitely wouldn’t be places for everyone. Luckily, we managed to go and see a Montessori nursery on the same day and arrange a viewing for another for the day after.
Both nurseries were very different from the one Erin was moving from but with limited options due to not driving and limited spaces, these were our 2 best options. Today, Erin is going for a quick visit to the Montessori nursery to see how she likes it. Being so different, we want to make sure that she settles okay and that it will work for her in the long run. I think it will because of her personality and learning style but you never really know until you can see it for yourself.
This is a really awful situation to be in but we’re very lucky really because I do work from home and we don’t need long hours like early starts or late finishes like I know some other parents do. We can also cope if we can’t find a year round nursery like Erin has been in. I will have to re-think how I work before and during school holidays but it will be manageable in one way or another.
I hate not knowing yet where Erin will be going to nursery in January so I hope today goes well and we can get something sorted.