What does nursery education mean to you? What did your little one learn at nursery today?

I remember nursery as a really positive thing personally. I had this great teacher called Miss Bun who had the hairstyle to match. Mum got a break and I learned new things. That was in the days when you did not need to worry about paying for nursery education.

When my parents were unable to care for my son any longer due to caring for a poorly relative, I found a brilliant Montessori nursery. I loved the approach to learning and how they worked to the individual child. They used a child’s passions as a tool to encourage further learning. They had great resources and caring staff. I loved seeing my son in his cute little red and yellow uniform. I was sure we were doing the right thing as he made new friends and developed new skills including reading.

Sadly my other two children went to a different nursery and I missed the Montessori setting which was idyllic surrounded by high walls and beautiful gardens. My other two went to a city centre nursery and if I am honest, I was not really impressed at all but needs must when you are trying to make ends meet. They only stayed there for a few months but long enough for my son to get toilet-trained easily something I always struggled with when parenting. Judge me but I just don’t seem to have the knack of persuading babies and tots to use the loo.

So I have had mixed experiences of nurseries and am keen to see that they are available so that parents can work without worrying if their child is OK and also so that stay-at-home parents can get a much-needed break. The big thing is to ensure that nurseries are not only available in an exclusive way based on wealth and that standards of education, care and security are high.

How has nursery helped YOUR child? Share your story on the hashtag #NurseriesGrowMinds with @savechildrenuk!