Child_Development

The nursery nurse is a qualified person who is employed in a children’s nursery and is answerable to the Deputy Manager and Manager who are the immediate superiors. The nursery nurse is expected to act within a team and to be a part of that team. There are three main duties involved within the area of responsibility of a nursery nurse. They are: 1. To plan and prepare activities 2. To supervise meals 3. Maintain Health and Safety regulations and apply them to the welfare of the children The planning and preparing of activities is important to ensure that: ← There is enough equipment for the planned activity ← There is easy access to the activity site for everyone including disabled ← Protective clothing appropriate to the activity is provided for staff and children ← The room or area chosen is of sufficient size for the activity ← There are sufficient personnel to supervise the children properly. The room has to be prepared and tables arranged to suit any particular needs of the children, I e. easy access for wheelchairs etc. It is important to ensure that all is correct so that the activity can take place without delay and that the children are not kept waiting and so become bored. Supervision of meals is important to ensure that the correct dietary requirements of children who choose vegetarian diets or have religious needs regarding diet are followed as well as seeing to the other children and ensuring their meals are served with equal amounts of food. Drinks should also be to hand and easily reached by the children. Health and Safety of the children is paramount to any nursery and the Nursery Nurse is expected to conform and to observe them at all times. This can include knowing the fire drill and evacuation procedure together with the location of the outside assembly area. Health and Safety also includes knowledge of Health and Hygiene precautions following toilet visits and can include food handling etc. An example of Health and Hygiene is supervising the removal of outside footwear and the replacement with indoor shoes to help keep the floors clean for babies etc to crawl on. Three examples of when it becomes necessary to refer to another worker within the nursery. 1. If the child has an accident or becomes ill. Whilst the nursery nurse is attending to the child who is ill or had an accident then she would ask another member of staff to supervise the other children in the group. 2. If the parents report that the child is under medication, the nurse must ensure that other workers are aware of the situation. 3. If mental or physical abuse is suspected. It would be the duty of the nursery nurse to notify another member of staff or her manager if she notices anything that makes her suspicious such as bruising, marks on the child or unusual behaviour by the child in question.