ABSTRACT
For many people, the word “nursery” may be understood as meaning “nursery school”, an educational provision for 3- and 4-year-olds. However, in the United Kingdom, in much of Western Europe (but with the particular exception of Scandinavia), and in North America different kinds of nurseries have developed historically for different reasons, with different access criteria, different staffing, and different ways of working. This range of nurseries has included nursery schools for 3- and 4-year-olds, primarily focused on early learning, day nurseries for children from before their first birthday to statutory school age focused on family support, and nurseries for children whose parents are in full-time employment. In the last 30 years, these different kinds of nursery have increasingly been subject to policies of integration into combined nurseries offering all three functions: early education, family support, and child care for working parents. These nurseries take children from at least 6 months, if not earlier, for the equivalent of adults’ full-time working hours and often a little more, to allow for parents’ travel to and from work.
