Nursery Settling-In Record

Who this is for

One page for the settling-in visits, filled in by whoever was there. Each line records the date and session, how long it lasted, who stayed and who settled them, how it actually went and what everyone agreed to try at the next visit — so the plan moves forward rather than starting again each time.

Parents working through a phased start at a nursery or pre-school, key people and room staff writing the visit up while it is fresh, and childminders taking on a child who is new to being left.

What this helps you track

• Every visit with its date, session and how long it lasted
• Who stayed, who left, and how long they were gone
• Who settled the child, and what worked
• How the visit went in the words of the person who was there
• What was agreed to try next, so the following visit starts from something

How to use it

1. Write the child's name, the setting and the key person at the top, with the start date you have agreed.
2. Add a line for each visit as it happens, including the ones that were cut short — those are the informative ones.
3. Say plainly who stayed and who went, and for how long, because that is the variable everybody is actually adjusting.
4. Describe how it went in ordinary words rather than a score, and name whoever settled them and how.
5. Agree one thing to try at the next visit and write it in the last column before you leave.
6. Work through the list at the foot of the page with the key person, and use the notes for anything still unsettled.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How long should settling in take, and how many visits?

That is between you, your child and the setting, and this sheet has no view on it. There is no number of visits printed anywhere and no order they have to follow. The rows are blank for whatever you actually do.

Who should fill it in, the parent or the nursery?

Either, or both. Many settings write their own account and the parent writes theirs; if you are sharing one sheet, put a name against each line so it is clear whose observation it is.

What if a visit goes badly?

Write it down as it happened. A record with the hard visits in it is what lets you and the key person change something specific next time, instead of starting each visit from an impression.

Is the list at the bottom what I must provide?

No. It is the set of things settings commonly ask about, gathered so you can go through them once rather than in five separate conversations. Your setting will have its own list and its own forms.