I went round to visit a nursery w my husband and baby today. We overheard staff saying ‘quickly do the painting and we’ll just say the kids did it’.. they seemed to be having a full on discussion of how they couldn’t be bothered to clean..

As someone who used to work in a nursery. This is used a few times especially when its holidays like easter, the kids dont always want to join in with the activities and you cant force them, so when it gets to doing cards for holidays any child who doesnt wanna participate we would either get another child to do the art work or do it ourselves

A lot of the time staff will do this when they have a mountian of other stuff to be doing that day or when the children are unsettled, as cleaning them up after a messy activity would make them even more unsettled, the messy activities also tend to be just before lunch time too

This is horrible. If the kids don’t want to do an activity or you don’t want to ‘unsettle’ them by doing the activity then don’t. But passing your work off as theirs is weird and honestly messed up. I’d be horrified if I found out the nursery my daughter goes to did this, I’m hoping because it’s a school nursery they don’t. Personally I’d be naming and shaming the nursery so that local people know to avoid!

@Rachael in no way am i agreeing with the practice of doing it, i was temp staff so i just had to do as they told me. I thought it was sad to see them doing it

If my son didn’t want to make me a card then I’d much rather not get one than get one made by another child or the staff🙈😂 totally defeats the object! I don’t blame you at all for feeling this way, the trust would be broken for me too and unfortunately if they’re willing to lie about something like that what else are they prepared to lie about/cover up. Sorry you had this experience x

I’m very surprised to hear this as I work in a nursery. I would never do the work for the children, if they don’t want to then that’s fine you can always try and find another way for them to participate.

Wow! I would definitely prefer to not receive anything or be given a blank card for us to then do at home if my child didn't want to participate! I don't blame you for walking away from that! Have you considered a childminder if you are in need of childcare? A much more homely atmosphere and communication would likely be a lot better too.

My son is autistic and is obsessed with letters and numbers he can write beautifully I on the occasion get a pianting of letters but id know if they sent me a picture of a house out 😂 because he will not paint or draw so I rarely get paintings but id rather nothing than an adults imitation!

@Becky-Diane as someone who also worked in childcare for a few years i second this 100%. like the parents are mad because they didn’t get a “parent gift” from their child and im not about to argue w a parent or get in trouble with my director for “excluding the child” when their child didn’t want to do it so we would just bite the bullet and do it or like becky said have another child do it 🤷‍♀️. hilarious that you’re going to pull your child out of school just because of that though lol 😆

@Annie the UK has one of the most expensive childcare in the world. To hear SOME staff openly discussing that they can’t be bothered to clean the children after doing artwork is more than just me stopping my child from childcare for no reason. The trust is broken, it’s evident the staff can’t be bothered. To hear some nursery staff on this post excusing this blatant lying and thinking it’s okay to pass off other children’s work as another child’s by doing it for them / getting other children to do it and then saying it’s because of the work overload is just not okay. What else is being covered up?!! It’s clear that it’s something that’s just thought to be okay and accepted in the childcare world.. it’s blatant lying and deception. End of.

I also worked in a nursery (9/10 years ago) and I have to say if there was ever an occasion such as Easter/Christmas etc the staff would prepare artwork weeks in advance to avoid meltdowns or tantrums. The baby room and preschool room seemed to be better at this than the 2+ room. Equally you can’t keep children away from a fun activity so some parents got multiple pictures 😅 Saying that, working in a nursery also put me off from sending a child there. But it’s the sad world we live in. Mat pay doesn’t pay enough for us to keep our babies a little longer at home ☹️ Mama, you will know yourself which nursery is best for your child from the moment you walk in. If anything makes you uncomfortable, listen to your gut ❤️

That’s an awful thing to overhear, but also a blessing in disguise as now you know to not sent your child there. I’d say continue having a look at nurseries though as you may find one that feels safer and gives you a good feeling. Always trust your instinct. I dread sending my little one to nursery as he is still going to be so little but unfortunately have no other choice :(.

This doesn't sounds like a good setting for child , firstly there not letting the children paint ,have fun and be creative , so they clearly do that often then , and secondly there mindset seems to be like I don't care attitude, what are they like in the day with the children, id be thinking how do they talk to them and treat them. RED flag. As for children not wanting to do a card just be honest with parents simple as that ,I worked in a nuraey myself and yes it gets hectic and stressful but it's crazy to think you'd do it yourself and lie , we would send stuff home with parents for them to complete in their own time .

If this is the worst thing the staff at that nursery are doing then I’d take it lol. Realistically, nobody can be Mary poppins all day everyday - they will have times of just being human. As long as they focus on the important things I don’t think it maters. I judged my previous nursery on how they treated by son after he became violently ill there. They cuddled him like their own until I could arrive - not many would cuddle a vomiting child like that. I couldn’t give a dam if they faked a picture one day as it was probably just for their tick box paperwork anyway. But ultimately you need to be comfortable - I just don’t think you are going to find a place where that are perfect. That all being said - I am using a childminder this time round 😂

@Jess see u get it

@Jess and the time to be ‘human’ is when new parents are walking around the nursery to be shown around with staff saying they can’t be bothered to clean children up, so won’t do activities with them?? Anyways my bad, I feel like the whole situation is a ‘be there’ moment. As you didn’t witness the attitude of the staff. I personally don’t like lying to parents being a ‘norm’ for nursery staff so they can ‘tick off boxes’ and would prefer staff to say that my child didn’t want to join in and perhaps send something to do at home. @Annie and @jess if you think lying is acceptable and you’re not getting what I’m saying… I’m sorry but you are the problem.

ya but u don’t understand what it’s like working in that environment. u say “we’re the problem” but actually the problem stems from much higher up than us teachers lol there’s SO much behind the scenes that u as parents don’t see like it’s crazy and there are always reasons we do and say the things we do as teachers. i understand what YOU would prefer as a parent sending ur child to daycare but trust me whatever the next place is u send ur child im sure they’ll just be better at covering up the “lies” lol it still happens wether u witness it or not and sorry but that’s just childcare 🤷‍♀️ daycares with cameras are the same way if not actually worse like the worst company i worked for had cameras and the best one didn’t. as jess said you’re not going to find a place that’s perfect and if u think u have trust me they’re “perfect” at hiding the issues. once u work in a daycare then u can truly see what we are talking about. if u don’t like it that much then get a nanny instead

Have you never lied at work? Taken a longer break when you can get away with it? Taken a short cut to get work done quicker? Taken a days sick when you could have probably dragged yourself to work? If not then you must be the most perfect person Iv ever met - sounds exhausting. I’m assuming the staff didn’t know you were listening but either way, if you don’t get a good vibe of the place then don’t send your child there 🤷‍♀️

@Jess I really can’t continue to converse with you. You’re just not getting it.. I’m not saying staff need to behave like robots… JUST TELL THE TRUTH. We’re raising the new generation, lying is wrong.. sorry, that’s my opinion. Now go and promote lying on another post.

Only replying to this because the notifications pop up every so often and it’s intriguing to hear people’s opinions. I’m trying to understand different perspectives myself on this and I’m trying to imagine a healthcare professional cutting corners and lying… whether that be a doctor, nurse , physio…. I don’t think it would ever be received well, Understandably. If the bins in a patient room weren’t emptied one morning, there would be complaints? If a menu card hadn’t been given to a patient one evening to order a meal of choice for the next day, the patient would be upset. If bandages on a child weren’t changed after looking a bit grubby, as a parent, I’d be annoyed? And that is only a short encounter? For longer encounters where our children go to nurseries, we are allowed to be annoyed if we overhear something that is concerning… Incognito, listen to your gut. Your feelings are completely valid.

@Naosheen ya but healthcare professionals aren’t being told to cut corners by their bosses and aren’t paid $16 an hour with no benefits 💀 i feel like u can’t compare it to healthcare because the people who work in that field need tons of schooling, they get a big payout, get benefits, etc. while none of that is true of a daycare hence why they are run the way they are 🤷‍♀️

@Annie this post is regarding to within the UK. Doctors don’t get ‘huge payouts’ here, and nursery education is one of the most expensive in the world. Regardless, no one is saying childcare staff don’t get treated well, and this is not what this post is about.. This post is regarding LYING. If you give a parent a picture to take home and say it is from their child when you know it is not…that is a lie. These pictures get shown to other family members/ friends and it’s a discredit to the child who did paint it and a discredit to your own child. It’s baffling I’m having to explain why this is wrong to grown adults.

Yeah I can understand why this would put you off. As the comments suggest it probably happens more than we might think but when you’ve actually overheard it it’s hard to ignore! Surprised they were even having that conversation with parents being shown around 🤦🏽‍♀️ (Though I’ve also just had a chuckle to myself wondering if I’m proudly displaying my daughters nursery teachers artwork on the fridge 😅)

I think it comes down to your gut feeling about the nursery. I have worked in childcare 22 years (and now having my own child soon!) and having supported so many parents and families starting nursery for the first time, it’s so important for new parents to feel comfortable that they would be leaving their child in your care. If you don’t feel that for whatever reason then that is completely understandable