It’s the second year we’re providing a crèche at WordCamp London, so naturally there are still a lot of questions. We’ve attempted to answer as many as possible but if you have any further questions please do not hesitate to ask us. You can email directly at london@wordcamp.org or leave a comment below.
Read Siobhan McKweon’s review of her experience using the crèche at WordCamp London 2016.
Who is providing the crèche?
The crèche is being provided by a professional mobile crèche company – Nipperbout Ltd. They have been delivering conference and event childcare to exhibitions, conferences and festivals for 22 years and are regularly inspected by Ofsted.
Are Nipperbout Ofsted registered?
Nipperbout is registered in eleven major venues in the UK and receives around four inspections per annum. View Nipperbout’s latest Oftsed report.
Do they have insurance?
Yes. Nipperbout are insured with a specialist Insurance company – Morton Michel.
What’s the maximum number of children who will be in the crèche?
Maximum number of children will depend on two things;
- size of rooms available
- number of children booked in to use the crèche
As we’ve only began to organise this for our 2017 edition, we’ll be able to pick a room size appropriate for all children booked into the crèche once we have final numbers.
How many staff will be on duty?
This will depend on the number of children booked to use the crèche and number of rooms required to provide the full service.
Last year we had three staff for a maximum of ten children.
Please help us book the correct numbers of staff by booking your child’s place in the crèche as early as possible.
What are the ratios of kids to adults?
- Two children (0 – 23 mths) to one adult
- Three children (23 mths- 35 mths) to one adult
- Five children (36 mths and above) to one adult
What age of kids are they are accepting?
We’ll be providing childcare for children aged 0 – 16. Children will be in separate age groups with age-appropriate equipment.
Can I use the crèche on the day if I’ve not booked?
Yes, if there is space – this would be on a first-come first-served basis.
What time is the crèche open?
- Saturday AM – 08:30 – 12:30
- Saturday PM – 13:45 – 17:50
- Sunday AM – 09:20 – 12:00
- Sunday PM – 13:15 – 16:40
Are the children being fed at the crèche?
Yes. A snack of fruit, bread sticks, raw vegetables and rice cakes will be provided morning and afternoon, and water is available all day.
Will they feed my baby their milk / baby food?
Yes, but please note that Nipperbout does not provide baby food or milk so you would need to bring food and milk in a clearly labelled bag. Baby food is the only food they will accept due to allergies.
Nipperbout will provide a snack of fruit, bread sticks, vegetables and rice cakes for older children and water is available all day.
What about lunch for my child?
The crèche will close for lunch time so parents will need to collect their child(ren) at this time. A mid-morning and afternoon healthy snack is provided.
Included with your child’s crèche ticket is the standard lunch menu provided for all attendees, if that is suitable for them.
Do I need to bring nappies?
Yes, if your child needs them.
Can I collect / drop off my child during a session?
Yes, you may collect and drop off at any time when the crèche is open.
Will there be cots/somewhere for my baby/toddler to sleep?
Yes, Nipperbout provide travel cots.
What activities will the children be doing?
Nipperbout provide an action packed timetable which is currently themed on “planet earth” where the children and staff explore jungle, desert, arctic and sea environments. The aim is to raise children’s awareness of other cultures and to try to make them more environmentally aware and proactive in saving the planet!
- arts and crafts,
- parachute games,
- face painting,
- music and drama,
- quizzes,
- science experiments,
- card and board games,
- potion making.
Can they cater for my child’s special needs e.g. autistic spectrum?
Yes, but they will need to know in advance so they have the appropriate staff skills and equipment on hand. If they are not informed they will discuss with the parent to decide if the equipment and staff present are suitable.
Do children need anything with them?
Babies need a bag with nappies and food and/or milk if required. Please note that only baby food will be accepted into the crèche – older children may NOT bring snacks due to possible allergies.
Anything I should not bring?
Food, phones, valuable items, any food other than baby food, snacks for older children.
Will crèche staff be able to give emergency medicine (i.e; inhaler or EpiPen injection)?
Only if the medication has a GP label on it and full instructions given by the parents are recorded on our medication form. EpiPens are accepted with written parental permission as long as they are in date and have the GP label. All medicines must be locked in the medical bag.
Will crèche staff be able to give other medicine such as Calpol?
No – only medicine which has been prescribed by the GP and carries a GP label will be administered.
Where can I get more information about the crèche?
Nipperbout have provided this parent’s information pack Nipperbout-Creche-parents-info but if you have any further questions please contact us.
We’ve also written a post announcing Nipperbout as the crèche provider for WordCamp London 2017.
How do I book the crèche?
- Firstly, you need to purchase a crèche ticket for every individual day you need to use the crèche
- You’ll then be sent an email with unique details to login to the Nipperbout booking system (this isn’t automatic and may take us a day to send you the information)
- You should then create an account on the Nipperbout system so you can enter all the information they need to know about your child
- Once you’ve submitted this, you’ll receive an email confirming your child has a place.
Let us know if there’s anything we’ve missed and don’t hesitate to email us at london@wordcamp.org, or leave a comment below, if you have any questions.