Creche and Pre-School Organisation
What this domain tests
The exam tests whether you can plan physical space, staffing, grouping and a daily routine that fit the ages served - creche for roughly 6 months to 3 years, pre-school for 3–6 years - and comply with basic safety and supervision norms.
Core rules
- Grouping and ratio. Younger children need richer staffing. A workable creche norm is one caregiver to about 8–10 infants/toddlers; pre-school groups run about 1 adult to 20–25 children with a teacher plus a helper. Mixed-age groups must be zoned, not mixed freely, because toddlers get hurt in runs designed for four-year-olds.
- Space. Allow roughly 1.5–2 sq m of indoor floor per child plus outdoor play space; cross-ventilation and natural light; non-slip flooring; rounded edges; socket covers; low open shelves so children can self-select; labelled cubbies; separate nappy-changing area with running water.
- Zones. Sleeping/rest, feeding and eating, active play, quiet/book corner, washroom and handwashing, storage, and a small isolation corner for a sick child within sight of an adult.
- Daily routine. Arrival with a quick health check, free play, circle time, snack, outdoor play, rest or nap for under-fours, story and departure. Routine should be predictable but not rigid; transitions need warnings.
Worked example
You must plan a day for 20 children aged 2–3 years with two staff. Reasoning: ratio and supervision come first, so the two adults must never both be in the kitchen or store. Nap is non-negotiable for this age, so the quiet zone is set up in the afternoon; outdoor play is scheduled when both staff are free to spread out and scan the area. Snacks are given twice because toddler stomachs are small. Free play is longest because toddlers learn through self-directed exploration, and circle time is kept short - under ten minutes - since attention span at two is brief.
Traps that cost marks
Designing a pre-school timetable for toddlers; treating a nap room as optional for under-threes; leaving one adult alone with a large group during outdoor play; forgetting the sick-child corner and the nappy area with running water.