walkinthepark38

Hello everyone, thanks for your replies, I've just seen them - as I had most replies via PM! So I forgot to look in the thread. We have already made some contacts. Largeginandtonic, I'll send you a PM with our contact details for the arrival of your Au Pair. And reren and oimissus, thanks for the tips, we'll look into those!

Our first Au Pair is about to arrive next week and we wondered if there are any other Au Pairs in the neighbourhood who would be interested to meet up. Or maybe there is an Au Pair meeting point somewhere? Our Au Pair is from Germany and she will be looking after our toddler. We thought it might be nice to for her to meet other young people locally who do something similar. If you have any ideas or tips please let me know.

Very helpful, thanks for the summary, JessicaC! If this nursery should get closed down, it could set an alarming precedent for other nurseries in our area. Can they all be forced out of residential roads, even if the Council doesn't see a noise or nuisance issue, if some other legal tool can be found? Where should they be then? In shopping centres or on trafficy roads? If there are any more supporters for the cause of Piplings nursery out there, please register your support - we have signed the e-petition on www.friendsofpiplings.org

It is great to see that our East Dulwich community takes such an interest. We spent several months researching nurseries in the ED area; the good ones had full waiting lists and the others we saw didn't make me feel I could go back to work without worrying about the welfare and happiness of my little son, who really needs a family environment, not an institution at this stage. We were then tipped off about Piplings having opened by a mum on the playground, who said that what kept them from moving out of Forest Hill to a cheaper place was that they had found this amazing nursery for their child. She said Piplings was run like a loving family home and that it promoted her daughter's development and happiness in every way. Music to my ears!! - She had not promised too much. Our son has been there for more than a year now and we could not be happier. The owners of Piplings have a very strong and wonderful vision about what nursery and pre-school childcare can be in our today lives, and how it can enrich the whole family. Piplings nursry doesn't feel like institutional childcare at all, it feels like one big happy family which has great role models to lead it. Our son is brimming with confidence and joy. I've also noticed that Emma and Philip (the owners) are doing some fantastic staff development, creating a strong team of men and women who are as passionate as they are about looking after the children. It is the love, care and attention to detail that I found different from many other places I've seen. It is clear to me that they are spearheading best practice in childcare and are raising the standards of excellence in this field. So I hope that with all our support, they will get through the current location issues and ultimately open more nurseries in our part of London. It would be most positive for our neighbourhoods and family lives.