Today we bring you some great insight and advice from Renny at Eden Mobile Creche about choosing a creche for your wedding. Over to you Renny….

When it comes to looking after young guests at weddings, choosing a wedding creche company can be a hard decision. Some couples may decide not to have children at their weddings, while others see it as a plus, especially if there are lots of children within the friends and family of the couple.

With a general search on the internet or wedding magazines, there are several choices of wedding creche company to choose. However, it must be said that simply going for the cheapest, or the most expensive, doesn’t necessarily do the job. Finding the right balance is important and here are ten things that can help you in choosing your wedding creche….

Communication: the communication received from your chosen wedding creche company is important. How quickly they respond to enquiries and questions is key. However, as communication is a two way thing, ensure you communicate with them your decisions and whether you will be using their service.

Customer Service: This is king when it comes to your decision. What service did you receive on your first contact with the wedding creche company? Is it just about selling you a service or are they listening to your needs and helping you achieve them? Were suggestions given on how best to ensure all adults and children have an enjoyable time? These are some of the things to look out for and most importantly telephone and email etiquette are also part of customer service.

Risk Assessment: Where this is possible a risk assessment on the venue and space for the wedding creche is important. Carrying out a risk assessment ensures the number of children being looked after will be suitable for the space available. In some cases, physical risk assessment may not be possible due to distance and accessibility. This is when visual pictures of the space can be really useful.
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Insurance: Your chosen wedding creche company should have insurance, most especially public liability. This reassures you and the parents leaving their children within the creche environment.

Lots and Lots of Kids’ Toys and Activities: One of our mottos at Eden Mobile Creche is always to have more than enough toys and activities for children to play with. A wedding creche, in most cases, is a once in a life time opportunity of meeting a child. It is important to have engaging, fun and educative activities for children of all ages.

Qualified and Experienced Childcare Practitioners: So many new names are used in describing individuals that look after children. However, the most important thing is having a relevant qualification when looking after children professionally. These qualifications vary from childminders, to psychologists, to dance and drama teachers. Childcare experience alone is not the key to looking after children professionally. The experience must be in addition to a childcare qualification.

DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) Checked Practitioner: Your chosen wedding creche company should ensure that all their childcare practitioners are DBS checked; this is similar to the old police check. It is a recommendation by Ofsted and the UK government that anyone looking after children professionally should have a DBS check. This should also be part of the safeguarding policy of any professional wedding creche company.

Contract: Having a written contract between you and the wedding creche provider indicates that both parties understand what is expected from the service provided and received.

Policies and Procedures: This shows professionalism on the wedding creche company’s side. This can include how to make a complaint, procedures for lost children and the steps to take in case of fire evacuation.

After Care: This is all about feedback, giving you the opportunity to inform the wedding creche company what they got right, what they could improve on and any other suggestions. Some companies go the extra mile by sending gifts to clients as a thank you for using their service.

End Note: CONFIRM, CONFIRM AND CONFIRM AGAIN. Ensure you confirm with your wedding planner or wedding creche supplier that your creche has been booked into their diary. When let down by another creche company, clients call us regularly for last minute creche services. One way of avoiding last minute disappointment is giving your wedding creche company a deposit, which ensures the date is truly yours in their diary. If you can, pay the full fees provided the company is a reputable.

Many thanks Renny for this helpful guide.