👋 The opening hello
First 10 seconds — set the tone.
Say"Hi, you must be the [surname] family — welcome to JLK. Can I take your coats?"
Don't say"Have you got an appointment?" / "Sorry to keep you waiting" / "Let me just find someone."
Why: recognising them by name signals you were expecting them. Apologies before you've done anything wrong introduce a defensive tone we don't need.
💷 The fees question
When it comes up — and it always does, often early.
Say"A full day at this site is £[X]. There's a one-off £[55/75] registration fee, and we hold a deposit equal to a month's fees which comes off your final invoice. If you're using fully funded hours only, the registration fee is waived."
Don't say"Childcare is so expensive these days isn't it" / "We're actually one of the cheaper ones" / "Don't worry about that now."
Why: apologising for the price tells the parent the price is wrong. State it cleanly, then move on. The exempted registration fee for fully funded families is a Croydon Council compliance line — always include it.
📚 The "what's your curriculum?" question
Say"We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage — that's the national framework. The way we bring it to life at JLK is through what we call JLK Stories — every two weeks each child gets a short written story-board of what they've explored, what they've mastered and what comes next. Want me to show you one?"
Don't say"We do EYFS." / "We follow all the government stuff." / "It's similar to other nurseries really."
Why: "EYFS" alone is jargon and is identical at every nursery. Lead with what makes the JLK delivery distinctive.
🛡️ The safety / safeguarding question
Say"Every member of staff is DBS-checked and trained in safeguarding annually. The front door is locked at all times — you'll have a sign-in code. Sleep checks happen every 10 minutes and are recorded. Our Designated Safeguarding Lead at this site is [name]."
Don't say"We're very safe" / "Nothing bad ever happens here" / "Don't worry."
Why: concrete facts reassure; vague reassurance does the opposite. Naming the DSL gives the parent a real person, not a system.
🤗 The settling-in question
Say"We do at least three settling visits before they start properly — first with you here, then a short stay while you pop out, then a longer one. We deliberately wait two to three weeks before matching a permanent key person — we want to see who your child naturally goes to, rather than assigning someone on day one."
Don't say"They'll be fine, they always are" / "Most kids stop crying within a week" / "You'll be assigned a key worker on day one."
Why: the 2–3 week key person matching policy is one of JLK's most distinctive practices — don't bury it. And avoid blanket reassurance: it dismisses what a parent actually feels.
📋 The funding question
Say"You'll get either 15 or 30 funded hours depending on your eligibility. At JLK that's structured as three full days for 30 hours, or mornings or afternoons for 15. Any hours beyond your funded entitlement are charged at our standard hourly rate. I can walk you through how to apply for your code today if it helps."
Don't say"It depends, it's complicated" / "We just take the funding off the top" / "Most parents end up paying about £X anyway."
Why: Croydon Council specifically flagged the "funding deducted from top" framing as misleading. State funded hours as included free and standard rate for anything above.
🍽️ Food and meals
Say"Meals are included in the daily fee — breakfast, hot lunch, tea — all freshly prepared on site. For families on funded-only sessions there's a small voluntary food contribution, but you're welcome to pack your own instead."
Don't say"Food charges apply" (without the funded-only qualifier) / "You have to pay extra for food."
Why: food being included for standard-fee families is a strong selling point. Voluntary nature of the funded-only charge is Croydon compliance.
🎉 Extras and activities
Say"No bolt-ons — what you see in the daily fee is what you get. We don't run charged extracurricular classes; we'd rather keep the day focused on what your child is choosing to explore."
Don't say"Oh we do French and football and music and..." (we don't) / "It's all included" without qualifying that we don't currently offer paid extras.
Why: claiming activities we don't run is a trust killer when they discover otherwise. The honest "no extras" framing is positive — it says we don't upsell.
🤔 "We're still looking around"
Say"Of course — it's a big decision and we'd expect you to. If you'd like, we can hold a space for [child's name] for 7 days while you finish looking. No pressure either way. What else would help you decide?"
Don't say"Just so you know, we get full quickly" / "Other parents have signed up after one visit" / "Are you visiting [competitor] too?"
Why: scarcity tactics damage the JLK voice. Offering a held space is generous and removes pressure without abandoning the lead.
🎁 The Family Bag close
Say"Before you go — this is the JLK Family Bag. There's a little gift in there for [child's name], a packet of everything you'd need if they were starting tomorrow, and a couple of things just for the two of you to read over a cuppa later. No rush — have a look when you're home."
Don't say"Here's some leaflets" / "Pop these in your bag and read them later" / "Sorry, there's a lot of paperwork."
Why: the Family Bag is a signature JLK moment — name it, frame it as a gift, and address the child by name. Don't undersell.
✉️ Goodbye and follow-up
Say"It was lovely to meet you all. I'll drop you an email within the next day or two with anything you've asked me to send through, and a quick recap of what we talked about. Take care, [child's name] — we hope to see you back here soon."
Don't say"Let me know if you have any questions" (passive) / "I'll be in touch soon" (vague) / "Hope you choose us!" (begging).
Why: a concrete promise within a specific window beats a vague invitation. Always address the child by name on the way out — parents notice it every time.
🚫 The hard-rule banned list
These never appear on a JLK tour, in any context:
- The word "childcare" — we use nursery, early years or pre-school. (Legal terms like "Childcare Act" are the only exception.)
- "The Developing Minds" — our subtitle is The Developing Mind Nursery, singular.
- Naming competitors — never mention or critique another nursery.
- Promises about Ofsted outcomes — we talk about what we do, not what Ofsted will say.
- Anything that begins "To be honest with you…" — implies the rest wasn't.
