My daughter is in a nursery in Herne Hill but the things we looked for were the things that ryedalema mentions. In addition, we looked at how much the children get out and about (integration into the local community - trips to the park/library/local schools/trips on trains but also involvement in 'the outside', not only outdoor space - at our nursery, for instance, the children have their own little garden where they grow vegetables and they sleep in the shade under the trees in the summer when it is very hot). Something else that I like about my daughter's nursery is that the children mix across age boundaries. Obviously, the babies have their own room, but in late afternoon all children are in the same, large room and this has worked very well for my daughter who loves spending time with the older children. Obviously, if you have a shy and sensitive child, you'd want to look for the opposite. However, most importantly, try to get a feel for whether the children are cared for and 'loved'. We didn't enroll our daughter in some nurseries where the focus was quite 'school style' in favour of nurseries where the focus was on freedom to play and lots and lots of love. And yes, you should start getting on the waiting lists now, however bizarre that may feel! Good luck!