Information for Parents
Welcome
We warmly welcome you and your child to what we trust will be an extension of your home.By working together, we will provide an environment where experiences will provide a grounding for releasing all your child’s potential in a beautiful, calm, nurturing and natural environment.
Hours
The centre is open Monday to Friday from 6:30am – 5:30pm. We will be closed on all public holidays. We ask for your co-operation in dropping off and collecting children within our operating hours. If at any time you have an emergency and are going to be delayed, please contact the Centre.
Sign in Sheet
Please sign the sign in sheet each day your child attends. This is situated on the table in the entrance way. On arrival please fill in the time you arrive and sign your name. When you come to pick up your child please record the departure time and sign your name again.
Parent Involvement
We operate an open-door policy, where parents and family are welcome into the Centre at any time. Parent participation sends strong positive messages to your child that you support them and are part of the childcare environment. The staff sincerely wish for you and your child to be happy and feel welcomed at our Centre. Communication is a vital ingredient to the success of this partnership.
Staff
Nature’s Wonder is committed to staffing the Centre with skilled, caring and nurturing people. We have fully qualified staff and some in training. All staff also participate in Professional Learning Development.
Where possible, our adult/child ratio is 1:4 for U2 and 1:8 for O2. There will be times out of our control that we need to go to the Ministry requirements of 1:5 and 1:10.
Fees
Please refer to the Fees Schedule that is in your Enrolment Pack. All payments are preferred to be done via automatic payment or via internet payment to the nominated bank account. It is important that your fees are to be kept at least one week in advance at all times.
20 Hours ECE
Our Centre offers the 20 hours ECE subsidy which is provided by the Ministry of Education to all 3 and 4 year old children. To be eligible you must complete an attestation form which confirms your attendance and that you are not attending another early childhood centre at the same time. If you change your hours you must complete another form. You may apply for 20 Hours ECE subsidy and receive money from WINZ.
WINZ Childcare Subsidy
WINZ operates a subsidy for parents whose children attend the centre. The subsidy is subject to an income qualification. Contact your WINZ for further information and forms. Full payment of fees is the parent’s responsibility and will be required until a subsidy has been approved.
Attendance/Absents
Only authorized persons as indicated on the Enrolment Form will be allowed to collect children from the Centre. Please notify a staff member in writing to any changes in the adult.
Parents with a custody order must provide a copy to the Centre.
In the case of a non-custodial parent arriving to collect the child, the person responsible will contact the police and provide a copy of the report to the police as well as calling the parent with custody. A child will not be allowed to go home with a parent/guardian in contravention of a custody/court order held at the Centre.
If your child is absent for 3 consecutive weeks (pro-rated on how many times the child attends) it may result in fees being charged or your child being unenrolled as it effects our funding from the Government.
If your child is frequently absent on a particular day; e.g. every Wednesday for a month, that booking may be cancelled, depending on circumstances. Please refer to our policy on the 3week Absent Rule and Frequent Absent Rule.
Positive Behaviour Guidance
Mutual respect is something Nature’s Wonder takes very seriously. Developing and managing self-control is something we support and strive to develop in children. Teachers guide children to respect their environment and surroundings, the equipment and other people in our setting. Children are supported to develop strategies for managing their own behaviour and learning to act appropriately. At all times children are treated with respect and dignity. Teachers alter their guidance strategies to respond to the developmental stages of the children.
Teachers encourage children to acknowledge and express a range of emotions and feelings and encourage children to develop self-esteem and confidence. Teachers inform parents/whānau of any behavioral concerns regarding their child and discussions will be held to work in partnership to develop strategies and reach a solution.
Food
We are a lunchbox centre. All children are required to bring in their own lunchbox with enough food for the day.
We are also a nut free centre so please do not bring any form of nuts into the centre due to severe allergies.
We do provide breakfast for a small fee each morning for those children that are here at 7am.
Meal times are:
Breakfast between 7 – 7:30
Morning tea 9:30
Lunch 11:30
Afternoon tea 2:00
Late snack around between 4 – 4:15
Toileting/Nappies
Please supply nappies (if necessary) for your child. You may either bring in the right amount for the day or a whole packet at a time. They will be named.
We work alongside children and their families when it’s time to start toilet training. As age varies when children are ready to begin this process it is important to wait until the child shows signs or readiness. If your child is toilet training when you first enroll please advise the teachers to ensure we continue to support your child with their toilet training,
Sleeping
Please discuss with us your child’s sleeping needs. We have beds, mattresses and cot available. We aim to keep routines as similar as possible as they would be at home. We encourage you to bring any toy or comforter your child needs to go to sleep with. We are not permitted to put children to bed with bottles.
Clothing
All clothing, shoes, cuddlies and bags must be clearly named. Because play and exploration can often be wet or messy, children should be dressed in old or play clothes and a spare change should be packed every day. In winter, rain attire and gumboots are essential as we go outside in all weather. We do have wet weather gear for children to wear so they are free to enjoy being outside in all weather. In summer we recommend you apply sunscreen to your child before they attend, and we will re-apply throughout the day. We provide all children with a named bucket hat that stays at the centre.
Excursions/trips
Excursion out of the centre will be arranged from time to time as part of your child’s experiences. Parents are encouraged to be a part of the outing and help. Excursion slips outlining the trip, costs, transport and adult: child ratios will be given to all parents to complete prior to an outing. As part of our curriculum children will experience natural play in the “wilderness” at the back of the centre and may be taken on small walks in the community. Approval for these is given when completing the enrollment form.
Emergency and evacuation procedures
In case of an unforeseen emergency situation, every effort will be made to contact parents to collect their child. The Centre is fitted with safety devices which are maintained regularly. Regular fire and earthquake drills are held and are necessary for regulation purposes. If you are present at a fire drill you are required to participate. Emergency evacuation plans are displayed in the Centre. Staff are familiar with evacuation procedures and policies. Parents and visitors to the Centre will be asked to make themselves familiar with the evacuation plan. Every effort will be made to make the evacuation procedures enjoyable rather than stressful events for the children. Regular emergency procedures give the children an opportunity to become familiar with the routine.
Child Health
We ask that any child who is unwell be kept at home, so illness does not spread through the centre. The Manager at his/her discretion refuse to accept any child deemed unwell enough to attend the centre and not be able to fully participate in the centres activities on offer.
Children with severe coughs, colds, vomiting, diarrhea, conjunctivitis, rashes or raised temperatures cannot be brought into the centre. We have a 48-hour exclusion policy for any contagious illnesses. If symptoms develop during the day, the parent will be contacted to
arrange for the immediate collection of the child. Please refer to our Illness and Immunisation Policy for further information.
Medications
Please advise the staff if your child is taking any medications. All medicine must be kept in the kitchen and the medicine book must be filled in before we can administer any medication. Only medication that has a label stating your child’s name and expiry date will be administered. We require a minimum of 24-hour exclusion period if children are taking antibiotics. This helps to ensure the antibiotics have time to work effectively.
Concerns and Complaints
Parents should feel free to discuss any queries or problems with the Head Teachers or Centre Manager. Please remember that busy drop off or pick up times may not always be an appropriate time to have detailed discussions on your child’s, or your needs, as you may need to schedule an appointment with the Owner at another time.
Our policy for dealing with complaints is displayed in the reception area.