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Policies Fruit Time for the 3 Year Old Gumnut Group The children are given water to drink and each child is asked to bring two pieces of fruit each week (any session). We really appreciate assistance from the parents to prepare the fruit for the children. The fruit is shared at fruit time. Snacks/Lunch for Wattle/Waratah Group We encourage each child to bring a healthy snack for morning/afternoon tea - fruit or vegetable sticks, and for lunch the children are encouraged to bring a sandwich, fruit, yoghurt or other healthy foods. We ask parents not to provide unhealthy snacks for their child whilst at Kinder - we are trying to encourage healthy eating habits. Water is always available for the children to access and pour themselves a drink. Please note that due to severe allergies, we ask that no foods containing nuts or nut products are brought into the centre. These include peanut butter, nutella and nuts themselves. Parent Involvement A ‘Parent Help Roster’ is available at the beginning of each term so you can nominate a time that suits you to come into Kinder and stay for the session. The Teachers are grateful for your help with sessions, and it is a good opportunity to spend some time with your child at the Preschool. It is also a great way to get to know the Teachers, routines, peers, songs, etc. Washing Our smocks, towels, tea towels and other items need laundering often. We are grateful for your assistance with this. A sign to highlight when items need to be washed will be placed out the front. Parents can offer to take the washing if it is a convenient time for them to help us out. Hygiene A cleaner is employed for 1 hour per day to clean the Preschool. The toilets are cleaned between each session. During each term break, the carpets, vinyl floors and windows are professionally cleaned. Car Parking As you can imagine our car park sees a large volume of traffic each day (especially at drop off and pick up times!). Please enter from the end closest to the Hurstbridge Bowling Club and angle park on the Pre School's side of the access road. Exit from the side nearest Ferguson Park Preschool. Please remember to drive slowly and carefully, as the safety of our children is paramount. Visitors Parents, grandparents and other special relatives/friends are always welcome at the Preschool. Visitors can stay for a session if they wish, or just a short visit. Visits from special friends and relatives are a source of great delight to the children who love to 'show off' their Preschool. Ground Maintenance There is maintenance levy fee being charged to all families in order to cover the costs of a gardener, and the necessary upkeep of the playground area, which includes mowing. This is an upfront payment of $100, with an $80 rebate deducted from fees or reimbursed when a maintenance duty of 3 hours minimum is performed. If you choose to decline performing maintenance, there will be no rebate. If parents are unable to attend one of the working bees, they can approach the Director and can arrange to complete some maintenance jobs at their convenience. The family will then receive their maintenance rebate. The Maintenance Fee is to be paid upon payment of Term 1 fees. The Shire of Nillumbik undertakes major maintenance works. Children's Clothing Your child’s clothing should be comfortable, easily washed and weather-appropriate. Naming your children’s clothing (including shoes) at the commencement of each term will help avoid any confusion, especially as the children wear similar shoes and kinder logo clothing. Please avoid dressing children in their best clothes as this may hold them back from active or messy activities, or they may come home with paint and other mess on them. Smocks are provided for messy activities. The children will need to wear appropriate footwear to enable them to move, climb and run easily and safely. In terms one and four the children will need a broad brim or legionnaire’s hat for outside play, and a roll-on sunscreen should be provided in your child’s bag for the children to re-apply as needed. Please provide a change of clothes to be kept in your child’s bag in case of accidents. Although not compulsory, uniforms are available for purchase at the pre-school. Birthdays Children and Teachers enjoy celebrating birthdays at our Preschool. Although this is not essential you may like to attend Kinder on the birthday of your child, and you may like to bring a cake or plate of food to help celebrate this very special day. We will provide candles and sing Happy Birthday on the day. Due to allergies we ask that the cake has no cream or nuts, and you provide a list of ingredients for Teachers to check for known allergies. Excursions The Gumnut children do not go on formal excursions - however if we need to go out the front of the Kinder to see a visiting fire-engine etc parents will be notified in advance and asked to sign a group permission slip. We will have exciting visitors throughout the year for the children to enjoy. The Wattle/Waratah Groups will participate in excursions throughout the year. Excursions will be undertaken as per the program and a signed permission form must be received from each parent/guardian before they can be taken off the Kindergarten premises. The minimum requirements for child to staff ratio will be one adult for every three children. Special Needs Children Special Needs children are welcomed at our Kindergarten. On or before enrolment, consultation should be made with the Director/Teacher to ensure every need can be met. An Additional Aide will be supplied if criteria are met and funding approved. Illness For everyone’s health and safety, please keep children home when unwell, eg heavy cold, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhoea, conjunctivitis or other infectious conditions. A contagious disease poster with incubation times and exclusion periods is on display at the Preschool. Please notify us when your child has had Chicken Pox, German Measles (Rubella), Mumps, Measles, Headlice or other infectious conditions so that other parents can be informed that their child may have been in contact. If your child presents as being unwell during the session parents will be contacted to pick them up. If you are unable to be contacted the next authorised person on your enrolment form will be contacted to collect them ASAP. Home is the best place for children who are unwell. Asthma All Teachers have been trained in Asthma procedures to recognise signs and symptoms and to correctly administer Ventolin to any child presenting with these symptoms (regardless of whether they have been diagnosed with asthma or not). Children diagnosed with Asthma will need to have an asthma action plan completed by their doctor to be kept at the centre. If your child has been given Ventolin you will be informed upon pick up (unless an emergency where you will be notified immediately) and asked to sign our medication book. We are an accredited Asthma Management Centre. Allergies It is common for us to have children attending the Preschool who have allergies, some life threatening. Lists of these children and their allergies will be put up in the kitchen. All parents of children with severe allergic reactions must fill in an emergency medical management plan signed by their Doctor at the start of the year. The kinder is A NUT FREE ZONE, including no peanut butter, nutella, muesli bars containing nuts, etc. This also includes no boxes for collage that have possibly contained nut products. Accidents The Teachers and Assistants are all trained first aiders. A first aid kit is maintained on the premises. In the case of severe accidents/injury, parents / guardians would be notified as soon as is practicable on telephone numbers provided on the child’s enrolment form. Medical aid will be sought first and foremost when required. Medication We are able to administer medication at Kinder only if the person requesting so is authorised on the enrolment form to do so. Teachers are unable to give the first dose – the parent must do this (as reactions can occur). Teachers can only give the medication when it has a label that includes the child’s name, date and dosage. This also needs to be recorded by the parent in the medication book and include time of last dose given. Please note we are unable to administer Panadol. If a child needs Panadol we suggest that you keep them at home for that session. Sunsmart Policy To ensure that children are protected as much as is practicable from harmful UV rays, particular care is taken between the hours of 11 am and 3 pm from October to April (Terms 1 and 4). We ask that all children wear protective broad brimmed or legionnaire-style hats during outdoor play. Staff will always wear hats outdoors. Children who do not wear hats will be asked to play in covered areas or indoors. We ask all parents/guardians to apply sunscreen to their child prior to attending each session. The children in Wattle/Waratah groups are at Kinder for longer periods of time, and we therefore ask that a roll-on sunscreen be provided for the children to access and use as required. Safety Please ensure the gate and doors are always fully closed behind you, and when leaving the Kinder please monitor the gate very carefully- ensure only the child/children in your care leave through the gate with you. At the end of each session, the children will be dismissed from the verandah room by their Teacher into the care of their parent/guardian. It is important for the children to learn to wait for their name to be called before leaving the verandah room. This ensures the safety/well-being of all the children at all times. Attendance - Enrolment record As instructed by Human Services, a detailed enrolment record must be completed for each child attending our kindergarten. This must be fully completed prior to your child starting Kinder. At the Interview Day at the start of the year these will be checked to ensure all details are completed and your child can start Kinder. This information includes emergency telephone contacts, authorised people to collect children, allergies, immunisation details etc. Attendance - Sign in and out register Children must be signed in and out separately at each session they attend. The Sign In/Out Book is placed on a stand to the right of the front glass door entrance to the kindergarten. Upon arrival the parent/guardian must complete the time, their signature and note who will collect the child at the end of the session. Please do not sign your child ‘out’ when you arrive. Safety is our concern, and in the event of an emergency or evacuation, it is critical that we know which children have been signed in and must therefore be accounted for. If a child is signed out in advance, they may be overlooked in an emergency. Attendance - Punctuality Please make every effort to arrive and depart at the session times. In the limited time available, the Teachers must tidy and pack away the equipment at the end of each session and prepare for the next session's start. It is therefore important to pick your children up on time. We understand sometimes you can be running late. If you are in this situation, please contact the Preschool and let them know what has happened, and when you expect to arrive. The Teachers will either care for your child or, if needed, make arrangements for your child to be picked up by someone that you have nominated on your enrolment form. Knowing that you are running late, and why, may also help to alleviate any worries your child may be feeling. Evacuation In the case of a localised emergency, such as fire in the building, the children would be escorted through the nearest safe exit to Ferguson Park Preschool. The sign in/out book will be used by the Teachers as a checklist in an emergency, so please ensure you always sign in/out correctly. In the case of a major emergency such as bush fire, the children will be kept at the centre, where they will be well cared for by the Teachers until the danger has passed. Parents should not attempt to collect children from the Preschool during an emergency as this could create danger and add to confusion. The Teachers are trained in this area and will have items to ensure your children’s safety in case of these events. Please note on days of high fire risk you need to make a decision whether to send your child to Kinder or not. You will be unable to collect them in the event of a bushfire and unable to contact the centre as we need to look after the children and keep phone lines clear to contact emergency services. We ask you to tune into Plenty Valley Fm (88.6) on these days to follow any progress and only collect your child after the front has passed and it is deemed safe. There will be information sheets highlighting these procedures at the sign in book on these days. Complaints and Grievances We at Hurstbridge Preschool pride ourselves on the communication between parents and Teachers. Complaints of a genuine nature are welcome to be discussed with the Director and/or the Committee of Management. Any complaints will be dealt with in a confidential manner. Any issues relating to the Preschool, its program or its function should be brought to the attention of (in order) the Director, President, Secretary or another member of the committee. They will then try to remedy the situation in the best possible way by collecting information, observing/speaking to others and highlighting concerns to relevant others. The Preschool is committed to resolving any issue to the satisfaction of all parties. If further clarification is required, parents may contact the Department of Human Services. They will then investigate the claim, if warranted: inspect the service, take written statements and conduct a formal interview with parties involved. Contact details of all of the above are available on the notice board in the entry.
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