Ways to notify our Liverpool Street Centre of your child’s absence:
Ways to notify our Hatrick Street Centre of your child’s absence:
We take the safety of your child very seriously. In every instance, when an accident has occured, you will be notified by a member of our staff. If it is a minor accident, we will advise you when you come and collect your child. If it is more severe, then we will contact you (or an emergency contact person you have nominated if we are unable to reach you) by phone and discuss the incident and what course of action of action has been taken. For everything else, we will also contact the Ministry of Education who have their own processes to follow regarding serious accidents.
We also have an Accident Register that we will complete detailing the event that occured. A copy of this report will be given to the parent to review and sign.
Behaviour is a tricky subject and can often be mistaken for child development. However, if there are severe behavioural issues, we will discuss these with the parent. Your child could be either a perpetrator of bad behaviour or on the receiving end of another child’s actions. In every case, we will talk with the parents and provide clear paths (including assistance and resources) where and when required.
The information that follows relates primarily to a child who is the perpetrator of bad behaviour. Our first port of call is to observe your child and make notes as to what he/she is doing, who it is affecting, why they behaving like that and if there are any other triggers that we can identify. We will also try and distinguish between the action being a developmental phase or not. In most cases, bad behaviour is a normal developmental aspect of a child, particularly when pushing boundaries.
If we believe the issue is not developmental, then we will talk to you in the first instance. Depending on the severity of the issue, we will put in place a “quick fix” plan or look to provide more indepth assistance to both you and your child.
We are completely flexible with regards to breastfeeding, and will fit in with your needs and the needs of your child. Some mothers will provide breast milk which we will heat and use in the standard way. Other mothers like to come into the Centre and breastfeed their child when possible. Again, we will manage your child’s day to work in with you. Feel free to talk to one of our staff if you have other requirements regarding breast feeding.
Both our Under 2 and Over 2 areas run to a daily routine. The routine, however, is quite “loose” as we prefer to work in with the child and parents as opposed to you working in with us. We try and have set times for meals and breaks although this isn’t always practical.
Under 2’s
As stated above, there are no set times, as young children learn pretty early to beat their own drum! However, we do try and keep things running in an orderly fashion and tentatively base our meal times as follows: 9.30am, 11.30am and 3.00pm.
Over 2’s
Our Over 2’s are little bit easier to manage in terms of set times. We will have a 20 minute morning tea around 10.00am. Lunch is scheduled for 12.30pm. Just prior to lunch, we have Group Time. We will sing the National Anthem (All Black’s style – eyes closed and with arms around each others shoulders!). The younger children will then go to lunch first. The older children will stay behind and we will work through some specific “school readiness” activities. Afternoon tea is scheduled for 3.00pm.
Every parent will be given the opportunity to participate in a formal induction of the Centre. We highly recommend you do this. If possible, both parents should attend. It will help you familiarise yourself with the in’s and out’s of the Centre and is a good way for our staff to introduce themselves to you. When you go through the Induction, our staff member will complete a checklist to ensure that everything you need to know is provided to you.
We meet on a regular basis to undertake planning sessions for all children at Bright Beginnings. We look at two main aspects of our teaching and development. The first, is to assess the requirements for the centre as a whole – we then break this up into the relevant age groups.
Then, as a team, we look at your child and how we can use their “interests” to meet that planning goal. For instance, we might be focussing on “relationships”. Your child might be interested in “diggers and trucks”, so we use those machines to demonstrate how they work together in partnership and how they build a relationship so they both benefit. We then use a full circle approach to demonstrate what this mean in their lives – relationships with their family, their pets and other children at the centre.
We prefer to have the child lead their own development programme as research strongly suggests that when their interests are used, their engagement levels are much higher.
It is really important that you sign in and sign out every day. We are required by the Ministry of Education to provide written records of the attendance of every child who attends Bright Beginnings. We are audited on a regular basis where the MOE check the written record (sign in sheet) with the information we have uploaded to their computer systems. When you come into the centre, the sign in sheets are located on your right hand side, just past the entrance. Please also note, that the Ministry of Education expects you to sign in and sign out within 15 mins of your booked time. This assists with funding and management of the children on a daily basis.
There is no single solution to toilet training as every child learns at their own pace and exhibits varying degrees of competence/eagerness. What we do is to look for the signs that your child is ready for toilet training and then we encourage their development from there. We also talk to you as the parent to let you know how they are going. Some children are really quick to learn toilet etiquette, while others take a bit longer. We will work with the child, at their pace to ensure the best outcome for them and their parents.
There will always be occasions when a child is upset. It can occur when they are relatively new to the centre, when they are sick or hurt, or just because they are feeling a bit down. Our staff are highly trained and can deal with almost any issue the child has. However, there is the very rare occasion when they just want their mother or father. In these cases, we will call you to let you know.
If your child is using nappies, then they will need an adequate supply. Most parents bring in a bag of nappies and replace this bag when their stock gets low. Every child has a cubby hole where their nappies and wipes are stored. When you are running low, we will place a note in your child’s lunchbox to remind you to restock. If you run out completely, we have a supply of nappies for your child to wear. We will replace the used nappies when you drop off more for your child.
You should supply enough food to last your child for the duration of time they are the Centre. This will differ based on whether your child is there for the full day or half day, their eating habits etc. Your child will go through periods where they will eat a lot more than normal – it is part of their growing process and can often take us by surprise. If this happens with your child, we have food at the Centre that they can eat. We will let you know if this happens. Bright Beginnings recommends healthy food options. You can view our Health Food Policy here.
Bringing toys into the Centre can have both positive and negative consequences and we take a pragmatic approach to this topic. There are times when your child might be desperate to show a toy to a teacher or a fellow student. This is ok. However, toys can get broken, misplaced or taken by another child and this is very difficult for us to monitor. What works really well is if the child brings the toy in, shows it to who they want to show it to, and then mum or dad takes the toy with them (or immediately places it in their bag).
Some children have a special blanket or soft toy that they like to have when sleeping. If this is the case, can you please let a teacher know so we can get if from your child’s bag when it comes to sleep and rest time.
We have Family Wall at Bright Beginnings where we encourage all families to provide photo’s of themselves, their wider family and their pets. The children love seeing their family during the day and will often walk up to the wall to wave at or touch the photo’s. It is a really easy way of providing comfort to your child.
It’s important to remember that your child will undergo a process of constant development. Every day they wake up, they will learn something new. At Bright Beginnings, our teachers will touch base with you on a regular basis. Dependant on what is happening at the Centre, this could be daily, every second day or at the very least weekly. We also encourage you to take time if you can and talk with the teachers as often as possible.
We also develop learning stories for your child which will be provided to you in hard copy and online. We hold regular parent night’s where we discuss the learning strands that are currently being explored, the theory behind these strands and the practical application of them. These are both formal and informal. It is also a great chance to relax and talk with our teachers in a social setting.
Finally, we have an open door policy where parents are always welcome in our centre. You don’t an appointment – just pop in and see us.
Every week, we deliver fantastic news, stories, event updates and general information to our parents, their families and also to those who just have an interest in all things related to childcare!
