At drop off or pick up time, I often get asked some great questions. Here are some of them...............

How do I find out about what my child is learning?

Each week your child's Lead Teacher (Mrs Childs, Mrs Vanessa and Ms Shelly) will post a Reflection on what your child's learning team has been exploring on Storypark.

Each fortnight a 'Living & Learning by Design' document will be posted to each learning community, projecting the learning for that fortnight. This document will hold invitations for families to become involved in various learning projects at the Centre and at home.

Throughout each term, documentation is interpreted to determine each child's co-construction of knowledge. This will be interpreted by the Educators and presented to you via your child's Storypark profile, written especially for them and sometimes by them.

Does my child drink during the day?

They sure do, and at lunch time we fill bottles up so that they have a full bottle for the afternoon. Children are encouraged to drink throughout their day and especially during eating times. We take the children's drink bottles with us everywhere in their Teams trolley and take them with us when we go to Big School.

Please only send water for your child to drink throughout their day.

Can my child have peanut butter or Nutella on their sandwiches?

Two of my favourite spreads that I have to eat on weekends as we are a 'Nut Free' Service. Due to having children with the risk of severe anaphylaxis response when coming into contact with nuts, we can not risk their exposure. We will prepare a sandwich with alternative spreads for your child if you happen to forget. It happens and we understand. A great alternative is 'WOW Butter' that you can get from Woolworths or Coles.

My child has lost their jumper, sock, shoe, drink bottle......happen to know where it might be?

Possibly and more likely if it has your child's name on it. Items are very easily returned if they have your child's name clearly written on them please. When items are found, they are returned to either your child's Communication Pocket or the bottom of your child's Drink Trolley. Items that have no name are placed in the Lost Property cupboard in the front entry and items either donated or removed at the end of each term. We support children in building their self help skills which will hopefully minimise the loss of their belongings.

Drop offs are sometimes hard, what can I do?

Please never feel like you are alone with this. As adults we do not always wake up ready to start our days, however we have learnt to implement strategies to get us going. For eg. Hit the snooze button, coffee first/then shower, go for a run, eat a good breakfast or grab a sneaky treat on the way to work. Children need access to strategies that will help to regulate them and at a young age regulation is done with another person til independent strategies are implemented. Ask your child when they are regulated what you could do to help them feel safe, happy and brave at drop off. Some suggestions:

A special handshake or goodbye ritual that involves movement.
Support your child as they unpack and engage in an activity with them for an agreed amount of time.
Find a special spot in the Big Garden to wave and blow kisses til they can no longer see you.
Bring along a toy (please speak to your child's Lead Teacher first) that they can access as a comfort when needed. We do not encourage toys to be accessible all day as it limits participation throughout the day.
Sew a button on the inside of their t'shirt that they can rub when they feel a big feeling.
Send along a family photo that they can refer to. An educator would love to know more about your family.

Leaving a crying child can be extremely hard and we understand this so will help you and your child. Even though you need to leave an Educator will remain with your child and I can guarantee you that within a short period of time they are off exploring. We will send you a 'child note' on Storpark later on in the day and you are more than welcome to call the Centre for a check in.

How often do you put sunscreen on my child?

We are a Sunsmart Service which means our policy and practices have been approved by the Cancer Council. Each day the UV rating is checked and shared with the children. Once the UV rating hits 3 our sunscreen in on. Sunscreen is provided by the Centre unless you are providing your own due to medical reasons. If so, the sunscreen product must have a chemist label on it and a Medical Agreement form signed by the family. Sunscreen is applied before we eat in the morning, at lunch time and before afternoon play at 3:30pm.

We encourage hat wearing all year round, however this year we have introduced a Curiosity beanie which can be worn on days where the UV is less than 3. Even the staff will be wearing them this year!

Do I need to pay for days that my child does not attend and can I swap days?

Due to the generosity of families being able to opt out of care without charge for 7 weeks of the year, accounts are charged throughout the term weeks according to your permanent bookings. Consideration is given to families who will be absent during the term for more than two weeks, but this must be negotiated with the Director.

To ensure we have consistency of staff and numbers, days can not be swapped.

Additional days can be added on a casual basis with the provision that child to educator ratio is maintained.

Our Afternoon Sessions are at capacity, and so care on a casual basis can only be offered til 4:30pm.

How do you guys do this everyday!

It's simple, we actually really like children and they make our lives brighter!

Parent Partnership Night