Your First Day
We are so pleased you have decided to join us. The initial settling in period can be a bit daunting for both you and your child – that is why we here at ABC Grey Lynn have an extended transition time. Please feel free to ask the teachers or myself if you have any questions or concerns.
What your child needs to bring:
Your child will have a basket which needs to contain the following:
- Three sets of spare (named) clothes.
- A sunhat / warm hat (depending on the season).
- Pre-prepared (named) bottles of formula if required.
- Nappies, nappy creams, repellant etc (with written permission) if required.
- A comforter if required.
Please leave other toys at home as they can get lost or damaged.
What to do on during your child’s two week transition period:
Your child will be assigned a primary care giver. Your child’s primary care giver will work very closely with you over these two weeks and can help re-orientate you to the centre, show you where things go, let you know what the procedures and routines are and answer any questions or queries you may have. I will also work closely with you and will check on your child’s progress regularly.
What to do in the mornings
- Complete the sign in sheet located in the office to the right as you come in. During your child’s transition time you can practice this by adding their name at the bottom of the sign in sheet with ‘VISITING’ next to it. From your child’s first official day, you will scan your child’s name on the sign-in sheet.
- Your child’s basket will be ready to use. Please check this frequently and change clothes etc when needed. Also check your child’s nappy stock (if you’ve chosen to provide nappies).
- If your child needs medicine, fill out a medication form (located in the Medication Form Folder which is kept in your child’s room) and hand the named medicine to a staff member.
- Hand pre-prepared bottles to Alys (our wonderful cook) or pop them in the Whare fridge.
- Approach a teacher and let them know about your child’s night / morning and any important information i.e. medicine / early pick up etc.
- To help with the initial separation it’s best to say something like, “Bye, I’ll be back this afternoon” rather than leave unnoticed. It is also important to make this separation practice consistent each day to ensure your child knows the routine. Please feel free to discuss the separation process with me or the staff in your child’s room.
What to do in the afternoon
- Complete the sign out sheet and scan your child’s name on the bar code sheet.
- Check your parent pocket in the office for any notices or invoices.
- Collect your child’s belongings that may need to go home or be replaced.
- Collect formula bottles and medicine (if applicable).
- Check daily notices and the day’s activity sheet located in your child’s room. If your child is under 2 check their nursery chart or bathroom board to see when they slept, when they had a bottle etc.
- We really encourage you to have a chat with a teacher to find out more about your child’s day and to update them on anything that may be affecting the child i.e. dad is away for work etc.
- Find your child – if they haven’t found you already!
Special Achievement Portfolios and our Policies
- Your child has a portfolio which chronicles their achievements and learning stories. We encourage you to review and contribute to it on a regular basis. Please ask me or any of our teachers how you can contribute. The portfolios are kept in your child’s room.
- All of our policies are kept in the Policy Folder which is located on the small desk, to the left in the office. You are welcome to view these at any time. Your feedback is appreciated.
Routines
Your child’s routine will be kept as close to what s/he has at home as possible. We will work closely with you to develop his/her routine and will converse with you before we make any changes with sleep times, bottles etc. Expect phone calls surrounding your child’s routine in the first weeks of their enrolment.
Programming
You will often hear us talk about ‘programming’ and see displays up on the walls. Programming is the focus of children’s learning and is based on the needs and interests of individual children or groups of children. You will be officially informed of developing projects and planning in the monthly newsletter.
For example, some of our children may develop an interest in aspects of nature. So we support and guide the children’s learning around this by doing research, discussing ideas at mat times, encourage you to share natural items from home, explore in the garden etc.
Additionally, we encourage you to get involved and help continue this learning at home. To find out more feel free to talk to me or any of our teachers.
Don’t forget…
We encourage you to call and check on your child. We understand that it’s hard for parents to leave their child with us, and often it’s more upsetting for the parents than the child! So please feel free to call us as often as you need – we will also call you with updates.
And finally…
Welcome! We look forward to working with you to help your child develop, grow, learn, laugh and make friends.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to talk to me.
Kind regards,
Carolyn Mansfield,
Centre Manager