GENERAL CENTRE AIMS:

We aim to provide an environment where success, happiness and creativity are not bounded.

We aim to create a positive environment where families and staff enjoy coming to and can establish growing relationships.

We aim to develop programs and extra-curricular activities that facilitate educational development and high quality care.

We aim to create a centre where children, families and staff members from different racial, cultural, religious, educational and socio-economic backgrounds feel welcome.

We aim to develop strong relationships between staff and families where each child's progress receives input from the home and school environments.

We aim to provide high quality customer service. Our families are valued as individuals and your satisfaction and trust of the delivery of our service is important to us.

FOR CHILDREN:

We aim to provide a happy, safe, caring, supportive environment where children are encouraged to express their creativity without the restraint of boundaries.

We aim to provide children-centred educational programs that build on the strengths of each child and further develop their growth in the appropriate areas.

We aim to develop programs that facilitate growth in the areas of cognition (which includes language and literacy, mathematics, science and technology), social-dramatic play, physical, fine and gross motor.

Through detailed observations and careful programming, we aim to provide children with a relaxed and caring atmosphere where they can develop a secure sense of self-identity.

We aim to prepare children for the formal education experience offered in primary school through our school readiness program. We aim to introduce the structure of formal education in an environment that the children feel comfortable and secure in. We aim to facilitate through our strong relationships with local schools. The children will be able to experience time within primary schools to ease the transition between early childhood education and formal primary schooling.

We believe that children learn best through play and thus aim to develop programs that teach children through play experiences.

We understand that each child is unique and special. We have a programming process that enables us to plan experiences that cater to the interests and needs of each child.

We aim to provide a service where children with special needs are included and integrated into all our programmed experiences. We aim to provide an open and welcoming centre where all children are loved and cared for equally.

FOR FAMILIES

We aim to involve parents and teachers in the children's educational experiences through regular informal meetings, tri-annual parent-teacher interviews, parent committee meetings, the organisation of centre in-house excursions and daily conversations.

We aim to provide parents with a multitude of opportunities for feedback on the centre, the staff and their child/ren's educational development.

Through regular communication between parents and teachers, we aim to gain parent input into the children's programs and other centre experiences.

We aim to include parents in the development and revision of centre policies through the establishment of regular parent meetings.

We aim to provide parents with regular updates on their child's progress as well as centre events through a monthly centre newsletter. Information exchange will also occur through meetings and parent pockets.

We aim to conduct regular information evenings to ensure that parents are aware of the programs being implemented within the centre. For example, School Readiness Information Evenings, Programming Information Evenings etc

We aim to provide a service with a high level of customer service and an atmosphere where families of different backgrounds feel welcome and special.

We aim to provide a physically safe and hygienic environment in order to foster better health.

FOR STAFF:

We aim to employ staff of a high calibre whose interests are in nurturing the talents of each child, who can demonstrate a firm understanding of child development and an irreplaceable enthusiasm when working with children.

We aim to establish a team that will respect each family - we will respect their interests, their backgrounds and provide a service where each family has a strong and happy relationship with the staff.

We will demonstrate a respectful level of confidentiality and professionalism.

We aim to provide a safe and hygienic environment to promote physical and mental well-being.

We aim to provide a welcoming work environment where staff members are encouraged to grow, develop and extend their creativity.

We aim to provide a team of professionals that understand and will deliver a challenging program for all children within the service.

We aim to encourage staff professional growth through monthly staff training programs and in-service programs.

We aim to foster a positive and professional culture within the centre where each staff member is respected and has great values amongst the work environment.

We aim to recognise the skills and talents of each staff member. We believe that the high quality service of the centre is the result of a highly professional and satisfied team and as such each member makes a unique contribution to the atmosphere of the centre. We encourage staff members to exchange ideas and welcome innovative changes. We aim to nurture an atmosphere that encourages mutual learning.

We aim to establish a team that will maintain open communication channels with families to ensure that progress made in the home environment will be extended upon within the centre and vice versa.

The first day in a new environment can be quite daunting and yet exciting for a child.

There are new faces, new surrounds, new rules and new expectations.  At Young Achievers Early Learning Centre, we endeavour to ensure that your child's first experiences at the centre are positive and happy.  To achieve this, we feel it is important to provide the child with an opportunity to meet staff and children in a manner which is non-threatening.

Our orientation days will help familiarise children and their parents with the daily routine and activities.

Procedure

Upon confirmation of a child's enrolment at the centre, the Director will discuss with the parents the opportunity to visit the centre for "lead-up" visits.  These visits can be as short as a few hours or as long as one or two days if the parent or Director deems necessary.

A parent will attend with the child on days and times mutually agreed between parents and the Director.

In order to maintain our staff - child ratios, parents will be required to remain with their child for the duration of the visit/s.

The child will be encouraged to participate as fully as possible in the routine but staff understand that many new children will prefer simply to watch.

Staff will show children and parents the daily timetable and program, the child's locker, toilet area and the information boards.

No fee will be charged for lead-up visits.

THE FIRST WEEK

The Director will recommend that parents pick their child up early for the first few days.  This will assist in reassuring the child that his/her parents will return to collect him/her.

A selected staff member will take the main responsibility for welcoming the child each morning and assisting him/her in settling.

The child's teacher will complete a "My first day" form for the parents.

Rest routine will be explained in detail and the child will be encouraged to bring a security item (i.e. Favourite toy etc.) for rest time.

Whilst children are generally not encouraged to bring toys and personal items to the centre, new children will be allowed to bring a soft toy to hold onto until he/she is settled.

The child's teacher will provide daily feedback to parents in regards to the child's day.

Staff will actively encourage parents to ring as often as they wish throughout the day to check on their child.

It is the policy of the centre that you should follow the "What to Bring List" in order that you will counter a smooth transition enrolment period.

Please ensure that you follow the "What not to Bring" list to ensure the safety and comfort of other children with in our care.

It is the policy of the centre that Young Achievers Early Learning Centre provides an exclusive education program which focuses on building a foundation of early literacy and numeracy. We achieve this by our small group learning where the children are divided into smaller groups so that each child is able to benefit from a more personalised teaching method.

Young Achievers Early Learning Centre recognises that play is an important part of all children's development however, we also strongly believe that specific times should be set aside for structured learning. This is so that children can be familiar with structured learning and provides them with an opportunity to build on their attention span. This method will also prepare the children for the expectations of primary school. Our educational policy also involves constant consultation with parents. We hope to have parent involvement and support in the development of these policies and programs.

Aim:

1.       Upon enrolment your child will be assigned a focus teacher.

2.       Each day, the teacher and his/her focus children will participate in small group learning.

3.       Small group learning involves:

a.      A carefully planned program based on observations of your child's areas of strength and areas that require development.

b.     A more personalised teaching method (as teachers are able to tailor their style to suit the small number of children in their group).

c.      A program that ensures that each child achieves a minimum standard in concept learning. Though the specific methods of each teacher will vary according to the interests of the children in their focus group, we will ensure that each child will receive the same education.

d.     A program that is based on parent input as we believe that parents are able to provide an invaluable perspective on their child's strengths, interests and developmental profile.

It is the policy of this centre to focus on school readiness for children within the preschool group. Parents shall be consulted and advised on what is expected to assist their child/ren to prepare them for primary schooling triannually.

Procedure:

A school readiness pack shall be given out at these meetings. The centre shall seek the parents' input and follow up on parents' requests to tailor for their child's learning.

Parents will be given a checklist in order to assist them in evaluating their child's personal abilities and will help parents to honestly determine whether their child/ren is ready for primary school.

Each child will be given a written summary from their focus teacher. The summary shall place your child's progress on a developmental continuum to indicate their school readiness level.

Prior to enrolling your child for primary school it is encouraged that you consult your child's focus teacher on their development. This is to ensure that children will not feel disadvantaged in their kindergarten year if they are not cognitively, socially or emotionally ready.

It is the policy of this centre to welcome all family involvement. Our open door policy invites families to be actively a part of our learning experiences. We believe that your presence within the centre will enrich our children's learning experiences and helps draw you close to your children's development even though our world restricts us through career commitments.

Procedure:

At any time you wish to be a part of our centre's daily learning experiences, please notify your group leader or centre director of your availability and involvement you wish to offer.

We value your input and constructive comments, therefore, we have provided Parent Input Forms regarding our centre policies, menu, program and centre presentation. A suggestion box for these forms and other general comments are available in the foyer and in each of the teaching rooms.

We endeavour to hold centre events such as Grandparents' Day, Morning Tea and Afternoon Tea. We hope that parents and guardians will enhance the festivities of these events by attending.

Accreditation is a very important process of our centre's growth and improvement. It is vital that all families take part in the accreditation process thereby we would like to invite all families to attend the accreditation council meetings within the centre. The purpose of these meetings is to evaluate the different principles of the accreditation areas. At these meetings we will discuss all the accreditation areas in fine detail. The centre director will report to the council group of the centre's progress in working towards these accreditation areas. The centre director will then ask families to support and evaluate where the centre is at and perhaps set short term goals to achieve high quality standards for all of the accreditation areas.

Please remember that this process is all about improvement and your input can only benefit your child's daily experience at the centre. It is our aim always to provide high quality care for your precious gemstones (children). We will put in 110% to strive for high quality. We ask for your support to validate that our centre's personal self study is true and correct.

A Parents and Friends Group (P&F) will be established where parents and guardians are able to meet with the centre director once a month in an informal setting. At these meetings, we will discuss our daily operational issues, report on our centre's achievements, set short term and long term goals for the centre. Also, this provides an informal gathering where families can get to know each other to build on their children's friendship circle within the centre.

Children with special needs will not be discriminated against with regard to enrolment into the centre. Depending on the expertise and facilities of the centre and its staff, we may advise that our centre either can or cannot sufficiently provide the required care for the child.

The centre has access to a pool of special needs workers called *SUPPS WORKERS funded by the Federal Government.  These workers will assist staff with the integration of special needs children and compile an individual program for each child and work on a one to one basis with the child and parents.

Our centre will treat each child as an individual and will support his/her own special needs.

There will be inservice training opportunities for all staff on particular needs throughout the year and staff will be encouraged to attend.

* The availability of SUPPS WORKERS is subject to the continuance of government funding.

It is the policy of the centre that the centre operational hours is governed by the Department of Community Services which stipulates the operational hours in which the centre is licensed to operate.

Our operational hours are:

Monday to Friday 7am to 6pm

Procedure

The centre will be opened at 7am and not earlier.

Children must be signed-in and personally handed over to a staff member upon arrival.

All children must be picked up by 6pm and no later. Should you or your family encounter an unexpected emergency or is held up due to unforeseen circumstances and it is not a regular occurrence, you must notify the centre by telephone to notify the centre staff of your current situation and inform staff of your expected arrival time. A late fee will be charged regardless of the situation due to the staffing costs that are incurred after operational hours.

It is the policy of the centre that all fees must be paid prior to enrolment and a separate two weeks bond should be paid upon the first day of enrolment.

All fee payments shall be transacted through ezi-debit which families will need to fill out and authorise.

Procedure:

All fee payments will be made through ezi-debit. E.g. if your child is enrolled on Monday, on that first day you must pay your two weeks bond and the fees for that week.

Each week, on a Friday, the fee will be debited from your nominated account.

A monthly statement will be issued. Please check all statements and please make an appointment to speak to the clerical if you should have any questions regarding your monthly statement.

For families who are seeking family assistance, you must provide the centre with a letter from Centrelink addressed to the centre instructing the centre to charge your family at a certain percentage of family assistance allocated to your family. If the centre does not receive the percentage notice by mail, the centre needs to charge you the full amount of fees until such notice is received. Once the notice is received, the account will be readjusted and you will receive a statement in credit.

Late Fees:

Late fees shall incur a $20 penalty charge and if payment is not received by the following week, your child's position shall be terminated. Should your family be experiencing extreme difficulties, please speak to the centre director.

Two weeks notice should be given if your family requires any changes regarding enrolment changes, e.g. change of days of attendance, terminating of care. If you do not provide the centre with a two weeks notice your bond will be forfeited.

Aims

 

To ensure that a healthy, nutritious and balanced menu is provided by Young Achievers Early Learning Centre.

To provide an eating environment that recognises family and multi-cultural values.

To teach children about nutrition.

 

Rationale

 

Nutrition in early life is an important factor for growth and development and for health later on.

A healthy eating pattern is a foundation for good health throughout life.

Children attending Young Achievers Early Learning Centre will consume at least 2 meals and three snacks per day whilst at the centre (breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, late afternoon tea).

Implementation

The Menu

 

For all children attending Young Achievers Early Learnign Centre, the menu must provide at least half othe  Recommended Dietary Intakes IRDI's) for all nutrients.

RDI's are the amounts of nutrients which will meet the daily nutritional needs of most children.  The amount of food needed each day will vary with the age, size, and activity level of each child.

 

The minimum number of serves which will meet at least 50% of the RDI's for children up to 5 years of age is described in terms of food groups.  Foods are divided into groups according to the major nutrients they provide.

When planning menus, the minimum number of serves for each group must be met - Refer to Attachment 1.

 

Reduced fat and skim milks will not be offered at Young Achievers Early Learning Centre because it is difficult to meet the energy needs of children without using full fat milk.

However, specific medical requirements (which may incorporate skim milk) will be provided.

Other

• Menus will be planned using the Nutrition Checklist for Long Day Care Menu Planning.
• Milk will be served with morning tea (and more often if necessary to meet RDI's).
• All dairy products will be full cream.
• Where alternatives to milk are necessary, only soy milks that are fortified with calcium will be used.
• Water will be readily available to all children at all times.
• Fruit juice will be diluted with water 50:50.
• If children have not eaten their main meal, they will still be offered dessert.
• Parents of children on special diets will be asked to provide details of food needs.
• Children will be encouraged to get ?hands-on' experience in food preparation in order to teach them about food and nutrition.
• Recipes and food awareness activities will be chosen from a variety of cultures.

Special Diets

 

Special diets include children with food allergies, cultural restrictions and vegetarians.

True food allergy - this is only caused by certain proteins found in eggs, milk, peanuts and fish.

Food Sensitivity - is the intolerance to natural or added chemicals in foods.

Vegetarians - Where requested, children on Vegetarian diets will be accommodated for.  Dairy (eggs, cheese etc.) and Legumes should form the basis of vegetarian meals.  As the small amounts of iron that occur in plant food is poorly absorbed by the body, food rich in Vitamin C should be served with non-meat meals.

Cultural Restrictions - Where children have specific restrictions, appropriate alternatives will be provided for.

 

Parents will be requested to have their child seen by a professional before requesting an allergy diet.  The centre will provide as many of such foods where possible but parents may be requested to provide some of these foods.

Parents will be requested to supply detailed written information on specific foods that their child can or can't eat.  This information must be reviewed and updated every 6 months.

 

The environment

• Staff members will sit with the children during meals and share the same food.
• Children should be seated in small groups at meal times in order to foster social and language development.
• Food will not be used as a form of punishment either by its provision or denial.
• In helping children develop appropriate meal time behaviour, staff will use positive methods of guidance and redirection.  Food will never be used as a punishment.
• A certain amount of experimenting with food is to be expected from young children.
• Where possible (and appropriate), children will be involved in the preparation of food, setting the tables and clearing away the dishes afterwards.
• Transition activities will be provided for older children who finish their meal early.
• Particular cultural groups have different child rearing practices and expectations. Strict codes of behaviour and collective family needs may be valued above individual needs.  Staff must be aware of different parental expectations and support such practices in order to make all children feel comfortable.
• Food awareness activities will be included in the centre's program.

Food Safety

• Gloves will be worn or food tongs used by any staff directly handling cooked food.
• Staff and children will wash their hands before and after handling food or eating meals and snacks.
• All food will be stored and served at safe temperatures (refer to attachment 2 - Safe Food Handling and Storage).
• A copy of Dietary Restrictions detailing which children cannot eat specific foods will be attached to each food trolley for quick referral
• A copy of the weekly menu will be on display for parents to read.
• As the centre provides all food, children will not bring food from home.
• Children will not share eating utensils or food.
• Children will not be permitted to eat food which has fallen on the floor or use dropped utensils.  Older children should be encouraged to return dropped cutlery for washing before choosing a clean one.
• Milk must only be heated once (via hot water NOT microwave) and unused portions refrigerated immediately.

Parents

• Parents will be encouraged to make suggestions on the current Policy and Menus.  Staff will include these suggestions (where possible) when reviewing the policy and updating menus.
• Parents will be advised when their child is not eating well.
• Parents will be invited to at least one food occasion each year.
• Parents of children on special diets will be asked to provide details of food needs.
• The centre will provide Leaflets/Pamphlets pertaining to a variety of Nutrition issues for parents. 

References

* Nurturing you child's healthy development - Australian Dairy Corporation 2001.

* Caring for children - Food, Nutrition and Fun Activities (3^rd edition) C. Burney, L.  Williams.

It is the centre policy that we provide families with a personalised communication pouch. The pouches will be placed in your child's bag. A communication book will be attached in the pouch should families that cannot attend the centre to pick up their child/ren and uses other extended family/friends to commute children to and from home.

It is our aim to communicate to our families personally and eliminate notes or written communicate as we would like to give you the personalised customer service. Should, however, you need to write in your child's communication book, please ensure that upon arrival of the next morning, the person who is dropping off your child hands the communication book personally to the centre staff requesting the particular staff to hand it to the appropriate teachers. Please do not assume that the teachers will read the communication book if it is left in your child's bag. To ensure that the communication reaches the right person, this method of handing over will ensure the right recipient receives the message.

We will use the communication pouch to also store other centre notices such as the centre newsletter, ?homework', monthly statements etc.

For those families that have access to the internet and those whose work allows email access, please provide your work or personal email address so that we can send newsletters and various notices to inform you of the centre's events and health alerts.

Young Achievers Early Learning Centre will encourage parent input and feedback through a variety of centre activities, written materials and ongoing interactions with them.

The avenues of communication which will be provided by Young Achievers Early Learning Centre will include the following:

Parent Meetings

• Parent and Friends
• Parent/Teacher meetings
• Fundraising
• Talks by community members

Parent committees will aim for parents, staff and other interested persons to work together in their complimentary roles.

Such committees will define the philosophy and goals that guide the program, the style of interactions and various other activities conducted by the centre.

Written feedback

• Sign in/out attendance books with space for parent or staff comments.
• Whiteboard (Daily) Room Feedback Charts (i.e. ?What we did today', changed daily).
• Sleep/eat charts (changed daily)
• Room notice boards (includes copy of weekly program and other ?room' notices).
• Daily Routine Information Sheets (6wks. - 12mths.).  Parents will record important information regarding previous meals and sleep times so that staff can make informative decisions about the child's needs each day (recorded daily).
• Menu Board (Reception)
• Newsletters (published periodically) - These will provide Parents with an overview of centre events, important dates and reminders, policy reviews and helpful information.
• Reception notice boards - changed regularly to reflect upcoming events, parent reminders and changes to policies etc.
• Progress reports for individual children - (one mid-year report per child per year in Cubs and Monkeys. Mid-year and end of year reports will be provided for those children in the Giraffes Room).
• Individual Observations - staff will maintain records on each child's development.  Parents may request to see these at a mutually agreed time with the room leader.
• Children's Information Folders - Fee receipts, newsletters and other information will be placed in individual folders whenever necessary.
• Parent Information stand - A range of pamphlets and other written resources for parents to take away.

Other

• Social nights - Parents will have the opportunity to meet other parents at various social evenings held throughout the year.

Parents should acknowledge that staff may not by able to speak at length about their child on a daily basis due to supervision requirements.

Parents will always be encouraged to seek further information about their child's development by arranging a time mutually agreed upon with the relevant staff member.