Parent Information Booklet

Welcome to See-saw Day Nursery. We know from experience that choosing childcare is never easy, so we have put together this little booklet to cover all those questions you may have. It is not intended to replace conversations with the nursery staff, so if you are at all unsure, please do ask - nothing is too trivial or silly - we're here to help you and your child to get the best from your time with us.

Page 2 Nursery information
Page 3 Meal times and allergies
Page 4 Illnesses and medication
Page 5 Accidents and injuries, Special Educational Needs
Page 6 Policies and procedures, compliments and complaints
Page 7 Parent Partnership
Page 8 Fees, vouchers, Early Years Grant
Page 9 What do I need to provide for my child?
Page 10 What will my baby/toddler do during the day?
Page 11 & 12 See-Saw Kindergarten and Pre-School

Nursery Information

See-Saw Day Nursery is registered with Ofsted to care for children aged 8 weeks to 4 years. As such we must comply with very strict staff: children ratios to ensure that at all times your child receives the very best care and attention. Ratios are:

Lambs Room: 0 - 1 year olds, 1 adult to 3 children
Ducklings Room: 1 - 2 year olds, 1 adult to 3 children
Ladybirds Room: 2 - 3 year olds, 1 adult to 4 children
Kindergarten: (Owls room) older 2 year olds & 3 year olds, 1 adult to 6 children
Pre-School (Kingfishers): 1 qualified teacher and a level 3 nursery nurse

The rooms are flexibly organised therefore the ages are only a guideline; your child is allocated to the room which best matches his/her needs.

We are open to receive children between 7a.m & 6p.m Mon-Fri. We do ask that you collect your child promptly, or if you are going to be unavoidably late, (it happens to everyone at some time!) please phone us so that we may make appropriate provision to look after your child. Persistent lateness cannot be accepted and we will charge £5 per every 15 minutes after 6p.m.

We are different from other nurseries in the locality as our Pre-School room is run by a qualified and experienced teachers. We pride ourselves on preparing your child for 'Big School' by encouraging independence, confidence and developing linguistic skills. Our big boys and girls wear our smart navy and yellow uniform bearing the See-saw logo. Younger children are welcome to wear the uniform, but can team the top with joggers or jeans to give a more casual look if parents wish.

Kindergarten Uniform
(Autumn & Winter)	(Warmer Weather)
yellow polo shirt	yellow polo & navy shorts (boys/girls)
navy sweatshirt	or girls may wear a yellow checked
navy trousers (boys)	dress with white ankle socks
navy pinafore (girls)
navy tights (girls)

Uniform is available at a very reasonable cost from the nursery. You are welcome to buy trousers, pinafores etc from local shops. Other items of uniform include our bright yellow book bags, legionnaire caps and navy fleeces. You will notice too that all our staff wear our See-Saw uniform. This is so that staff are easily identifiable to parents/ carers and children.

Meal Times

We endeavour to use fresh, local produce and ensure that a healthy balanced diet is achieved. We do not serve chicken nuggets and chips, rather try to educate children from their earliest days into healthy eating habits and encourage them to try foods from different cultures.

When weaning your baby, please speak to your child's special carer, so that we may follow your requirements. We make all of our own weaning foods, so you can be assured your little one is always receiving the very best nutrition that you can offer, without colours, additives, sugar or salt.

Meal times are viewed as a social occasion. Children are encouraged to say please and thank you and to use cutlery if appropriate. Lunch is a two course meal and tea is usually less 'filling', as many parents like their child to join in with their evening meal at home. A drink (milk or water) and healthy snack is served during the morning and afternoon session. Breakfast (included in the fees for full time children) is available at an extra cost (50p) and consists of cereal, toast and fruit. Water is freely available throughout the day. Each child receives a carton of milk per day. A sample daily menu is given below.

Morning snack:    Sultanas and apple cubes with water or milk

Lunch:                 cod in cheese sauce with matchstick vegetables followed by
                            raspberry crumble with custard

Afternoon snack: Pitta bread fingers and humous dip with water or milk

Tea:                     Assorted sandwiches, fromage frais and flapjack

Allergies

We take all allergies very seriously and ask that you work in close co-operation with us to ensure your child's health and well being. You must inform us of any foods you do not wish your child to eat for cultural, religious or dietary reasons.

These foods will be replaced with an alternative from the same food group (if appropriate) to ensure a healthy balance. We have a food allergy policy (available upon request) which details the steps we take to avoid giving your child 'unsafe foods'. Whilst recognising the nutritive value of nuts, it is nursery policy that nuts are not served in any foods. Staff do not eat or handle nuts whilst on the premises.

Parents of babies and toddlers will receive details of what their child has eaten in their diary. Please discuss any dietary concerns with your child's room leader.

Illnesses

If your child is taken ill whilst at nursery, we will contact you/other numbers you have given on registering. Our staff possess first aid qualifications, but we are not equipped to look after sick children. If, however, we feel the illness is serious and merits immediate attention, we will take your child to hospital/call an ambulance and remain there until you arrive. It is important therefore that you keep us updated with relevant contact numbers and health information, especially regarding allergies, immunisations, conditions and any treatment your child must not receive.

Please do not send your child to nursery if s/he is unwell with a temperature, diarrhoea or vomiting. After a stomach upset, we ask that your child is kept at home for at least 24 hours after the last incident or for two clear nappies.

If there is an outbreak of an infectious illness, we will display signs in nursery to warn parents to be alert for symptoms. During these times, please use the hand sanitiser provided. With the welfare of the other children in mind, there are minimum periods of exclusion from nursery which must be observed - we are happy to advise you of these.

Medication

See-Saw Day Nursery will administer certain types of medication to your child, provided that you give us written permission to do so. It is the parent's responsibility to ensure that sufficient medication is kept at the nursery and to order repeat prescriptions as necessary. Parents are also welcome to come into nursery to administer their child's medicine by negotiation with the room leader.

A register is kept of all medication administered and parents/staff will sign each entry in the medicines book.

If your child is prescribed antibiotics it is because s/he is ill, therefore we ask that s/he is kept at home for the first 24 hours. We know it is difficult for working parents, but it is unfair to expect a sick child to cope with the routines of a busy nursery and unfortunately staffing does not allow for a member of staff to be with one child at all times. Please do not ask us to make exceptions to this rule. We may be able to supply you with a qualified nursery nurse to look after your child at home (an additional cost would be involved) - please call us for details if we can help in this way.

In the case of certain medical conditions, we are unable to accept a child into nursery unless the staff are equipped to deal with the child's needs, therefore entry may be deferred until relevant staff training has been carried out.

When registering your child, your permission is sought for application of sun cream (SPF30+) and administration of liquid paracetemol. If it is necessary to give your child 'Calpol', we will try to contact you first in all but very serious cases, when you would be informed afterwards and asked to collect your child.

Upon request, we will apply teething gel and nappy rash creams (for a short period of time and at our discretion). Parents are asked to supply this and to give their written consent.

Accidents

We will treat any minor bumps and bruises, whilst keeping a careful eye on your child. You will be advised of the accident/treatment when you collect your child and you will be required to sign the accident book to verify that you have been notified. If a serious accident occurs, your child will be taken to hospital immediately and you will be informed as soon as possible.

Existing Injuries

Please advise a member of staff in your child's room on arrival at nursery, of any bumps, bruises, cuts (etc) your child has suffered at home. We are required to note any injuries found on your child.

Abuse

Staff are trained to be aware of the signs and symptoms of physical, sexual and emotional abuse as well as neglect. We have a duty of care towards the child and will report our concerns to the appropriate authorities. It is a condition of entry to nursery that parents are aware of our obligations in this respect.

Security

We have taken all reasonable precautions to ensure the safety of your child. We have a swipe card entry to the children's areas and have installed CCTV in the foyer. Additionally, our computer based management system can hold photographs of all people authorized to collect your child. Similarly, we must be informed if there is someone who must not collect your child. Sometimes, your plans change and you are not able to collect your child, please inform us upon arrival if it will be a different person. If you need to change your collector during the day, please ask for information about our password system. This ensures that your child will be handed over to the correct person at the end of the day.

Please note that we are unable to prevent a parent from collecting their child unless there is a court order in place - any queries regarding this should be brought to the manager's attention.

Special Educational Needs (SEN)

All children are welcome at See-Saw Day Nursery. A child may have difficulties (health and/or learning) which means that activities need to be altered in some way to allow the child to participate. For example, with a child who uses a wheelchair, we must ensure that resources are available at the child's level. For a child with learning difficulties, we start where the child is at and might have to simplify an activity to ensure that the child can participate. No child with SEN is ever discriminated against - we just work a bit differently to include that child. (A child who does not speak English is not classed as having SEN.)

If staff feel that a child may have a SEN (and up to 20% of children fall into this category at some point during their school years), you would be approached and our concerns would be discussed with you.

The nursery has a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) who has responsibility for this area and receives specialist training. We also have strong links with Lincolnshire's Birth to Five Service - in this way we can access the services of Educational Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists, Physiotherapists, etc who can provide us with a programme of specialised activities to follow. Of course, this is totally confidential and aimed at achieving the best possible outcome for your child. As you will understand, intervention at an early stage in a child's life can prevent later difficulties.

Policies and Procedures

The nursery has a comprehensive set of policies and procedures which form the basis for the safe day to day running of the nursery. Upon registration parents will be given the opportunity to view the Policies and Procedures file (on nursery premises). We advise that you take the time to do so. Parents are given copies of the more relevant policies. These policies are:

Parents as partners
Behaviour and sanctions
Special educational needs
Late collection
Complaints
Procedure for dealing with a child with a raised temperature/has been hospitalized

Compliments and Complaints

We are continually striving to achieve the very best care for your child. We employ only the very best staff who receive up to date and ongoing training. We invest huge amounts to ensure that your child uses high quality resources which are the envy of other nurseries. Experience tells us parents are happy when their child is happy and we will do our very best to exceed this expectation. Please tell us if we're getting it right - everyone likes a pat on the back!

We hope that you will not have cause to make a complaint, though you will receive the complaints policy detailing the procedure which should be observed.

Please do not be afraid to approach your child's special carer or the room leader/manager if you have a concern, no matter how small. We will do all we can to sort it out.

Parent Partnership

We appreciate that parents are busy people, but will extend a warm welcome to you at any time. We value the information you pass on to us as it enables us to care for your child as you would wish. In this respect, we need to ensure there are open channels of communication between everyone concerned in your child's care.

We keep detailed records on your child's achievements and progress. You are able to view these records at any time, though advance notice is appreciated as we can ensure that your child's special carer can be available to explain/discuss them with you. There will be regular opportunities to meet with nursery staff to discuss your child's progress or to attend nursery functions. However, please do not wait until these events if you wish to ask/tell us something. See your child's special carer/room leader whenever you feel it is necessary. If you are short of time, please make a note in your child's diary.

We welcome suggestions from parents; staff are happy to listen to and report ideas to senior management. There is also a suggestions box in the main entrance. You will receive our Parents as Partners policy upon registration.

Contacting us

There are occasions when you may wish to keep in touch during the day, e.g. when your child is settling in or returning after illness. We are happy to receive your calls at anytime. Our phone numbers are:
(01205) 359516 (main building) or (01205) 354832 (Pre-School)

You may like to know that we have a comprehensive website at:
www.see-sawdaynursery.co.uk

You can contact us through the website or e-mail us at: hello@see-sawdaynursery.co.uk

Fees

Fees are due monthly in advance. Our preferred method of payment is standing order. We do ask that fees are paid promptly and in full.

Fees are still payable if your child is absent from nursery as we need to keep your place open and maintain staffing ratios. In the case of protracted illness, necessitating long periods away from nursery, we may waive fees and fill the place on a temporary basis, with the understanding that the initial child may return at short notice. You are entitled to 2 weeks holiday at 50% discount. The Christmas closure and Bank Holidays are discounted at 100%. Of course, you may remove your child from nursery for longer periods, though we cannot discount the extra time.

If two or more children attend simultaneously and full time, we will discount the second and subsequent child's fees by 10%

A month's notice/fees is required when removing a child. The deposit paid to initially secure your place will be refunded when your child leaves the nursery, provided no fees are outstanding.

Vouchers

We accept Busy Bees (and most other) vouchers which may be used to pay your fees in the same way as cash. Parents order the vouchers from their employers, on a monthly basis, in advance. As you are giving up part of your salary in return for childcare vouchers, you do not pay National Insurance on them. We are happy to discuss the scheme with you employer as you can make substantial savings.

Other savings

Don't forget also that you may be eligible to claim Working Family Tax Credit (up to 70% of your costs). We cannot advise you on your claim, but will provide proof that your child attends See-Saw nursery. See our website for links to useful agencies.

Early Years Grant

We are registered to receive the Early Years Grant which entitles parents of 3 & 4 year olds to financial help towards nursery provision . Please see Kindergarten/Pre-School staff or the Manager for up to date information.

What do I need to provide for my child?

PLEASE LABEL ALL ITEMS PROVIDED

Babies (0-2): (most items to be stored in child's box)

sufficient sterilised bottles of made - up formula or breast milk. Please hand to a member of staff on arrival for storage in fridge.
change of clothes appropriate to weather.
nappies - we will supply a quality brand of disposable nappies and baby wipes. If you wish to use terries, soiled nappies will be bagged and handed to you when you collect your child.
lotions & creams - we are happy to use whatever you provide,
- outdoor clothing - we do like babies to get some fresh air during the day whenever the weather is appropriate. All-in-one suits are great and we really recommend them! Please remember hats for both extremes of weather.
comfort items - dummies, teddies, blanket, etc. if needed.
daily diary to be provided by nursery and filled in by parent/carer and staff

Toddlers (2-3): (most items to be stored in child's box)

change of clothes appropriate to the weather. If toilet training, please supply 3 sets of clothes.
outdoor clothing including wellies and hat. Wellies may be left at nursery if you wish.
nappies/pull ups - please discuss potty training with your child's keyworker when you feel it is appropriate to begin
comfort item for nap time if needed.
daily diary (as above)

Kindergarten and Pre-School:

plain white T-shirt and navy shorts, plimsolls (not trainers) for P.E. sessions (in a drawstring bag on peg).
older children will play outside in all but the worst weather, so please provide appropriate outdoor clothing, including wellies and hat. Wellies may be left at nursery if you wish.
change of clothes appropriate to weather.

ALL CHILDREN WEAR SOCKS INDOORS. PLEASE REMOVE SHOES AT THE DOOR AND PLACE BENEATH YOUR CHILD'S PEG.

What will my child do during the day?

From September 2008, all children in day care environments - nurseries, childminders, etc will follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) from birth until the end of their first year in primary school. The staff will be only too happy to explain the EYFS to you.

Lambs Room

Before your baby starts nursery, we will discuss your routine in detail, so that we may care for your baby according to your own routine. A special carer will be allocated to you who will be your baby's primary carer and will get to know him/her in depth, tracking the progress made and developmental milestones reached.

The day in the Lambs Room is flexibly structured, allowing for plenty of toys, games, songs and 'conversations' with our carers. Babies love to explore our treasure baskets which are full of safe, everyday natural objects - stimulating your baby's senses and encouraging him/her to explore the environment. Staff plan individual experiences for the babies based on observations of what interests each child - this could be musical instruments, sand play or examining their own reflection. Quiet times are important too - children sleep according to their own routines and will be encouraged to enjoy looking at a book or watch the leaves blowing on the trees with their special carer.

Ducklings Room

These children are just beginning to explore the world in an upright position and as such, need assistance to walk and waddle(!) The Ducklings room is equipped to facilitate this stage with many trundle toys and low level activities. There is always a book corner, construction toys, art media and a role play area available. Outside, in the garden your child can use the equipment and toys to gain strength and stamina before that well deserved nap!

Ladybirds Room

Anyone who knows a 2 year old will tell you tell you that they don't like change, therefore transition from the Ducklings Room to the Ladybirds Room will be a gradual process which occurs when the child is ready and in agreement with the parent/s and staff. Your child will have access to a wide variety of resources and encouraged to choose what they would like to do. There are always the 'old favourites' of sand and water play, construction and jigsaws to name but a few.

We like our toddlers to be as active as possible and they are encouraged to spend part of their day outside, choosing from riding a trike, pedalling a tractor, climbing, sliding, etc. Of course, there are opportunities to enjoy quiet times - in the garden observing the flowers, at group story time, or snuggled down on their own camp bed for a well earned nap. We are never too busy for the child who simply wants a cuddle - we like them too!!

When you are considering potty training your child, please discuss this with us so that we may follow your routine and make this as happy and positive a transition as possible. No child will ever be forced to use the toilet, but experience tells us that when your toddler sees other children trying, s/he can't wait to have a go! Our primary coloured, low-level toilets make it even more fun! We know that this process often takes a while and that along the way accidents do happen, so please send in lots of changes of clothes.

Planning documents are displayed on the wall in your child's room so that you are able to see what s/he will be doing during the course of the day. If you need an explanation of the documents, a member of staff would be only too pleased to help.

Kindergarten (Owls Room)

The See-Saw Kindergarten is home to the children who are three years old. These children are distinguished by their smart uniform (parents tell us that they find the uniform smart, hardwearing and allows their child to identify with being part of the See-Saw community).

Activities in Owls room build on what the child has already learned and start where the child is at. Some activities are planned in advance, others are spontaneous following the child's lead. The room has clearly defined zones to encourage children to develop every aspect of learning. Each zone is resourced with appropriate equipment which will challenge children to begin to work together to make connections and solve problems. Zones include: mark making, messy, problem solving, reasoning and numeracy, construction. All zones are available indoors and outdoors as we recognise that some children learn better outside.

Pre-School (Kingfishers Room

Pre-School is a separate building located across the nursery car park. Children who attend Pre-School are in their final nursery year before attending primary school. The room is set-up just like a Reception classroom with zones (as described above). Our teachers participate in a transition project which supports children in taking that big step into their primary education. We are happy to liaise with the Primary School of your choice to ensure a smooth transition between Nursery and 'Big School', though with the preparation your child will receive at See-Saw Nursery, you will usually find that s/he is ahead of expectations for a Reception child. In readiness for school, the day is slightly more structured, though children have every opportunity to engage in quality and sustained play.

See-Saw Day Nursery firmly believes that children learn best through play and when your child is ready, s/he will begin to recognise and write letters and numbers and read common words, through practical, play centred activities, based around the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children are encouraged to learn at their own pace, but all are expected to be courteous, thoughtful towards others and to comply with reasonable requests.

Dance and P.E.

Your child will participate in weekly dance/P.E. sessions. Children are taught how to remove and fold, then replace their clothes - a skill which many children initially find difficult. Each session has a theme and children are reminded about healthy living and the effects of exercise on their bodies.

Computers

Yet another example of our commitment towards providing the very highest quality childcare. Kindergarten and Pre-School each have a modern computer with lots of child friendly software. The computers are used to support your child's learning and to encourage independence; though adults plan sessions to extend your child's skills and understanding in this area.

Even though they do not have a computer the babies do not miss out, we have invested a huge amount on interactive learning toys which acknowledge your child's input by playing tunes, flashing lights or congratulating verbally. With this beginning, your child will be ready to tackle our grown up computers when they transfer to the next room.

Thank you for choosing See-Saw Day Nursery. We look forward to a long and happy partnership.