Other Information

General

• All Pre-School children share the same extensive outdoor environment. The programs are planned to allow use of the playground by each individual group as well as jointly on occasions, to allow interaction with older children and peers.
• Except for the Infants' Room, all the children have the opportunity to enjoy a weekly music program conducted by a qualified music teacher.
• We are a Sun Smart Centre. This means that all the children must wear hats whilst they are outside and our carers apply sunscreen (supplied by the centre) during the summer months.
• Towards the end of each year, a transition program commences where the children moving up into the next room are introduced to that room for short intervals. This helps the children tremendously in adapting to their new environment the following year.
• A parent or representative from each family is requested to attend one working bee per year. Working bees are held on either Saturday or Sunday morning from 9.30am to 11.30am.
• As a community based centre, we encourage parents to take an active role by supporting fund raising activities, joining the Committee of Management or participating in one of the many sub-committees.

Our Carers

We provide trained childcare professionals in all our rooms. Each room has a trained early childhood professional who is in charge of the room and is responsible for the weekly planning and implementation of activities, as well as ensuring that their room caters for the needs of the children.

All our carers are experienced professionals who treat the children with the care and warmth they deserve. The majority of our carers have first aid certificates and there is always a staff member with a level two in first aid on duty. The majority of our carers are also trained in Emergency Asthma Management.

Meals

All meals are prepared daily, on-site in our modern industrial kitchen, by a qualified cook. The meals are planned weekly and displayed on the notice board in the entrance foyer. Your child will be provided with a well balanced diet from each of the five food groups - requests for 'seconds' are also accommodated! The following schedule outlines the types of meals provided on a daily basis:

Morning tea: 8:30am

toast, fresh fruit and milk
 

Morning tea: mid-morning (Pre-School Room only)

fresh fruit
 

Lunch: 11.00am to 12.30pm (Lunch time is different for each room.)

a hot main meal and dessert
 

Afternoon tea: 2.00pm to 3.00pm and late snack at 4.00pm

ranges from sandwiches, fresh fruit, cheese & biscuits and milk. (The selection will vary depending on each room.)

Any food allergy that your child may have will be generally catered for however, in some cases, if they have a strict special diet you will need to provide their food. This would need to be discussed with the Director. Our menu plans are periodically reviewed by an approved nutritionist.

Due to health and food regulations, our policy is not to allow food to be brought into the centre except for birthday cakes, provided that they are prepared using the Centre's Birthday Cake recipe, as it must meet our Nutritional Policy.

Sick Children

A policy exists within the Centre that excludes sick children from attending childcare.

If your child becomes sick during the day, we will contact you and ask that you come and collect them. If contact cannot be made with yourselves or the emergency contacts, then the Director or the person-in-charge has the right to seek emergency medical/ hospital or ambulance service. All medical costs will be the responsibility of the parents.

Social Activities

As a community based centre, we enjoy providing and hosting social occasions for our families to get to know each other.

Our social calendar generally offers an activity every two to three months and comprises events such as Mothers/Fathers Day breakfasts, Grandparents Day, a Family Day at a local venue, Film nights, etc.

We encourage families to participate in these activities, and where possible to lend a helping hand, so that our strong community spirit remains supported.