The staff ratio is 1:3 as per the welfare requirements for babies aged 3 months-2 years.

All babies will be able to access all areas within the nursery as it is important that they are able to experience many experiences as well as socialising with the older children. The whole process is about what is best for your baby/ toddler and we will work with you as parents to make sure you are happy with the service we are providing. 

Key carer

Each member of staff acts as a key carer with special responsibilities for a small number of children, ensuring that the particular needs of every child are recognised through close observation and monitoring of progress. Your key carer will liaise closely with you, to provide individual care and attention for your child and give them security of continuity of care. A key carer has special responsibilities for working with a small number of children, giving them reassurance to feel safe secure and well cared for. Your child`s key carer will be introduced to you; your key carer will help settle your child. All information is held in strict confidence. All records or reports are available for parents to see and key carers are free for discussion as required. In Woodcroft Preschool the key carers wear the same coloured tops as their colour group and we have red, green, yellow and blue group babies are in lilac /Purple group.

We provide a caring and nurturing environment, our baby practitioners are here to support your family and baby whilst you are at woodcroft. They support you with any information you may need.  

Parent Visit

On your initial visit you will meet with either Tracie our manager, Claire our deputy manager or Carley our supervisor. You will be shown around the setting and you will be able to see where your child will play, eat, sleep, etc. You will also have the chance to meet your child’s key carer and you will be introduced to all of our members of staff. We encourage you to visit us as much as you can before your child starts so that your child will be familiar with our environment. We will aim to arrange your visit for a time that suits you and the visit can be as long as you need it to be. This time is not charged for as it is classed as a stay and play session.

Bottles, food and drink

A daily diary will be filled in each time your child attends our pre school.  Your child’s daily diary will include information about your child’s day such as; what they have done, what toys they have played with, times of nappy changes including whether the nappy was wet or soiled and what food they have eaten throughout the day.

You will need to provide your child with a packed lunch or you are able to buy a hot dinner for £3.00 per meal. Hot dinners are provided from Woodcroft Primary School and will need to be ordered by 9:30am on the day (term time only). We are able to heat food that is in the original packaging with manufacturers guidelines present if your child is weaning; such as, jars/pouches of baby food etc. Once weened hot meals are available to purchase.

If your child has formula milk, you will need to provide an unopened sealed tin of milk powder. This powdered formula will then need to stay on our premises and will be used to make your child’s bottle. After 4 weeks of the tin being opened, we will pass the tin back to you for you to dispose of.

All children under 2 years who have a bottle, will have their own induvial steriliser which will contain a bottle brush and sterilising solution. The solution will be changed every 24 hours and after each feed practitioners will wash the bottle using fresh hot soapy water and the bottle brush. The bottle will then be placed into your child’s steriliser.

We will follow health and hygiene practice and we will wash our hands before food preparation, before making any bottles or before bottle feeding your child.

Nappy changing

Staff will nappy change in the toilet area and there is a changing mat available.

The mat will be wiped before and after use with anti- bacterial spray and disposable cloths.

Staff will wear gloves for nappy changing and disposable aprons. All nappies will be disposed of in the nappy bin which is emptied daily. Nappies will be bagged before going into the bin. Staff will wash their hands after all the process is completed. Your child will be changed as and when needed and not as part of a ridged routine.

Personal items

Your child will have a labelled box, kept in our sleeping area. In your child’s box you are able to keep any personal belongings such as blankets, soft comforters, spare clothes, nappies and wipes. The box is yours for the duration of your child’s stay.

Dummies

If your child has a pacifier it will be stored in an individual dummy pot when it is not in use. Your child’s dummy pot will be labelled with your child’s name. If your child’s dummy is dropped on the floor it will be rinsed under fresh boiled water and given back to the baby ensuring that the dummy is cool and not hot.

Toys and equipment

Toys and equipment will be checked daily and toys whether donated or purchased will be to British safety standard. Toys will be cleaned daily and larger toys and equipment will be cleaned as part of a rota basis when there are no babies present. Toys will be washed in sterilising solution and water in accordance with manufactures recommendations.

Settling in

We offer free stay and play sessions. Stay and play sessions last for one hour as we hope to leave your child wanting more. During stay and play sessions you will be able to talk to your key carer about your child’s routine and inform them of any likes or dislikes. Your child will also be able to meet their key carer and they will be able to play with them. You can book as many stay and play sessions as you wish as we want you to feel comfortable and relaxed about your child staying with us.

Register

Staff members will sign your baby in and out on our daily register and these registers will be stored in the setting. All registers will be kept on the premises in line with our policies.

Collection of Babies

Your child will only be able to be collected by a parent/carer unless you have previously informed us that somebody different will be collecting your child. If a family member or friend wishes to collect your child then you will need to provide us with their full name and a password unless we have met them before.

We will only let your child leave the setting with your permission. If you need your child to stay longer this is not usually a problem, just give us a call and we will let you know if we have space.

First aid

If your child falls or has an accident in the setting this will be recorded on an accident form. You will be asked to sign the accident form when you collect your child and you will be informed of how the accident happened. If your child receives an injury such as a bump on the head, you will be informed by phone as near to the accident as possible. You will be informed if you need to collect your child.

Hospital consent forms will be signed on admission and consent for emergency medical treatment will be signed for in advance. If an injury was bad and needed hospital treatment or medical emergency treatment you will be informed, if we were unable to get in contact with you then we would contact an ambulance and a member of staff would go to hospital with your child.

Sleeping

If your child needs a sleep whilst they are in our care then this will be done as near to the time as requested allowing for feeding and nappy changing to take place as part of a natural routine rather than rushed or hurried.

Your child will be able to sleep in a cot or a bed depending on your preference. You will need to provide bedding for your child to use during nap times. We promote the use of sleeping bags during nap times to ensure that your child is safe and doesn't have any loose bedding in their cot or bed. Staff members will record the time that your child falls asleep and the time that your child wakes up. A staff member will be present in the sleeping area at all times.

Fire Evacuation

When the fire bell rings staff will be responsible for vacating the babies that are in the baby area, they will vacate through the nearest fire exit. The supervisor or manager will be last out of the building checking that all children are present (see separate fire policy). Fire drills will be carried out termly and these will be recorded and evaluated each time this is done in the fire log book. Fire exits are clearly marked within the room, there are 3 fire exits on either end of the room and one in the middle of the room giving access to the garden.

Risk assessments

These are carried out on a daily basis as well as monthly, all staff read and sign to say they have read and understood any the assessment and that they have understood any changes.

Safeguarding

All staff working with babies are safeguard trained and this will be part of their induction training.  Once staff are inducted they will have access to an on line safeguarding course via e learning. There is a safeguarding officer for the group and this is the supervisor and manager. These are the people that contact outside agencies if there are any concerns: bruising protocol for babies that are not mobile or a child makes a disclosure.

If your child has an accident at home you will need to fill in an accident form when you come to nursery this is in line with our safeguarding policy.

Medicines

Medicines can be given in line with our medication policy. Our policy states that medication must be prescribed by the doctor. Teething gels/liquids, pain relief for teething eg, paracetamol/ibuprofen and barrier creams for the nappy area are the only exceptions to this rule. If your child needs any form of medication you will be asked to fill in a medication form each time your child needs medicine, you will need to inform us of specific times to give your child the medication and we must follow pharmacy labels. You will be asked to sign the medication form when you collect your child. All medicines must be brought into the Pre-School sealed and in the original packaging with the guidelines present.

Outdoor Area

Our outdoor area is fitted with a secure fenced area and supervised by staff at all times. Our garden doors are open in all weathers so please provide appropriate clothing for your child. If water play is used your baby will have 1-1 adult supervision at all times.

You will need to provide your child with sun cream and a hat that is labelled with your child’s name. Staff will apply your child’s sun cream as frequently as needed. Sun cream and hats are to be worn in the garden at all times during sunny weather.

Development Profiles

Your baby will have a development profile and this will include observations and photos. You will be able to add any comments to the profile and you are more than welcome to sign your child’s profile out and take it home to share with friends and family. Your child’s profile is solely for you, and only you will be able to take the profile home. The pictures will only have your child in them and observations will only have your child’s name.

Illness

Babies are prone to minor sniffles and it is ok to send them in, if your baby seems unwell we recommend they stay away from the nursery until they are well again. If your child has sickness and diarrhoea, then your child will need to be away from our setting for 72 hours after the last bout of sickness or diarrhoea. This is to stop the spread of infection amongst the other children and staff members. This stops the risk of staff members becoming ill, or worse case we may need to close due to staff illness. We know this can be difficult if you are working or have things planned but an unwell child is an unhappy child and really needs to be at home with you having cuddles. Once your child is well again they can return to the Pre School. During this time fees are payable as we are holding a place open for your child. If your child is admitted to hospital then fees are not due for the period they are in hospital.