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Our Policies
We've written the main policies out as an A-Z (we're still trying to think of a better "X"!)
Aims and Objectives – At the Daisy Chain Nursery children are able to learn through play in a happy, safe and welcoming environment. We offer home cooked food and a beautiful garden for outdoor fun and learning.
Activities – The activities that we provide are designed to extend the childrens' knowledge and skills, and cover all aspects of the national curriculum. Our equipment is developmentally appropriate to the children in each room and meets BSN Safety standard.
‘All about Me’ books – All children over two years have an ‘All about Me’ book. It provides information to you about the activities that your child has participated in over the week, and gives ideas on how these activities can be extended to increase learning both at home and at nursery. There is also a section for you to write in so that you can let us know about any new interests your child has, their likes and dislikes out of nursery; anything that you think your child’s key worker may find useful when planning their development.
‘All about Me’ Baby book- This is the equivalent book for 0-2 years, which is completed daily and focuses more on the child’s routine. We have included a parent/carer communication section.
Birth
to Three Matters
– The government has introduced this framework to support children in the 0-3
year age group. It focuses on four aspects of development: A Healthy Child, A
Skilful Communicator, A Competent Learner and A Strong Child.
Staff will use these guidelines to plan developmentally appropriate activities for your child. We have plenty of literature on the Birth to Three Matters framework which we can share with you at any time.
Behaviour – All staff working at the nursery act as children’s role models. We encourage the children to be polite, by teaching them to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and to be friendly to everyone around them. A full copy of our behaviour policy is available on the Parents information board. Should you have any queries with the way we manage behaviour, please don’t hesitate to talk to us about it.
CRB
Checks – All
our staff have undergone enhanced police checks through the Criminal Records
Bureau. Any students or visitors to the nursery who do not hold current CRB
checks will be accompanied at all times by a qualified member of staff.
Clothing – Please make sure that your child is dressed in appropriate clothing when attending nursery. All of the children have access to paints, glue, sand, water, mud in the garden etc, so please keep this in mind when selecting clothes for them to wear. We do have a range of Daisy Chain t-shirts, jumpers and legionnaire hats embellished with the nursery logo, and very reasonably priced. Please ask for more details.
Cooking – We know how much children love to cook and we will include it as part of the curriculum. We hope that the nursery kitchen will become a key part of nursery life, so that we can encourage healthy eating habits early.
Conservatory – Our large conservatory will provide children with daily access to painting, water play, sand, woodwork and all types of messy play. The over two’s will also have their meals in part of the conservatory, otherwise known as the Rainbow Café!
Complaints – If you ever have any concerns with the nursery, please come and discuss your anxieties with your child’s key worker or a member of the management team. We operate an open door and phone policy, and would encourage you to give us any feedback on areas where we can improve our service. A full copy of the complaints procedure is available on the Parents Information board.
Child Protection- All parents and carers must be aware that we are obliged by law to inform Social Services if we have concerns about a child’s welfare. The safety of the children in our care may include a duty to share confidential information with others involved in protecting children.
Drop-In Sessions – On a regular basis, the nursery will invite parents or family members to come and spend time with staff and children at the nursery. This provides the opportunity for parents to meet other parents that they might not have met before and to see nursery life in action!
Equal Opportunities – We operate a strict equal opportunities policy that applies to both staff and children. Each child and adult is treated as an individual regardless of age, sex, colour, religion or ethnic background. A full copy of our Equal Opportunities Policy is available on the Parents Information board.
Foundation Stage – The children who are aged three and above follow the Foundation Stage Curriculum set out by Ofsted. The curriculum is divided up into six Early Learning Goals:
Knowledge and Understanding of the World, Creative Development, Physical Development, Mathematical Development, Personal, Social and Emotional Development and Communication, Language and Literacy. The Foundation Stage curriculum continues into the reception class when they start school.
First Aid – We encourage all staff to become First Aiders. There will always be at least one qualified member of staff on the premises. All staff are able to deal with minor injuries, such as a grazed knee. If your child requires first aid during the day an accident form will be completed and you will be asked to sign it when you collect your child.
Funding: How does this work? – The Government offers funding towards nursery fees, starting from the term after a child is three years old. Children must be registered with the nursery on the headcount day. Please ask the management team for more details. You are able to claim up to 5 government sessions a week (1 session equates to 2 ½ hours) for a maximum of 38 weeks a year. The funding deductions are clearly indicated on your monthly billing.
Free Flow Play – Free flow play offers children an element of choice. It helps them develop decision making skills and their independence. It is the role of the nursery staff to observe each child’s development, and present activities that will meet their next stepping stone on the curriculum. By observing children as individuals rather than as one age group we are able to progress each child along the curriculum at a rate appropriate to their ability.
Garden – We have a beautiful garden at the nursery, We will promote free flow play by providing activities outdoors that are usually associated with the indoors, e.g., dressing up, home corner and building bricks. In addition we can enjoy all the garden has to offer in terms of growing vegetables, learning about the plants and trees and watching the families of birds that are nesting, as well as taking in plenty of fresh air.
Home Visits – As part of our settling in procedure we offer the option of a home visit. This is so the child’s keyworker at the nursery can see the child in their natural home surroundings. Home visits also provide staff a chance to chat to parents about their child on a one to one basis, passing on any relevant information that may help settle your child into nursery.
Health and Safety – The health and safety of all the children and adults at the Daisy Chain is of paramount importance. All of the children’s toys and equipment are checked regularly for any breakages or faults. We have a comprehensive Health & Safety Policy which is available for all parents to read. Please notify us if you have any areas of concern.
Illness
– We ask that you do not send a sick child to nursery. If your child becomes
ill whilst at nursery, staff will contact you to come and collect your child. If
you are unable to collect your child, we will ask you to make arrangements for
your child to be collected. In the unlikely event of an emergency, we will
contact medical assistance first and then contact you. Our aim is to ensure your
child is never put at risk.
We operate an exclusion period of 24 hours if your child has diarrhoea and/or sickness. For other illnesses please contact one of the management team to discuss exclusion times.
If your child is prescribed antibiotics, please do not send them back to nursery until 24 hours after they have received their first dose and are well enough to be away from home.
We are only allowed to administer prescribed medicine.
Joining in – We encourage children to participate in all aspects of nursery life. As a parent we invite you to come into the nursery at anytime and participate in our activities.
Keyworker
System – All
children are allocated a member of staff as their key worker. This member of
staff is responsible for the home visit (if chosen), settling your child into
the nursery, making observations for your child’s development records and
planning appropriate activities. This staff member is your first point of
contact at this nursery.
Lateness
– The nursery closes promptly at 6.00pm. Under Ofsted regulations we must ensure
two members of staff remain with a child. If you are going to be late, please
let us know as soon as possible, so that we can make the necessary arrangements
for their continued care. A lateness penalty of £10 will be charged for children
collected after 6.00pm.
Medication
– If your child is on prescribed medication, then we are able to administer this
on your behalf, subject to you signing the medication book. If your child is
asthmatic and uses an inhaler, we need to keep a spare one at nursery.
All prescribed medicine must be clearly labelled with the child’s name and dosage required. Medication will be kept in a lockable first aid cabinet, out of the reach of the children.
Notice Period - A month's notice is required in writing if you wish to cancel their place or alter their days of attendance. Failure to comply with this notice period will render you liable for up to a month's fees.
Nursery Fees – Fees are due on the 1st day of every month. We accept payment by Standing Order or cheque, payable to Daisy Chain Nursery (Emsworth) Ltd.
Open Door Policy – If you have any concerns with the way the nursery is operating, please feel free to speak to a member of the management team at any time. We rely on the honest feedback of parents to ensure that we can continue to improve and exceed our high standards.
Outings – We will be organising outings for the children. Parents will always receive notification about this and a signed consent form will need to be completed. Occasionally, we may ask for a small contribution to help cover any transport that we need to hire.
Opening hours – We are open Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. We close between Christmas and New Year and on Bank Holidays. Fees are adjusted to account for these closure dates.
Parents in Partnership – This nursery provides many opportunities for parents and staff to communicate. We offer key worker evenings, drop-in sessions, pre-visits, home visits, ‘All About Me’ books and a parent’s information board.
Parking - Please exercise great care when using the car park. The Nursery cannot accept any responsibility for injury, damage or loss to persons, vehicles or property in the car park.
Pre-visits – Before your child starts at nursery, we offer two free pre-visits. This helps your child familiarise themselves with the nursery environment and is an excellent opportunity for you to meet their keyworker and other staff.
Qualifications – All room leaders hold an NVQ3 or equivalent qualification and have at least 5 years experience in a nursery setting. Our Nursery Nurses are qualified to a minimum of NVQ 2 or equivalent. Our staff access regular training and would be delighted to discuss their areas of expertise with you.
Registration
Form – If you
would like your child to join us, please complete and return the registration
form. Once a place has been confirmed we will require a cheque for
£130 to secure it. This covers the
registration fee of
£30 and a £100 deposit. Click here to request a registration form.
Sunshine
– During the summer months, please provide your child with a sunhat and
appropriate sun cream. We ask that you apply it before they start nursery, we
will re-apply it when they go outside.
Snack Bar – We provide a varied snack menu and encourage the children to pour their own drink of either milk or water.
Suggestions Box – If you have any suggestions for our nursery, please feel free to write these down and post them in our suggestions box in the office.
Transition to School – We are developing links with the local primary schools to make the transition from nursery to school as easy as possible for the children.
Upset tummies – Do not bring your child to nursery if they have an upset tummy, or are vomiting. Please allow a clear 24 hours from the last episode of illness before allowing your child to return to nursery.
Vouchers – The nursery is able to accept childcare vouchers. Please let the Manager or administrator know if you wish to use these to offset your fees.
Vegetable Patch – We are incorporating a vegetable patch into the garden so that the children can grow their own flowers and vegetables. If the vegetables are a success we hope to incorporate them into the lunchtime menu!
What you need to provide for your child – As part of registration we provide your child with a Daisy Chain Bag. Please use this each day to ensure we have a spare set of clothes (in case they get messy or wet) and a suitable hat. We ask parents to bring in enough nappies for the session; however we supply wipes and nappy sacks. Parents will need to supply formula until their child moves onto whole milk.
Wellies
– We would like the children to play in the garden in all weathers so would ask
that you provide a pair of wellies to put in our ‘welly greenhouse’. Please
remember to replace them when your child’s feet grow!
Waiting List – We operate a waiting list at the Daisy Chain and places are available on a first come, first served basis.
eXtra Sessions – If you require an additional session for your child, please see their key worker or the Administrator. Extra sessions will be billed separately to monthly fees.
Yummy
food!
Yummy Food - We know how important good nutrition is to the healthy development of our children, and nursery is the perfect place to start educating them about healthy eating.
The nursery offers a varied menu which operates on an 11 day rota to ensure that the children get to experience all our dishes. Those children who are at nursery for a full day will have access to at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables. The meals are prepared on site by qualified staff. All our sauces are made from fresh ingredients and we make all our own cakes and biscuits to avoid unnecessary additives. Click here to see the menu.
Our staff will eat with the children, encouraging them to try the food and engaging in conversation to make meal times a social part of the day. We will encourage the children to talk to us about the foods that they enjoy and would appreciate feedback from parents regarding the menu selection.
Zzzzzzzzzz – We have a separate sleep room for the 0-2 year olds. Children over the age of two who need a daytime sleep can rest in the Squirrel room where blankets and pillows are provided.
Thank you for taking the time to read our prospectus. If you have any further questions, please contact the nursery staff who will be happy to assist you.
Kayti & Sean Curtis
The Daisy Chain Nursery