What to wear

• Comfortable clothes that your child finds easy to remove when going to the toilet.  
• Preschool can often involve messy/wet play, so older clothing is best – with a spare set in their bag.
• Outdoor play is part of our daily activities so please make sure that your child is appropriately dressed for all weathers
• Sun hats and sun cream to be provided in the summer months with sun cream applied PRIOR to the sessions. If your child is with us for the entire day please send them in with a clearly labelled bottle of sun cream for staff to administer after lunch.
• Please label ALL clothing, it's so important so your child doesn't lose their items plus it will help them to learn and recognise their name and become independent in handling their belongings.

Fees and late payments

• Your child's sessions are a contract with us and fees are payable whether the child attends or not. Please see Mrs Morgan or Miss Sokell if you find this arrangement difficult for any reason. A four-week paid notice period is required should your child need to leave this setting.

Refreshments

• Milk is provided free for each child under the age of 5.  
• The preschool will provide water/fruit and healthy savoury snacks. We ask parents/carers for a contribution to cover this cost.  All snacks provided will be nutritious, to promote an understanding of the importance of healthy eating.  Please see our snack page.
• We ask that parents/carers provide a suitable water bottle (labelled) containing water only for their child so if they are thirsty at any time they can help themselves.
• Children’s individual medical, personal, dietary & ethnic needs will be respected.
• We are a NUT-FREE setting.  Please do not send in any foods with "contains nuts" or "may contain nuts".
• If your child stays for the lunch session, parents/carers are required to supply a small packed lunch containing healthy foods.  We have guidance available on request.

Collection of your child

• Your child should be collected promptly at 12:00, 12:30 (if staying for lunch) or 15:30. If for any reason you or anybody collecting your child is going to be delayed, please inform the office immediately. If you know that someone different from the usual list will be picking up your child please notify staff when dropping off your child or telephone preschool as soon as possible and we will give you a password for them to collect the child, if we have not met them before.
• If you are late collecting your child from any session you will incur a charge of £20 which will be invoiced to you.

Sickness/Illness

• We follow the Guidance on infection prevention and control in schools and childcare settings
• You are requested to keep your child at home if he/she has any signs of infection and to inform the preschool staff as to the nature of the illness i.e. temperature above 37.5oC, flu, chickenpox, measles, mumps, slapped cheek, scarlet fever etc.
• You are asked not to bring any child into preschool who has been vomiting or experienced diarrhoea until 48hrs has elapsed since the last episode of diarrhoea or vomiting. 
• You need to alert the preschool promptly of any allergies or medical issues relating to your child.

Photographs/Videos

• Staff will take photographs or videos of the children to use in their online learning journal called Tapestry (please see our Privacy Policy).  Any photographs or videos taken by parents at social gatherings must NOT be shared with any third parties including Social Networking sites. 

Confidentiality

• The preschool will keep details and observations of children attending the setting. This may be in paper files as well as electronically on the preschool computer. All these records will be kept at a secure location within preschool. Parents/carers can have access to the records of their own child but will not have at any time access to information about any other child.

Keyworker System

• Our keyworker system gives each member of staff particular responsibility for a group of children. Each child in the group has one special adult to relate to, which can make settling into the group much easier. The keyworker is responsible for making observations of each child’s progress within their group and maintaining a Learning Journal, this will be shared with parents/carers periodically, but is also available to you to view on request.  However we work closely as a team and all staff observe and care for all children.

We will:

• Make all parents/carers aware of the preschool’s systems and policies
• Ensure parents/carers are informed of their child’s progress
• Hold meetings in venues that are accessible to all
• Make known systems for complaints or suggestions

 

Smoking/vaping

The Ridgewood Centre and Ridgewood Preschool has a strict no-smoking policy. No smoking will be permitted anywhere within the preschool’s registered premises.

 

Preschool Administration

The preschool is managed by an elected Board of Trustees consisting of 3 officers: Chairperson, Secretary & Treasurer, along with other elected persons. Officers are elected at our AGM, which will be held annually. Roles and responsibilities of officers will be available to interested parents/carers.  The elected committee are the trustees of the preschool. They are entrusted with the overall responsibility for ensuring that the group runs in accordance with its aims’ having to:

• Employ staff
• Insurance and inventories
• Finance
• Documents
• Liabilities