KILNAMANAGHKIDSCRECHE & MONTESSORI SCHOOL

PARENT HANDBOOK – MONTESSORI CLASS/PRESCHOOL CLASS
  

Welcome to KilnamanaghKidsCreche & MontessoriSchool.  We are delighted you chose our crèche for the care and education of your child.  The following are some guidelines which form our contract with you.

 

1. Application forms: Upon commencement at Kilnamanagh Kids you will be asked to sign some documents which set out the conditions upon which we take your child into our care.
   1. Terms and Conditions Sheet:  This document also sets out some of our main policies e.g Sickness policy, payment policy etc.  You will receive 2 copies of this and we ask that you return one to us and retain one for reference.  All of our crèche policies and procedures are displayed in the book display in the hall and you are welcome to read these at any time.  Once signed this document constitutes any agreement between the crèche and parents/guardians that you will adhere to the terms and conditions of the crèche and agree to our policies and procedures.
   2. Children’s information Record:  This document is very important as it tells us something about your child, sets out details of persons authorised to collect your child, contact arrangements in the case of emergency, Doctors details and details of any allergies, food intolerances etc.  Please take your time and fill this form out as thoroughly as possible.
   3. Child Immunisation Schedule:  Again this is a really important document as it gives us vital information as to where your child stands with regards to vaccinations.
   4. Medication Administration Form:  If you wish to sign one of this forms to give us permission to give your child pain relief such as calpol or neurophen we can keep it on file.  Don’t forget we require a medication administration form signed for every medicine you require us to administer to your child (whether on prescription or not).  If we do not have a signed medicine administration form we are unable to administer any type of medicine.
   5. Permission slip to allow your child to appear on our Facebook or internet pages:  This slip lets us know whether  you choose to allow your child’s picture to appear on our Facebook or internet site.  If you prefer for your child’s picture not to appear we will note your decision and ensure that no pictures are used (except on crèche premises).
2. Sickness Policy:  Before commencing at Kilnamanagh Kids it is important that parents are aware of our sickness policy as outlined in our Terms and Conditions.  For the health and welfare of all children in our care and for our staff it is imperative that this policy is adhered to.  PLEASE DO NOT BRING YOUR CHILD TO CRECHE IF he/she is suffering from a contagious infection, or has vomited or had diarrhoea in the past 24 hours. If a child requires an anti-biotic he should not come to creche until he has been on the medicine for 24 hours.

At the back of this booklet you will find a list of illnesses and number of exclusion days which apply if applicable,

 

3. Deposit:  When registering your child with Kilnamanagh Kids we require a deposit of €150.  This deposit is non-refundable if you change your mind and decide not to place your child in the crèche.  It will however be refunded upon receipt of 1 months notice when leaving the crèche.
4. Fee payments: Payment of fees is strictly on the 1^st working day of each month.  Our preferred method of payment is direct debit (bank details available from Deirdre/Sandra) – however, we do accept cheques/cash as long as fees are in an envelope with your child’s name clearly marked on the envelope.  It is our policy to text parents in the case of late payment – in continuous cases of late payment we reserve the right to refuse children’s admission to the creche.

 

Our monthly fees are displayed on the parents notice board.

 

If your child qualifies for the ECCE (free pre-school year) you will be given a letter detailing fee arrangements (if any).

5. Notice: We require one month’s notice of your intention to take your child out of crèche.  We would appreciate if you would adhere to this policy as it ensures the smooth running of rooms as we can plan numbers in advance.
6. Communications with parents: regarding events, news, activities, trips etc. is done using several methods.   Our main form of communications with parents is the parent’s notice board in the crèche hallway on the left hand wall and outside the main door – keep an eye on this as you drop/collect your child as we will post upcoming events or relevant information on this.  Secondly, we use our facebook page to relay information.  If you are on facebook – click “like” on our Kilnamanagh Kids page and you will see the day to day activities of the creche and information regarding upcoming events.  Our quarterly newsletter is also an important source of information – all important dates and upcoming events will be mentioned in this along with some interesting information regarding staff training, arts and crafts activities etc.  As we try to be a “green” crèche as far a possible we try not to send individual notes home so please check out the notice board, facebook or the newsletter.
7. Creche Staff:  Upon commencement at Kilnamanagh Kids you will be introduced to your child’s key worker (i.e. the room leader) and to any other staff who will be involved in the care of your child.  All of our staff are Garda Vetted and are trained in Paediatric First Aid.  If you have any issues/problems which you would like to discuss, there is a Manager on Duty at all times who will be happy to talk to you.
8. Relief Staff:  We have two relief staff on our team who are also Garda Vetted.  In the event that your child’s key worker is absent from work due to sickness/holidays we will, as far as is practicable, let you know who will be taking care of your child.
9. Observations:  As part of our early learning curriculum we carry out observations on the children to ensure they are reaching their milestones.  Group observations are carried out during group activities and recorded in the large Aistear Books in the hall which you are welcome to browse.  Individual observations are carried out on children once every six weeks and are stored in the Aistear Folder in each room.  Staff will discuss observations with you as they are carried out.
10. Accident/Incident Forms:  All accidents or incidents witnessed by staff will be recorded on an accident/incident sheet and you will be asked to sign to indicate that the accident/incident was explained to you and that you are happy with our handling of the situation.  While every precaution is taken to keep children in our care safe, children will be children and we may not be able to explain every minor scratch or bruise.
11. Opening and Closing Hours:

 

Montessori Class:         9.15 to 12.15 Monday to Friday
Pre-School Class:         9.00 to 12.00 Monday to Friday

 

Children must be collected promptly at these times unless otherwise agreed by management.  If you find yourself delayed please call 4518743 so we have an idea of when you will arrive.

12. Closures:  You will be given a list of closures upon commencement at the crèche.  Please note that monthly fees remain the same – closures are taken into account when price is set.
13. Childcare Regulations and National Standards for Pre-school:  There is a copy of each of these documents in the bookstand in the hallway.  We at Kilnamanagh Kids pride ourselves on running an excellent crèche and ensure that we abide by the Childcare Regulations in all areas including child:adults ratios, space per child ratios etc.  Our early learning curriculum is Montessori based linked to the Aistear themes of Well being, Identity and Belonging, Communication and Exploring and Thinking.

 

Each room in the crèche has a yearly, monthly and weekly plan.  These are displayed in the rooms and parents are welcome to view them at any time.

14. Child Protection Policy:  As childcare practitioners we have a legal duty to report any suspected cases of abuse to the HSE.  Our child protection policy is available to read in the library in the hall.

 

 

 

Chart to show the period of time your child should be kept away from Creche if unwell.

ILLNESS	1 Day	2 Days	3 Days	Able to attend	Completely Recovered	Managers discretion
Gastro-enteritis			X
Sickness and/or Diarrhoea				24 hrs after last symptom
Ear infection	X*
Eye Disorders	X*
Temperatures						X
Viral Infection		X
Thrush		X
Measles					X
Rubella					X
Impetigo					X
Chicken Pox					X
Meningitis					X
Allergies				X
Hand, Foot & Mouth					X
Scabies					X
Roseola Infantum				X
Mumps					X
Scarlet Fever					X
Slapped Cheek syndrome						X
Whooping Cough					X
Herpes Simplex					X
Eczema				X
Ring Worm					X
Head Lice				X
Tonsillitis	X*
Chest Infection	X*
Common cold						X

 

Where the above illnesses state:-

‘Completely recovered’ this means they can return to Creche when the Creche Manager is satisfied there will be no risk of infection to the other children.

If you are unsure of what your child may be suffering from, we would be grateful if you could see a chemist/doctor to ensure that is not contagious.

 

X* 24 hours after treatment has commenced.