WELCOME TO OUR PARENTS' CORNER
Please find below some valuable information for new parents. Any questions you may have, you are most welcome to call the centre and have a chat with us.
Orientation
Fun, play, learn, develop, explore
Our centre provides an ongoing orientation process for new children and their families to familiarise themselves with the daily life at kindy. Prior to your child attending the centre, please come along to kindy so that each of you may become familiar with our environment, practices and procedures.
You and your child are welcome to attend as many times as you wish. Some children settle quickly, whilst some take a little longer. You are most welcome to call the centre to enquire about your child at any time during the day. Staff are always to happy to implement strategies to meet the individual needs of children and their families.
Those first weeks
The introduction into long day care can be difficult for children and parents. Children’s welfare and happiness are the priority for Educators when welcoming new children to the Service and when assisting the family to settle into the Service environment. It is recognised that families needs will vary greatly in the orientation process and individual needs will be met as best is possible.
Helpful hints for parents on settling their child into care
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Make sure you familiarise your child with the environment and the people in the environment (children and adults) by coming in for visits before commencing care.
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Ease your child into care with short stays to begin with.
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Provide a favourite toy, blanket or comforter to support your child when they are separating from you or settling to sleep. This can help your child feel more secure.
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If your child is unsettled, short visits with you will help your child to gain trust with an unfamiliar environment. These visits can be made on a day when your child is not booked to attend.
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Interactions between Educators and parents or Educators and other children can produce positive role models and be reassuring. This experience can help to establish trust in an unfamiliar setting.
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Try to talk at home about child care. Mention the names of the Educators and other children. Talk about the things the child will be able to do at child care that are fun and enjoyable.
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Talk to the Educators about your child, for example, what they like to do; successful ways of settling them to sleep; foods they like and dislike and so on. This helps Educators to get to know your child.
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When leaving your child it is best to make sure you say goodbye and then leave. Hesitating and not going after you have said your goodbyes, if a child is upset, only confuses them. Reassure your child that everything is alright and you will return later, this can help them to settle.
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It sometimes helps to establish a routine when leaving. For example, giving your child a cuddle and giving them to a Educator or sitting down with them for a short play or reading a book together then leaving.
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At first some children protest strongly while others may take a day or two to realise that you are leaving them and begin to protest after several days. Children soon learn that you do return and in the mean time they are well cared for.