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The first day at daycare can understandably cause both parents and child to feel a little nervous. The good news is that you’re all in safe hands with our experienced team. To make the transition even easier, we’ve put together some useful information to prepare your family for the new adventure ahead.
To make sure that all children feel safe and comfortable when beginning their time of adventure and discovery at Being, we organise a four-day orientation process that is based on Mary Ainsworth’s Strange Situation Procedure, Bowlby’s Attachment theory and The Circle of Security.
Involves both parent and child. We use this initial experience as an opportunity for the child to explore the environment at our centre with the parents close by as a ‘security blanket’. There is minimal involvement from educators and centre staff.
We ask that parents continue to remain involved in the child’s experience and exploration of the centre. Now, we introduce involvement with educators which may be as simple as reading a book with the educator whilst happily sitting on the parent's lap.
We invite the child to interact with activities and/or the other children at the centre. There is more involvement and interaction with the educators.
On the final day of orientation, we observe how the child responds to separation from the parent. Parents are invited to stay with their child for an hour and then leave their child with us for one hour to engage in some of our daily activities with our educators.
We will create a personalised plan for them based on the child’s response to separation - with some children this may mean shorter days in the beginning. Please know that we are wary that parents work and are willing to adjust this orientation process to meet the needs of all our families.
Every morning, I come to school with my favourite hat and bag. My teacher taught me to always wash my hands and put my things away as soon as I get there, so that’s what I do. Then it’s time to say goodbye to my family so I kiss and hug them lots before running over to say hi to my friends in class.
One of my teachers is around to help me settle in for the morning. I play with my friends and have a yummy breakfast.
We participate in today’s fun, planned activities both indoors and outdoors.
Time for morning tea! If it's safe to do so, my teacher will let me serve myself. We talk a lot and learn about healthy eating during this time.
Our teachers follow our curriculum to teach us and show us experiences both indoors and outdoors. The curriculum supports my classmates and I to develop the goals that we've set with the help of our parents and our teachers. For example, one of my friends wanted to learn how to do handstands so our teacher supported her by showing her how to do it!
Time for lunch and another yummy, healthy meal. We have something called 'progressive meals' which means our teacher helps us identify our bodily needs. Lunch is open for a couple of hours and we are invited to eat whenever we like. Some of us will sometimes eat twice or three times if we choose!
Rest or sleep happens at this time. My teacher follows a progressive process which mimics my routine at home and what my needs are. This helps me learn to love rest and sleep. Some of my classmates do not sleep and rest. During this time, they do quiet and calming activities such as gardening and other things that promote relaxation.
We wake up from our naps and have afternoon tea, and then continue with our learning in a mix of indoors and outdoors settings.
That's a wrap! I've had so much fun today but I’m excited to see my family. My teacher calls my name to let me know that my parents are here to pick me up, so I say bye to everyone and give my teacher a big hug before leaving. On the way home, I tell my family all about my day and the things I've learned.
This is a list of things your child will need to bring to daycare everyday.
This is the most important thing to bring to the centre, but don't worry if your child forgets it. The teachers will make sure to help them find it.
Apply sunscreen on your child’s exposed parts of the body before you arrive. We have plenty of sunscreen at the centre, however, if your child has sensitive skin then please bring your own bottle for us to reapply on them.
All medications and creams should be handed directly to the educators. DO NOT leave these in your child's bag.
Children must wear comfortable, weather appropriate clothing which is easily manageable during toilet times. Remember to label the items you bring with your child’s name.
Closed, comfortable shoes are important for the children’s safety at the centre.
Pack spare clothes, undies and socks (labeled with your child's name). If your child is not big enough yet to sit on a toilet, please include pull ups and nappies.
The drink bottle should go in our bottle basket and your child should remember to take it home with them everyday.
This is important in order to further protect your child from the sun when playing outdoors.
A fitted cot sheet and a blanket for rest time. Remember to bring this at the start of the school week and take it home at the end of the week so it can be washed.
For babies, please see below a few extra things to bring:
Make sure you pack the right number of bottles according to the number of feeds your baby will have during the day. All milk bottles MUST have lids otherwise we cannot use them.
If your child has not been introduced to any of the foods on our menu yet then we will custom cook their meals. Please make sure you update their “All About Me” form with information about the foods your child has been introduced to.
We need a fitted cot sheet for your bub’s cot. If your child is able to turn over and turn back confidently, then we will require a hands-free sleeping bag. Our preference for babies and their comfort is that a hoodless sleeping bag is provided.
