Starting Crèche.
When your child initially starts Crèche we ask that you stay on the first day, so that your child forms an essential relationship of trust with the teaching staff. Your child will have a dedicated whanau teacher - a special buddy to help support and guide them through the transition period of settling into Crèche. In the first few weeks of Crèche our priority is for your child to feel safe and secure in the knowledge that they have developed some trust in the kaiako/teachers who will be looking after them. Our primary concern is for your child’s wellbeing - we can ensure they really are in good hands. For more information, please read our policy on settling children in Crèche.
Pick up & drop off.
It couldn't be simpler. All tamariki must be signed in and out on the printed daily roll next to your name, and signed in on the daily sign-in sheet. All tamariki and parents staying in the building must also sign the daily sign-in sheet (including parent helpers). This is to ensure we have all peoples accounted for in case of emergency evacuation. Please ensure anyone else delivering or collecting your child is informed of drop off and pick up procedures and please leave their phone number on the sign-in form.
At the beginning and end of all sessions, there will always be a teacher at the door to warmly welcome and fondly farewell tamariki to ensure no child ever leaves the Crèche unattended.
Food & spare clothing.
We ask that you bring the following food for your child:
Morning session: Morning tea box + Drink bottle
Full day: Morning tea box + Lunch box + Drink bottle
Afternoon session: Drink bottle (fresh fruit is provided at 2.30 for the children attending the afternoon sessions)
Please clearly label your child’s lunch box/drink bottle and bag (we have a marker available at Crèche). Please place snack boxes and drink bottles on the tea trolley. Lunches for children staying all day are placed in a basket on the kitchen bench.
For safety reasons we ask that no child is given nuts or nut butters, or eggs as we have a number of children with severe allergic reactions. Please refer to our policy on ‘food’. We also ask that you don’t use plastic food wrap. At Crèche we encourage a healthy food policy.
We also ask that you pack a couple of changes of clothes for your child, particularly if your child is toilet training, or if they get carried away painting or doing water play. We also have spare clothes at Crèche if required.
Toileting.
We ask that you please write your child’s toileting needs on the daily sign-in sheet and talk to your whanau teacher on how best we can support the toileting needs of your child. If your child is toilet training we will support what you are doing at home. We are also happy to offer advice.
Children in nappies will be changed on a needs basis only unless requested otherwise. Please provide spare nappies in your child's bag.
Withdrawing your child from Crèche.
A minimum two weeks' notice is required if you wish to permanently remove your child from Crèche.
Extended holiday absence.
The 'Three Week Rule for Continuous Absence' limits the period of time the Ministry of Education will fund continuous absences to three weeks. To ensure the continued viability of the Crèche, families taking extended leave from Crèche for holiday, will be asked to contribute the MOE funding loss to secure their child’s space.
Crèche policies.
As a licensed Early Childhood service we are required to meet the ECE Regulations 2008 set by the Ministry of Education. The Crèche staff and management have developed policies and procedures to meet the Licensing Criteria 2008 and regularly review these documents to ensure best practice and the delivery of our quality care and education service is maintained. Parents are always consulted during the development of new policies and during the review of established policies. A selection of the most important policies is given to you on your child's first day. The operations manual and all policies are available on request.
Education Review Office Report.
If you would like to read our current ERO report for the Devonport Community Crèche, please click below. We are happy to answer any questions you may have.
Annual Review.
If you would like to read the Devonport Community Crèche annual review, please click below. We are happy to answer any questions you may have.
Attendance.
Once your child is admitted to the roll we ask that you attend regularly. If you do not attend without notice for three weeks or attend less than 50% of your enrolled sessions the Ministry of Education requires us to remove you from the roll. To ensure we can provide casual spaces for families in need, please notify us of any absence before 8.30am and if you are going on short-term holidays we ask that you email Tessa to let us know the dates you will be away.
Casual spaces.
We try and accommodate family needs i.e. pregnant mums, new babies, illness etc. Please don’t hesitate to call us if you are in need.
Immunisation.
All Early Childhood centres must hold an immunisation registry. On admission to Crèche we must request the immunisation status of all children. If we do not receive this information each child will be recorded as unimmunised. This is in line with the requirements set by the Ministry of Health and Education. All information stored on your child is confidential and only accessible to staff and the Ministries of Health and Education.
First Aid.
All staff are trained in Pediatric First Aid. In the event of a medical emergency the doctors at Anne St Medical centre have agreed to be on call. If your child becomes ill when at Crèche every effort will be made to contact a parent or caregiver and a request to collect your child will be made. Please remember Crèche is not an appropriate place for your child to be if they are unwell.
Emergency evacuation procedures.
We ask that all parents take the time to familiarise themselves with our emergency evacuation procedures. These are mounted on the walls around the Crèche. Our Fire Evacuation point is in the Community House Courtyard exiting the building via the front door.
Lost property.
Any lost property will be placed in baskets outside the front door at the end of each week. Please check it regularly. Unclaimed items will be donated to charity at the end of each term.
Newsletters/correspondence.
We produce at least one newsletter each term. They contain important information and dates about Crèche life. If we have your email address we will send it out to you. Please ensure we are kept informed of any changes of address, email address, phone or family circumstances. You can also access the newsletters by clicking below. You will be provided with the password when you enrol at Crèche.
You can keep up to date with our fundraising events by clicking below:
Learning resources.
A play-based learning curriculum is part of Te Whariki, the early childhood education curriculum published by the NZ Ministry of Education.
Some benefits of play-based learning include:
Social skills
Relationship development
Communication skills
Motor skills
Creative problem solving
The Auckland Kindergarten Association has some great ideas for creative play. Try some of these play-based learning activities at home to help your child learn through play.