Welcome Pack

About Me 3

About The Setting 3

Opening Hours 3

Meals 4

Fees 4

Things to Provide 4

Daily Timetable 5

Policies and Procedures 6

What’s Next 6

A Parent’s Guide to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 7

Contents

About Me Hello. My name is Louise Nixon. I am the Director of Childcare at Wildwood Childcare Ltd.

I am an Ofsted registered childminder

I am a primary teacher with experience of the 0 – 11 age range

I have worked in both mainstream and special education settings as both class teacher and whole school subject co-ordinator for literacy, music, history and PSHE&C

I have a degree in Applied Human Nutrition.

As a grade 8 pianist,

I can teach piano and submit candidates for:

the Royal School of Music piano and theory examinations

About The SettingMy setting is based at: 9 Somervale, Wildwood, Stafford, ST17 4NQMobile number: 07377890249E mail: info@wildwoodchildcare.co.ukWeb address: www.wildwoodchildcare.co.ukI use the allotments, wooded area and adventure play area at Wildwood Park

Opening Hours

Welcome toWildwood Childcare

Monday 9-4 additional hours by arrangement

Tuesday 9 – 4 Additional hours available by arrangement

Wednesday 9-4. Additional hours available by arrangement

Thursday 9-4. Additional hours available by arrangement

Friday Baby College and outreach in local schools

Saturday Closed

Sunday Closed

Meals

Parents can supply their own food if they choose to.

Food charge is as follows:

6mths – 1 yr: £2 per day

1y to 2 yr: £3 per day

2y to 4 yr : £4 per day

4 to 6 yr: £5 per day

6 to 11: £6 per day

This includes a morning snack of fresh fruit and milk at 10 am

A hot meal with pudding at 11.45

An additional snack of cheese and biscuit s/ yoghurt / fruit at 3pm

Fees

For more information, please refer to my fees policy, which is available on request.

My fees are £5.50 per hour

Payment due monthly in advance on the first of each calendar month

£50 returnable booking fee

Tuition is set at £15 for a 30 minute session

Things to Provide Suitable clothing, including wellies and waterproofs during the winter months, sun hats and sun cream during the summer.

If your child is wearing nappies, please provide nappies and wipes.

Formula/breast milk, if required.

All children should bring a change of clothes in case of accidents/ getting dirty/wet during play.

Daily Timetable : please view this amongst the planning guidance

Policies and ProceduresCopies of these policies are available on request.Accident and Emergency Policy Illness and Infectious Diseases Policy

Accident and Incident Policy Large Garden Equipment Policy

Admissions Policy Medical Procedures Policy

Alcohol and Other Drugs Policy No Smoking Policy

Allergen Policy Observation Policy

Behaviour Policy Other Adults in the House Policy

Biting Policy Over 8s Policy

Bullying Policy Permission Forms

Care, Learning and Play Policy Pets Policy

Childminder Sickness Policy Physical Contact Policy

Complaints Policy Procedure for Allegations and Abuse Policy

Confidentiality Policy Safeguarding Policy

Dropping off and Collections Policy Safety on Outings Policy

Emergency Evacuation Policy Settling in Policy

Equal Opportunities Policy Special Needs Policy

Food and Drink Policy Sun Protection Policy

Head Lice Policy Transporting Children in the Car Policy

Health and Safety Policy Working with Parents Policy

These are standardised policies from childcare.co.uk. Personalised policies exist on the second page of my website which explains my own philosophy and has a clear review date

What’s Next?

If you are happy with the service I provide then please get in contact and we can book a place and arrange settling-in sessions and go through contracts, permission forms etc.

(Include your Settling-In Policy.

What is the EYFS Framework?The EYFS Framework is there to support all professionals working in the Early Years age group. It has a large em-phasis on the adult’s role in helping the children develop.

It sets out:

the legal welfare re-quirements that every-one registered to look after children must fol-low to keep your child safe and promote their welfare;

the 7 areas of learning and development which guide professionals’ en-gagement with your child’s play and activit-ies as they learn new skills and knowledge;

assessments that will tell you about your child’s progress through the EYFS;

the expected levels (Early Learning Goals) that your child should reach at the age of 5, which is usually at the end of their reception year.

A Guide for Parents…Early Years Foundation Stage Framework

What is the Early Years Foundation Stage?This is the stage in your child’s life that gets them ready and prepares them for school, as well as for their future learning and successes. The EYFS was created to ensure your child’s first 5 years are happy, active, exciting, fun and secure, as well as to support their development, care and learning needs.

All nurseries, pre-schools, reception classes and childminders who are registered to deliver the EYFS must follow a legal document called the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework.

What does this mean for parents?Within the EYFS there are a set of welfare standards that every-one must follow which will ensure your child is as safe as pos-sible. These include the maximum numbers a childminder can have in their care at any given time and the need to carry out risk assessments.

You can find out about the quality of your child’s childminder in relation to the EYFS Framework by checking what the Govern-ment’s official inspection body for early years, Ofsted, has to say about it. You can find this information at

www.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report.

How your child will be learning:Your child will be learning skills, acquiring knowledge and demonstrating their understanding through 7 areas of learning and development.

Children should mostly develop the 3 prime areas first:

Communication and language Physical development Personal, social and emotional development

These prime areas are those most essential for your child’s healthy development and future learning.

As children grow, the prime areas will help them to develop skills in 4 specific areas:

Literacy Mathematics Understanding the World Expressive Arts and Design

Childminders will use these to plan your child’s learning and activities. Activities will be suited to your child’s unique ways. They will learn by playing and exploring, being active and through creative and critical thinking, which will take place in-doors and outside.

How can I help as a par-ent?All the fun activities that you do with your child at home are important in supporting your child’s learning and development. Even when your child is very young and not yet able to talk, talking to them helps them to learn and understand new words and ideas.

If you are looking for new ideas for things to do, then find out what is on offer at your local children’s centre. There is also a wealth of activity ideas on the Internet.

You will be asked to share information with the childminder via a questionnaire.

It might look something like these ex-amples:

Parent and Child Review of Learning and Next Steps

Parent and Child Review of Interests and Achievements at Home Tracking Sheet Tem-plate

How do I know how my child is getting on?It is important that both child care professional and parents work together, sharing information about the child, what they have done at home and in the childcare setting. There are various assessment steps throughout the EYFS but practitioners will con-tinually be assessing and building on your child’s skills.

When your child starts in a new setting, observa-tions will be made to ascertain where the child is at their stage of development and recorded on obser-vation sheets like these:

EYFS On Entry Observation Record

My First Day Observations Sheet

Some examples of assessment record sheets:EYFS Characteristics of Effective Learning Termly Tracking Sheet

Early Years Outcomes Tracking Document Septem-ber 2014 Divided into Ages and Stages

When your child is 2 years old, the professionals working with them will write a summary of how your child is progressing against the 3 prime areas of learning:

Communication and Language Physical Development Personal, Social and Emotional Development

This is called the progress check at age two which can be documented with an EYFS Progress Check at Age Two Report Form.

When your child is 5 years old, at the end of the EYFS (the summer term of reception year in school) teachers will complete an assessment known as the

More informationThe most important place to find out more is your child’s childminder. Ask as many questions as you need to.

You can also find the Early Years Foundation Stage at www.foundationyears.org.uk