During these visits, your child will spend time at the Centre without you as part of the settling in procedure (approximately half an hour to an hour). Older children may only require a shorter period for settling in.

On your child’s start date and for approximately two weeks after, allow extra time to help your child settle in at the start of the day. Your child’s primary caregiver teacher will discuss any individual needs with you.

To make separation easier, we suggest the following:

• Before you leave your child, spend some time playing with them. Give your child some time to adjust to the new environment, teachers and friends.
• Bring a familiar toy or cuddly which they may need for security.
• Let your child know you are going and assure them that you will be back. Be positive, say "E noho rā" | “goodbye” and leave.
• Feel free to ring us during the day if you are concerned about how your child has settled.

Every day

Upon arrival each day, please sign the attendance form at the entrance of the Centre. The attendance form is a requirement of the Ministry of Education for the purpose of funding and for accurate information in times of emergency. Please tell us when you are ready to leave so we can support your child to settle into their day.

If you are a nursing mother or caregiver, we are able to provide you with a comfortable space to feed at any stage in the day. We welcome visits from whānau | families at any time. Please let the teachers deal with any conflict between children and with any caregiving routines such as toileting and first-aid.

Please be aware that the Under 2s unit is a nut-free zone, including spreads such as Nutella and peanut butter.

Parent Teacher Communication

As part of our programme, we work in with you to help your child settle and build a sense of belonging in at the centre. We develop relationships with all of our caregivers and work alongside families to ensure parents are included in their children’s day. Families work alongside our teachers to contribute to the decision making process around their child’s care and education.

Communication between teachers and caregivers occurs in the following ways:

• Face to face
• By individual notebook (daily communication in written form between the home and the centre)
• Learning journals
• Phone and email
• Medicine book
• Whiteboard – parents are able to leave daily reminders for teachers
• Programme planning board – learning objective information

If you would like to discuss matters confidentially, our teachers are always able to facilitate this.