Useful information
Snacks and drinks in playschool
We ask children to bring a healthy snack with them each time they attend. We also ask children to bring in a beaker or plastic cup from home clearly marked with your child's name. Experience shows that children like the familiarity of something from home and little touches such as this will help with transition from home to playschool.
Throughout the session, a jug of water will be available next to the children's cups and we will encourage and support the children to independently get water as and when they need it.
Please remember Child’s Play is a nut free zone.
Clothes for playschool
We ask for children to come to Child’s Play in comfy, easy to put on and take off clothes, such as track suits. Many of our activities are messy and whilst we do provide aprons, invariably a little bit of messiness is unavoidable. So, we recommend not putting children in best clothes.
We ask that all children always have an appropriate waterproof coat, clearly labelled with their name.
Footwear
We recommend children wear comfy, easy to remove and put on shoes, Velcro fastenings are preferable. It is preferable that children bring welly boots into playschool in a carrier bag each day, clearly marked with their name. Then we can go outside to play regardless of the weather.
Nappy changing and toileting
If your child has nappies, please ensure there are 4 nappies in their bag each day along with a pack of wipes. We do have nappies and wipes as a back-up. But due to parents having preferred brands, and children reacting to certain wipes, we ask parents to provide their own. We will record nappy changes in your child's diary.
Children are regularly reminded to go to the toilet. If you are potty training your child, we are happy to discuss progress and try to follow the same routines/techniques you are using at home. Experience shows children prefer their own potty so we will request you provide the potty when it is being used.
Collection and drop off
We ask parents to buzz on the intercom, a member of staff will come to the door. We do ask for your patience as sometimes we are in midst of very important activities such as slime and playdough, at other times we could be mid-way through potty training.
We will always get to the door as fast as we can. We aim to greet the children at the door and get them to say their goodbyes to you there.
Similarly, at home time we try and bring them and all their bits and bobs to you at the door. Experience has taught us that having parents in the Child's Play room can unsettle other children and your own child. However, we work at your child’s pace to ensure that this procedure is a happy and smooth one.
Please note children must be picked up promptly at the end of their session. It is upsetting for children to be collected late whilst also impacting staffing level needs and potentially compromising the safety of other children.
Late pick up will incur a penalty charge.
How to book a place
Playschool
Email us [email protected] and we will book in for a visit for you and your child. At this point we can answer all your questions, provide a registration pack and arrange your free taster session. The taster session is a great opportunity for us to work out the best transition for you and your child and at this point we can book in the sessions that are required.
Once you have joined us, we ask you not to attempt to book sessions via the staff in setting, email is the most reliable method. We ask you to direct all bookings to us via email so that we can make sure we have a paper trail of bookings.
To guarantee you always have a space and to receive childcare at a lower cost, we recommend a regular ongoing booking. There is an option to have a casual booking, these cost a little more due to extra administration required, there is also a risk that we will be full.
After school club
The easiest way is to email us your requirements. To guarantee you always have a space and to receive childcare at a slightly lower cost, we recommend a regular ongoing booking.
There is an option to have a casual booking, these cost a little more due to extra administration required, there is also a risk that we will be full.
How many sessions do I book and pay for?
We invoice families at the beginning of the month for the childcare booked. The majority of families use our regular bookings option, so the invoice is generated and sent to you monthly. Childcare does need to be paid for before it commences.
If you have booked in casual sessions in addition to your regular bookings, these will be added onto your next invoice. For example, an October invoice will include all October dates and any extra September dates that were used.
Is it possible to book different sessions each week?
We try to be flexible where possible but experience has taught us that to guarantee you have a space, make your bookings regular and / or long term.
We will book (within reason) to suit shift patterns, but these need to be provided on a long-term basis. There is a 2-week notice period required to amend regular bookings or take a holiday and a 28-day notice period to cancel bookings completely. With casual booking we have a 48-hour cancellation policy.
Is there any help available to cover some of the costs of childcare?
Child's Play accepts employer’s childcare vouchers and the 30-hour childcare offer.
What is the policy if my child is ill?
We will not accept unwell children. Clearly it is not in their best interest to attend if they are unwell, nor is it in the best interest of others. We have a duty to limit the spread of infection and illness to other children and staff. Sessions missed due to ill health will still need to be paid for.
If your child falls ill during a session, you will be required to pick them up as soon as possible. Again, it is not in the best interest of your child to remain in setting if they are unwell. We also have a duty to limit the spread of infection and illness to other children and staff. Sessions missed due to ill health will still need to be paid for.
How will I know what my child is doing during the days and how they are progressing?
In playschool we have a blue communication diary which we write in each day. This informs parents of highlights of the day, achievements, issues and answering any queries that are written in the book by parents.
We also have a learning journal, which is used to record your child’s wonderful developmental journey whilst they are with us. This is ultimately yours to keep as a keepsake once they leave us.
How does Child’s Play keep in touch with news of important dates, holidays etc?
Each setting will put notices on the doorway for parents to read when they are collecting and dropping off children. We also put information on social media and in newsletters.
Contact us
Get in touch with us today with any questions you may have regarding our childcare, or if you’re ready, fill out a registration form and return it to us via email or in person.