Welcome to Carterton Kindergarten

Welcome to
Rimutaka Kindergarten Association
Te Putahi Kura Puhou o Rimutaka

             Carterton Kindergarten

                          Address: 3 Victoria Street Carterton
                                Phone number: 06 3798102
                                 Fax Number: 06 3798108
                      Email: carterton@rimutakakindergarten.org.nz

                                    Our Session Times:
                    Monday – Friday 8.30am – 1.30pm
As teachers are involved in a range of duties outside session times we ask
        that you follow these ‘start and finish’ times, thank you.

Haere mai and welcome to Carterton Kindergarten
We realise that the first weeks of kindergarten can sometimes be a new
and challenging time for your child and family. We hope that this booklet
will provide information to help you during the early days.
Please ask anyone of the teaching team for help with your queries – you can
also ring us or send us an email.
        We hope that you and your child enjoy your time with us

Your Teaching Team:

          Front Row: Nelly Kendall-Carpenter      Vicky Rice
                           Teacher               Teacher Aide

         Middle Row: Helen Waldron              Renee Hawkins
                        Teacher                   Teacher

         Back Row:     Renae Hare
                        Teacher

Rimutaka Kindergarten Association:
Carterton Kindergarten is one of 22 kindergartens located in Upper Hutt and
Wairarapa that are affiliated to the Rimutaka Kindergarten Association (RKA).
RKA is our umbrella organisation and has the overall responsibility for the
operations of our kindergarten.

Getting Settled at Kindergarten:
We know that children will vary in how long it will take for them to
feel comfortable being left by their families/caregivers at
kindergarten. Here are some ideas that might make the process a
little easier:

    Spend time at the kindergarten with your child, slowly
     exploring the environment
    Join in the activities alongside your child
    Talk to the other children – ask them their names and
     encourage your child to introduce him/herself
    As your child gains confidence, slowly move away to allow
     your child’s curiosity and independence to grow
    Encourage your child to ask for help from the teachers –
     make sure they know their names
    Talk to the teachers about when they think it might be a
     good time for you to leave your child for the first time
    Let your child know when you are about to leave – and tell
     them when you will be back i.e. at tidy up time
    Gradually extend the time that you leave your child alone
    When you leave – stay to your plan. Explain simply where you
     are going and when you will be back. Ask for support from a
     teacher if you need to
    Working together teachers and parents can foster
     independence until your child is comfortable to remain at
     kindergarten alone

Remember it can take time to settle children at kindergarten.
We will always contact you to come back if necessary. Please
ring us if you wish to find out how your child is settling

Food and Drink at Kindergarten:
 We encourage the children to have a piece of fruit if they
  are hungry between meal times. Please bring some fruit
  now and then to keep our basket full.

 Water is available throughout the session.

 Parents should advise staff if their child has any special dietary needs
  and this will be discussed between the two parties and appropriate
  arrangements made.

 The inside resource teacher will check the kai table regularly during the
  morning making sure the area is kept clean and children are washing their
  hands before eating. If a parent help is available they may be asked to
  supervise this area.

 Before preparing food, hands and fruit will be washed and food surfaces
  clean. Plates, knives and cups are available as necessary. All utensils will
  be washed in the dishwasher at the end of each session.
 Children are expected to sit to eat.

 A process cooking activity will be provided two times each week. This
  will be facilitated by the student teacher
 Parents will provide a nutritionally balanced lunch and morning tea for
  their child.

 Healthy food is promoted through parent information, notice boards and
  pamphlets in the Kindergarten.

Clothing:
Some ideas for dressing your child:
   Please dress your child for play in clothes that are easy to wash as
    many kindergarten activities are messy.
   Please provide a spare set of clothing in their bag

Changing Children:
 Changing and toileting of children at Carterton Kindergarten will be
  carried out by permanent & relieving teachers, the child, the child’s own
  parent/caregiver or support teachers allocated to the child e.g. GSE.
 The designated suitable area for changing children is in the children
  toilet area. A changing table is located in the children’s toilet as well as
  disposable gloves, wet wipes, nappy bags & surface cleaner and this area
  is easily viewed by others. If a child is not toilet trained they should
  wear pull-ups or disposable nappies.
 Children are expected to have their own clothes to change into in and
  this change of clothes is their civil defense emergency spare clothes too.
  Children will be encouraged to change their own clothes where possible.
  If a child does not have a change of clothes, kindergarten clothes will be
  used, and these need to be returned once washed.

 Teachers may contact a parent to come to change their child if this is
  stipulated by the parent or if the child will not let a teacher change
  them.
 Teachers will change or shower a child if soiled in an open area with the
  prior knowledge of another adult. Each time the shub is used another
  adult is informed and has visual access throughout the procedure.
  Parents/caregivers will be informed.

When you arrive:
 Sign and write the time on the roll attendance register
 Encourage your child to hang up their own bag, put lunch box away & put
  up their name tag.
 Greet the teachers
 Support your child to settle at an activity or with a teacher

When you collect your child:
 Collect children’s personal belongings, check the tote tray & the board
  for notices
 Farewell a teacher
 Sign and write the time on the roll attendance register

Signing In/ Signing Out:
The Ministry of Education requires you to sign your child in and out
each day. This confirms that your child has been attending on the days
we have marked them as present. Our funding from the Government is
based on these rolls and your signature.

If there are any changes to the usual person authorised to collect
your child please also record this on the sign-in sheet. We encourage
you to verbally tell the teachers also.

Visitors Book:
If you are in the Kindergarten for more than 30 minutes you are
required to sign our ‘visitor’s book’. Ask the teachers where this is
kept.

Attending Kindergarten:
It is really important for you to bring your child to kindergarten
regularly – it helps them to develop a sense of belonging, build up
friendships with other children and the teachers.

Your child is expected to attend all of each session that they are
enrolled to attend unless they are sick or due to other circumstances
that arise from time to time.

If your child is away for a session, or there is a change in the sessions
that they will be attending regularly – please let us know. Absences
from kindergarten can affect the funding that we receive from the
Government.

Fees, Family Payments and WINZ subsidies:
We offer the Ministry of Education’s 20 Hours ECE (Early Childhood
Education) in all our kindergartens. The Government provides up to 20
hours ECE per week to all 3, 4 and 5 year old children who attend
teacher led services.
The Association has a fee policy in response to the funding conditions
of Government 20 Hours ECE Policy. This fee has been set at $2.05
per hour and will only apply if your child is:
   attending more than 20 hours per week at kindergarten
   using some or all of their 20 hours ECE at another service

You will be asked to sign a Fees Contract when you enrol your child at
kindergarten, please check that the details are still applicable.
    The fee will be invoiced and collected through the Association
     Office
    You will receive statements and reminders if your fees are unpaid
    We would prefer automatic payments or internet banking for fee
     payments
A copy of the Fees Policy is available at the kindergarten. Ask one of
the teachers to show you where it is.

What if my child attends more than 20 hours at Kindergarten?
A fee will be charged for any hours over 20 that your child attends
kindergarten. However, if you have attested your full 20 hours to
kindergarten then you will only have to pay for half of the extra hours
that your child attends
E.g. If your child attends 25 hours a fee will only apply for 2.5 of
those additional hours

Can I access the WINZ Subsidy?
If your child is accessing 20 Hours ECE at kindergarten or another
centre and you are engaged in study or work, then you may be eligible for
the WINZ subsidy for an additional 30 hours per week. Please call WINZ
on 0800 774 004 if you think you may be eligible.

Family Payments (Voluntary Donation)
Family Payments are voluntary donations and have been introduced in
response to the government’s decision to reduce funding given to the
kindergartens.
 This is not a compulsory fee and is classed as a donation from IRD.
  Your kindergarten will able to give you a receipt you can use to apply
  for a Tax Credit from IRD.
 The suggested amount for Family Payments is 50c per hour for the
   first 20 or part of 20 hours that your child attends kindergarten
 A plastic envelope with an insert detailing the suggested amount of
  your Family Payment will be placed in your child’s pocket at
  kindergarten.
                 More information can be found in the
            “20 Hours ECE, Fees, Family Payments” pamphlet

Our Programme:
The philosophy of our programme is that children learn best in an
environment where they feel comfortable and secure.          Our
programme is based on the national early childhood curriculum Te
Whāriki.
We provide a range of both structured and non-structured
experiences designed to interest and engage children in learning.
We encourage children to:
     Learn by trial and error
     Explore and discover
     Problem solve
     Make decisions and choices
     Be creative and use their imagination
     Experience new situations and those that have particular
      meaning for them
We encourage and invite parent/whānau input into all aspects of our
programme.

Portfolios:
When your child starts kindergarten, we set up their
own portfolio book. This is an individual record of some of the
experiences and learning that your child will have had while at
kindergarten. It will highlight dispositions and attitudes to
learning and also include planning for further learning. We will
include photos, examples of work and commentary. We encourage
you to add to these stories or write your own stories about home
experiences.
You are free to look at and take home your child’s portfolio at any
time. Sharing the stories of learning with your child will allow
them to revisit experiences and enable them to talk about
themselves as a learner.

Parental Involvement:
  “Together we can give children the best pre-school education”
We invite and encourage parents to contribute to the life of the
kindergarten and this can be done in many ways:

     Being one of our parent helpers
     Coming along on excursions
     Taking home the washing for us
     Bringing in resources for collage
     Mending equipment
     Joining the kindergarten committee
     Participating in social events
     Helping with end of term and end of day tidy up and cleaning.

Committees:
Our committee support the teachers in the day to day running of the
kindergarten. Committee members
    Manage the money for the kindergarten
    Take part in planning of projects
    Organise social events
    Fundraise
To be on the committee only requires enthusiasm and an interest in
kindergarten. Meetings are held once a month. It is a great way to
meet other parents and be more involved in making decisions about the
development of the kindergarten. If you are interested, please talk
with one of the teachers.

Fundraising:
Fundraising is one of the ways that we make up the difference of what
it costs to run our kindergarten and what the government gives us.
Your support in fundraising is greatly appreciated and allows us to be a
really well resourced kindergarten.

Parent Information:
We have a variety of ways that we seek to communicate with you:
   Children’s pockets – each child has a named pocket for the
    delivery of newsletters, notices and other information
   We use a whiteboard outside the kindergarten to keep you
    informed of daily events at the kindergarten
   There are also two parent notice boards outside with information
   Copies of our policies, procedures and other important
    documentation are kept in the office and are displayed on the
    parent notice-board in the parent library area.
   Programming planning is displayed on the mobile notice-board
   We also like to talk directly and get to know families well.

Health and Safety:

                                THIS KINDERGARTEN AND
                              PLAYGROUND ARE SMOKE FREE
                                     AT ALL TIMES

Immunisation:
We are required to keep a register of children’s immunisations and will
ask you for your Immunisation Certificate when your child enrols at
kindergarten. You can get this from your family doctor.

Illness:
Parents/whānau often wants to know when it is OK to send their child to
kindergarten if they have been unwell. We use the guidelines from the
Ministry of Health to help us determine this.
If your child has had vomiting, diarrhoea, sticky eyes or fever, please
make sure they are clear of these symptoms for 2 days before they
return. This protects the health of your child and other children.
If your child becomes unwell at kindergarten, or if they seriously hurt
themselves, we will contact you immediately.

Medicines and Allergies:
   Please let us know if your child has any particular allergies, medical
    conditions or any changes in their health. This helps us give them
    the best care possible
   If you child needs to take any medication at kindergarten –
    including using an asthma inhaler – please let the teachers know – we
    have a process to ensure that this is done safely
   Teachers need written permission from you to be able to give
    children any medication, except in an emergency when a doctor or
    ambulance personnel can do so.
   Please DO NOT LEAVE ANY MEDICATION in your child’s bag

Accidents:
We will always call you if there is anything we feel you
need to know about your child while they are at kindergarten.
Hence it is important that your emergency contacts are up to
date.

   All teachers are trained in first aid and are able to provide basic
    first aid
   An accident report is completed for all incidents that happen at
    kindergarten and a copy is given to families
   For serious accidents, the teachers will call for medical help if
    necessary, as well as contacting you

Emergencies:
   Our emergency procedures are displayed on the wall. The teachers
     will explain these to you during your first session
   We carry out fire and earthquake drills with the children monthly
   We also have emergency supplies and equipment at the kindergarten
     in the event of a civil emergency
   If we have to evacuate the kindergarten we will go to St David’s
     Church Hall
  If we are on an excursion or evacuate the kindergarten we will leave a
  note to let you know where we are

  We welcome you to Carterton Kindergarten and look forward
    to sharing a learning journey with you and your child.

              Helen, Nelly, Renae, Renee, and Vicky