CHILD CARE SUBSIDY
Please log into My Gov to update your family income for 21/22 financial year.
You will see this effects your child care subsidy percentage, activity hours – gap fee.
If you have any questions, please speak to Monique.
ABSENCES
It is greatly appreciated if families could call the centre (9629 9200) or email (info@hunnypots.com.au) if your child will be absent.
It assists with monitoring illness, make up days and staffing arrangements.
IMMUNISATION = ENROLMENT
Please ensure that throughout the year if your child receives an immunisation e.g.: 12 months, 18months or 4years, you will need to provide your child’s immunisation status record to us.
Due to Government regulations, we are unable to enrol unimmunised children – failure to provide immunisation records = no enrolment.
We appreciate your cooperation.
WITHDRAWAL OF YOUR CHILD/REDUCING DAYS
Parents must give at least three weeks written notice to the Director before withdrawing their child from Hunny Pots. If the child does not attend the centre during this period, fees are still payable (please see the below section: A child who has not yet received care or who has ceased receiving care) If the child is withdrawn without notice, three weeks full fees must be paid regardless.
Parents may reduce their child’s days of attendance by giving three weeks’ notice to the Director.
No notice period accepted in December and January for withdrawing or reducing days.
A child who has not yet received care or who has ceased receiving care
Below is from the Child Care Handbook Australian Government Department of Education and Training:
Child Care Subsidy will not be paid for absences where a provider charges a family to reserve a place for a child who has not yet physically started care.
If a child is booked in to start at a service on a particular date, and does not start on that day, no Child Care Subsidy will be paid until the child physically attends a session of care.
Similarly, a child care service is taken to have permanently ceased providing care for a child on the day the child last physically attends a session of care. This means that Child Care Subsidy will not be paid for absences submitted after a child last physically attends a session of care.
If a family has confirmed their child’s last day at a service, but that child does not attend their last booked sessions of care, no Child Care Subsidy will be paid for any days after the child’s last physical attendance at the service.
If a provider continues to charge fees for sessions on days after a child has left the service because the family did not give the agreed period of notice, Child Care Subsidy will not be payable for these sessions of care. If absences are reported in the above circumstances and Child Care Subsidy is incorrectly paid, these amounts will be recovered from the service.
You must attend the last day of care to receive child care subsidy on your last day.
All Pooh’s Corner enrolments finish on Wednesday 22nd December 2021 (unless January care has been arranged and confirmed with Monique)
ILLNESS
A timely reminder to ensure all children with an illness stay at home to rest and recover.
Please remember, if your child has Panadol or Nurofen in their system, they are not to come to Hunny Pots. You are only masking the symptoms and the illness will spread to other children and our educators.
We are able to administer prescribed antibiotics (after your child has been taking it for 24hours); you will need to complete a medication form (near the sign in/out sheets in foyer).
We are unable to administer any over the counter medication at Hunny Pots e.g.: cough mixtures etc.
We are only able to administer Panadol at Hunny Pots if a child has a temperature of 38 degrees or above and with parent consent/ once and arrange for pick up.
If your child presents any illness symptoms, we will call you to arrange an immediate pick up.
We will also give you a courtesy call if your child is feeling “off” – no immediate pick up is needed.
Please follow NSW Health for COVID advice, alerts and instructions.
FEE INCREASE
A fee increase will occur in September 2021 due to the 2.5% plus increases in staff wages, superannuation, food, rent, protective hygiene equipment and insurances.
We always ensure our fees are representative of the quality of care and education we provide and maintaining competitive fees to our community.
The fee increase will be advised with 8 weeks notice.
STAFF NEWS/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Miss Kayley is on Long Service leave from 21/6- returning 19/7/21.
Professional development throughout June/ July:
Miss Shubhi attended a webinar on “Learning opportunities for Toddlers” on the 10th June.
Miss Kayley attended a zoom webinar on NSW Munch and Move Tummy Time on the 17th June.
Miss Jo, Miss Rupinder, Miss Emma and Miss Kayley attended a Reconciliation Action Plan webinar in June.
Miss Jo has been working on our Reconciliation Action Plan – to be in our foyer in July. Miss Jo has been working closely with an elder (who has previously attended Hunny Pots ELC Aunty Mary) and communicating with Mark from Blacktown Council.
Miss Allison will attend a zoom webinar on Self-assessment on Tuesday 13th July.
Miss Allison will commence a 6-part series of Educational Leader training from the 14th July.
Miss Jo and Miss Allison will attend a zoom webinar on Assessment and rating on the 15th July.
QUALITY AREA ONE – Educational program and practice
To assist with families and our community knowing about our Educational program and practices, we have included some information from our self-assessment tool.
Our curriculum is based on the children’s interests, children’s goals, spontaneous experiences, children’s reflections of the day, forward planning from our critical reflections and intentional teaching moments. All the experiences are documented in a planner for each room linking to the EYLF.
Each room documents the children’s learning in their own portfolios. these portfolios look at the holistic child, goals. we reflect on the children’s learning against the learning outcomes and we reflect on our own principles and practices.
In our transition to school room, we incorporate feedback from surroundings schools into our school readiness program. our program is enriched with experiences that promote social, emotional skills, persistence with tasks, building independence, resilience, literacy and numeracy. we have a great partnership with our surroundings schools. we modify experiences they are implementing at school to help assist with the transition e.g., numeracy games, implementing the zones of regulation. This year we are implementing pen pals where we are writing letters to the kindy children to see what questions the children in our transition to school room have about school. We will send them off and get a reply and continue to write letters.
Educators are always listening to the children’s voices throughout the day adding their ideas to the curriculum. Children are invited to set up their own environment. Throughout the day we ask the children to reflect on their day by asking what they liked, what they want to do next or if they want to add any new resources to the shelves and environment. This is documented in our planners.
The educational leaders mentor educators on different intentional teaching strategies. the educators use this through their interactions and engagement with the children. the educators also reflect on their intentional teaching strategies in our planner and room reflections. Educational leaders have mentoring time on the floor by watching educators’ practices. We use this time to mentor the educators on their intentional teaching strategies
Educators use intentional teaching strategies to extend children’s learning, to work on goals, to incorporate literacy, numeracy, munch and move, sustainability, culture into our curriculum across all areas. This can be seen in our daily planners, through our interactions, through our day books and through the children’s observations
The open shelves in the rooms have a variety of resources which foster cultures in our centre, literacy, numeracy, construction, sensory, creative, dramatic play, sustainability. educators use intentional teaching to make learning purposeful and deliberate.
Children’s voices are listened to throughout the day, ideas are added to the program and extended upon. We create mind maps with the children based in different interests at the time e.g. There was a big interest in dinosaurs. We asked the children what they wanted to learn about, what they wanted set up etc. we looked at the mind map to incorporate their ideas into our program. this can be seen in our planners and project books.
LATE FEE
It is not acceptable that children are picked up late from the centre. The centre is able to open for specific periods as per our license from the State Government and approval from the Local Councils. Staff are employed to work those hours and have a right to finish work at the agreed time. Late shift staff delayed from finishing on time may suffer public transport delays etc and may have their own family commitments that need to be met.
Late fee: $20 after 6pm (any period of time 6pm to 6.15pm e.g.: you come at 6.05pm it will be $20) after 6.15pm it is $30 from 6.15pm-6.30pm and $2 per minute after 6.30pm. E.g.: if you come at 6.20pm it will be a $50 late fee.
*** It is best to have nearby emergency contacts that can help you pick up your child if you are going to be late.
You must leave the centre prior to normal closing time (not arrive at the centre prior to normal closing time). If you are delayed beyond your normal booking you must ring the centre to notify staff so we can organise appropriate staffing to cope with the change.
EVENTS
Naidoc week ‘Heal country’ 4th-11th July
Pyjama day Friday 16th July – come dressed in your Pyjamas! (National Pyjama day 17th July)
Sports week! – 19th July – 23rd July -Tokyo Olympics start 23rd July
Sydney Zoo incursion – Thursday 29th July at 10am for Tiggers and Poohs Corner children. (cost covered by Hunny Pots ELC)
Coffee/Tea and portfolio viewing afternoons Monday 26th, Tuesday 27th and Friday 30th July 3pm- 4.30pm. Come in to view your child’s portfolio, read half yearly report, work in partnership with us about your child’s goals.
SAVE THE DATES
Photo day/s – Tuesday 17th and Thursday 19th August.
More details will come closer to the date.
Poohs Corner Graduation – Friday 10th December 6pm-8pm
Lollipops Playland Castle Hill
More details closer to the date.
ENROLMENTS FOR EARLY LEARNING CENTRE – 2022
We will be asking what your requirements are for 2022 in August this year.
All families must complete the re-enrolment forms – no attendances ‘roll over’.
Centre Closure over the Christmas break – We will be operating up to and including Wednesday 22nd December 2021 and reopening on Thursday 6th January 2022. No fees are charged for this period.