Admission Policy

We recognise that leaving a child in the care of others can be a traumatic experience for all concerned.

We will work with parents or carers to establish an open and honest relationship.

A child starting nursery for the first time needs lots of care and attention and nursery staff will work in partnership with parents/carers to settle the child into the nursery environment. Children must fell happy and secure without their parents/carers before they can play and learn successfully.

Children need to be confident that their parents or carers will return at the end of the session. In order to achieve this our policy is:

• For prospective parents/carers and children to be invited to ‘Open Day’ sessions.
• To arrange for parents/carers to visit with their child for part of a session before they start.
• Admission to Ashfield Plaza Day Nursery is staggered so we do not have too many new children starting at the same time.
• We encourage parents/carers to separate from their child for brief periods at first which can be built up to longer absences until the child is ready to be left for a whole session.
• For their first session, we would prefer the parents/carers of children under 3 remain with them.
• We recognise that at some stage the child may need to be left even though distressed.
• In such cases the child will be given continual support by a member of staff. If the child continues to be unduly distressed and is unable to settle, then the parent/carer will be contacted and asked to return.
• Parents/carers are welcome to telephone the nursery at any time to enquire about their child. Parents’/carers worries and concerns will be taken seriously.
• Parents/carers who are anxious about their child are to be supported and given reassurance and information about their child’s activities and welfare.
• We recommend that parents/carers of children new to the group return early so the child does not become distressed when other children are collected and they are left waiting.
• Children develop at different rates and parents/carers should not be discouraged if their child does not settle in as quickly as another.
• Parents/carers are to be given all necessary reassurance and support during this time.

Parents/carers will be required to complete an admission booklet before leaving a child for the first time; this will include information such as, contact numbers, GP, allergies and dietary requirements.

The first time a child attends nursery an individual diary will be started, this will record activities undertaken, sleep times, food etc. This diary will be one of the ways we communicate with parents/carers.