We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New year break. We are happy to have the children back and we are already in the swing of a fun and enriching term.
Measles in children
There has been a reported outbreak of measles in some regions. The government is urging families to take up the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccination if they have not done so already, particularly in areas with low MMR vaccine rates, in response to recent localised outbreaks.
Calpol before nursery
As we are in the cold season, colds and coughs are on the rise, in addition some viral infections making children very unwell. While we will not stop your child from attending nursery due to common cold and cough, we will not let them in if it is anything more serious, even though you might have given them ‘calpol’ due to a high temperature. The only exception would be that your child is teething.
If we notice your child is looking unwell, we will ask you to take them back home or we will call you to pick them up if their condition worsens. Your child will need to stay home until they have made a full recovery.
We have to protect our younger children who are still building their immunities.
Parent Questionnaire
We have sent out the questionnaires to you digitally. Please spare a few minutes to fill it so we can continue to serve you and your children adequately. This is an opportunity for you to voice your opinion. If the questionnaire does not cover your ideas or concerns, please feel free to share with us either through Tapestry or via email. We always seek to improve our practice.
Expansion of Government Funding entitlement
Eligible working parents are now able to apply for their 15 hours childcare per week for their two-year-old from April. Parents have until 31 March to apply for a code, with the best time in mid-January to the end of February, in case they need to provide further information to support their application.
To apply for a childcare code, each parent needs to be working and earning the equivalent of 16 hours a week at national minimum/living wage and under £100,000 adjusted net income per year. This means that each parent needs to earn from just over £8,600 per year to be eligible for 15 hours a week of childcare during term time.
More information on the range of childcare support available to parents can be found in the Childcare Choices toolkit, where they can explore the early education entitlements and other government help with childcare costs.
Once we receive more information from the council, we will update you.
Delivery of the funded hours
From April 2024, we are changing the way we deliver the funded hours. We will be offering full days 8-6pm rather than 9-3pm. For instance, 30 hours funded will be delivered as 3 full days. Additional hours, if required, will be charged for. This will enable us accommodate more children to remain sustainable.
To understand how the funding works, please follow the link for a simple explanation.
Extra curricular
Daisies (babies) will continue soft play and Music and Movement sessions on alternate Wednesdays.
Lilies (toddlers) have Music and Movements every Wednesday
Daffodils (Preschoolers) will have football lessons on Thursdays and French lessons on Tuesdays.
Going to the library: We take all children to the library at Pollards Hill regularly.
Cooking activities will take place every Friday.
Local visits in the community: We take the children to the park, Lidl, train station, conservatory area, shops etc from, time to time.
We are trying to enrich our children’s experience and knowledge so that they develop more holistically. As they say, learning is done not only in the classroom.
Invoicing and payments
Please use your child’s name as a payment reference for easy identification when paying into the nursery’s bank account. Lunch is now pre-paid monthly for children who are using government funding. Please note: we do not accept cash. There has been a lot of issues with missed payments and non-payments. Invoices will be sent for lunch, fees and all other services. Please do not make payments through the invoicing system (Sum-up). Payments should be made directly into the nursery’s bank account.
Bank: Lloyds Bank
Account Name: Kiddies Kottage Nursery
Account No: 22 86 12 60
Sort Code: 77-91-30
Any queries regarding finance should be sent to [email protected]. Ms Diana will handle them.
Fee Review
With the announcement of the increase in the National Minimum Wage from £10.40 to £11.44 from April 2024, we will be communicating with you shortly the implications for our fees.
We will also send a letter detailing the ‘sustainability charge’ that we intend to introduce for each hour of funding from the council for eligible 2, 3 and 4 year olds.
Dates for your diary
Half term: Monday 12 February to Friday 16 February 2024
Friendship Day: Wednesday 21 February 2024
Break for Easter Holidays for funded children: Thursday 28 March 2024
Nursery Resumes for funded children: Monday 15 April 2024
Half term for funded children: Monday 27 May to Friday 31 May 2024
Last day of term for funded children: Wednesday 24 July 2024
Trip for the term: TBC
Things we have lined up
National storytelling week 30th January to 9th of February
We have had parents come in to read stories and share childhood stories with our children. The children have really enjoyed every moment. A big thank you to all the parents that have given their time. If you want to get involved, please tell any of our staff members. Pictures are being uploaded on Tapestry.
Friendship Day
We want children to learn about friendship and kindness. Following the success of last year’s event, there will be another friendship day this year.
Your child will exchange a small gift not more than £1-2 with another child. You can help your child write a kind message or they can draw a picture for their friend.
We will exchange the gifts on the 21st of February. Please we do not want any child left out or excluded.
Correspondence & Communication
Other events and dates will be communicated to you via Tapestry. Please endeavour to log into the tapestry account regularly as this is our primary means of communicating with you.
We want to take the time to thank you for your support.
If you have any questions, please speak to us or email us at [email protected].
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