Principle and statement of intent
The principle behind our Partnership with Parents and Carers Policy is taken from the Policy for Early Years Provision in NI (1994) which states that: “Parents are the first educators of their children and should be involved at all stages in their education and development”.
At Bumbles Day Care, we recognise the importance of keeping in close contact with parents in order to meet the needs of each individual child most effectively. Parents are the most knowledgeable people about their children and are also their first and most influential educators.
Children will be more likely to benefit from their time at Bumbles Day Care when staff and parents work in partnership. We hope that parents will feel free at any time during the year to make any recommendations or ask questions about any aspect of our provision, or to suggest any ways of developing better links between parents and Bumbles Day Care.
Bumbles Day Care has an Open Door Policy whereby parents can call in at any time. Should a parent wish to speak to a member of staff specifically then it would be advisable to call in advance, so that alternative arrangements can be made to ensure appropriate staff to child ratio is maintained at all times.
In addition to the routine verbal exchange between parents and staff which takes place every morning and every evening, there are a variety of methods used in order to establish and maintain good communication links with parents:
- MY NURSERY PAL: This is a tablet and cloud-based nursery management system that is managed by Bumbles staff and allows them to record all aspects of each child’s day, including photographs, messages and general activities. This can be viewed by parents from their computer, tablet or smart phone at home or at work. My Nursery Pal utilises the highest security standards and is username and password protected.
- EMAIL: We find email a quick and effective way to communicate with our parents. Upon registration, parents are requested to supply a working email address and create their own password. The password is used to access monthly e-invoices. Bulletins and other important information may also be emailed periodically. Please note that parent’s email details are used internally only and are not distributed to third parties.
- WEBSITE: www.bumblesdaycare.com Here you will find a wealth of information including our ethos, our team, latest news and access* to our Policies & Procedures.
- *** You will be required to provide an e-mail address and password to access the full website. This is admin controlled and authorised by our site administrator. ***
- EVALUATION QUESTIONNAIRES: These are usually circulated annually, or more often, as required. Bumbles ascertains the views of parents in relation to our practice, procedures and policies. Information arising from the evaluations feeds into our annual review of Policies and Procedures.
- PARENT MEETINGS: These are usually held annually, and are an opportunity to introduce new and reinforce existing policy and procedures, provide timely information with regard to increased fees. We will also provide updates on group activities/play provision and notify of any upcoming events, as well as giving feedback on evaluation questionnaires as appropriate.
- BULLETINS: Distributed periodically, these aim to keep parents up-to-date and contain information such as: staff changes, staff training, amendments to policy or procedures and notice of forthcoming events etc.
- ROOM NOTICE BOARD: This will highlight specific information about what goes on in that room e.g. Planned/scheduled activities, details of staff on duty in the room on any given day, Menu Plan etc.
- PARENT NOTICE BOARD: This is usually updated monthly and will highlight specific pieces of policy and related articles alongside detailed information about a particular activity. In addition, registration and insurance information will always be displayed.
Apart from having the formal opportunities to air views, outlined above, we hope that parents will feel free at any time during the year to make any recommendations or ask questions about any aspect of our provision, or to suggest any other ways of developing better links between parents and Bumbles.
At Bumbles Day Care we value parental input and appreciate their support. If parents have any special talents, or interesting jobs we encourage them to participate in sharing those talents with our children and staff. For example we have had:
- A parent with hearing impairment, demonstrate the use of sign language.
- A parent, who was blind, visit with their guide dog.
- The parent of a child with a severe nut allergy delivering awareness training of this to staff.
At Bumbles Day Care we celebrate children’s cultures and traditions and encourage parental input in this area is promoted.