Statement of Purpose

Our Vision is to provide excellence in Childcare. Our team at Bumbles aim to provide all children with quality care in a homely, safe and stimulating environment making Bumbles Day Care a place for living, learning and growing up in.

Our Values

Child Focused – We are child focused and by treating children as individuals they always come first.

Engaged – By engaging with our Team, Children, Parents and Volunteers in a proactive, supportive, flexible andcaring way, we can create a real sense of belonging.

Passionate – We are passionate about creating a fun, welcoming and nurturing environment to greatly enhance opportunities to learn and explore.

Committed – We are committed to providing excellence through continuous improvement and consistent training.

We routinely reflect, review and enhance our childcare provision in line with good practice.

Registration

Registered with the Belfast Trust, we are members of the Early Years Organisation (EYO).   We have nearly 30 years experience in providing childcare and pride ourselves in recruiting and retaining a wonderful team of grown ups to look after your little ones.

Bumbles Day Care was established by me, Patricia Maxwell (Registered Person) in 1993 and it now incorporates 5 settings. Our original victorian house (Bumbles HQ) provides care for our under 2 and under 4 age groups whilst our setting, Bumbles in the Park located within the grounds of the Ormeau Park provides wrap around care for nursery school age children.  Bumbles @ Rosetta (located in Rosetta Primary School) and Bumbles by the Park provide wrap around care for primary school aged children.  Our 5th setting, Bumbles on the Hill provides care for all groups including wraparound

HOLIDAY ARRANGEMENTS:

We have 18 days of closure as follows:

Bumbles HQ is registered for up to 49 children, and is comprised of four main groups; Bumblinos, who cater for babies aged 3 – 14 months; Bumbletots, for children aged 15 months – 2 years; Bumbilos, for toddlers aged between 2 – 3 years; and Bumbleers, where children start to prepare for nursery school.

Bumbles in the Park is situated idylically within the ground of the Ormeau Park and is registered for 22 children

Bumbles Rosetta has 3 large rooms and is registered for 48 P1 – P7  children.  In this setting we collect from Rosetta and Forge Primary School.  This setting also has a breakfast club for children who attend Rosetta Primary School.

Bumbles by the Park has 2 very  large halls in MacMillan Hall behind Cooke Centenary Church.  It is registered for 48 P1 – P7  children and collects children from St Michael’s, St Bernard’s and Holy Rosary Primary School.

Bumbles on the Hill is our newest setting and provides all round day care for children from 6 months to 11 years to include wrap around care for both Nursery and Primary school aged children.  Registered for 70 children, this setting is will adopt a wonderful forest school approach to child care.

As part of our Registration we are inspected annually in line with the Minimum Standards. Annual Inspections check:

• The suitability of the premises, ensuring that they are safe to be used as a facility to provide care to children
• The suitability of the persons providing care, ensuring that there is no known reason why they are not able to work with children
• That the standard of care offered is in keeping with that which is required by any registered facility
• The suitability of equipment
• All record keeping systems. They have access to all records held on children and staff.

The contact details for our registering social worker are displayed on our Parent Notice Board at the entrance to both our settings.

At Bumbles Day Care there is public liability insurance and employers’ liability insurance, with current certificates displayed on the notice boards in the settings.

Fees: Up to date fees are detailed on our website at www.bumblesdaycare.com.

POLICIES & PROCEDURES

The policies and procedures which govern our practice have been carefully developed in accordance with both legislation (Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995) and best practice as determined by the Early Years Organisation and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) via the THE MINIMUM STANDARDS. These are continually reviewed in line with current Childcare, Health and Safety and Best Work Practice guidelines.

Each of our policies can be viewed in full within Our Families section and are available as physical copies from the Office.

• Absence Of Manager
• Admission
• Anti-Bullying
• Arrival & Departure
• Babysitting
• Child & Adult Illness
• Child & Adult Protection
• Child with Additional Needs
• Code of Conduct
• Complaints
• Confidentiality
• Cookies
• Data Protection

• Emergency
• Equal Opportunities
• E-Safety
• Fire & Evacuation
• General Health & Safety
• Healthy Eating
• Observation & Record Keeping
• Infection Control
• Intimate Care
• Learning Through Fun & Play
• Lost / Missing Child
• Managing Children’s Behaviour
• Manual Handling

• Medical Administration
• Outdoor Play
• Outings & Community Links
• Partnership with Parents & Carers
• Records Management
• Security
• Settling In
• Sleep & Rest
• Transport
• Video & Photography
• Whistle Blowing

Below are extracts from the key policies that form part of our Statement of Purpose: –

• Admission
• Partnership with Parents & Carers
• Child & Adult Protection
• Code of Practice
• Managing Children’s Behaviour
• Complaints

Admissions

In line with the Early Years Organisation’s (EYO) policy statement on admissions, at Bumbles we admit “children from all cultural, religious and financial backgrounds and also welcome children with disabilities and learning difficulties”.

At Bumbles we are committed to promoting equality of opportunity by providing activities which are open to all children and their families. We aim to ensure that all individuals who wish to work in Bumbles as staff or volunteers have an equal opportunity to do so.Bumbles provides all round day care to children between the ages of 12 weeks and 11 years.

Waiting List

Our waiting list is not necessarily operated on a first come, first served basis. Parents can place their child’s name on our waiting list at the pre-natal stage if they so wish, but places will not be allocated according to the length of time their child’s name has been on this list in the first place, but whether a place is available in the appropriate age group.

Where all things are equal and more children want places than are available, the following admissions criteria will apply:

• Priority will be given to those children who have siblings already at Bumbles
• Priority will be given to children requiring full-time rather that part-time care, when full-time places are available
• Priority will then be given to a child who has been on the waiting list for the longer period of time

A child whose name is not on the waiting list but who falls within the categories below may also be offered a place:

• Child referred by Social Services, Health Visitor or other Health Care Professional
• New families within the areas
• Child who has special needs
• Child from cultural groups not familiar with nurseries

Registration

We encourage parents to come and view our nursery, meet the staff and children and discuss their childcare requirements. They will then be asked to complete an enquiry form, stating their child care needs and if a place is available they will be required to read and acknowledge all policies, complete and submit a consent form and log on to our Famly platform to complete their child’s details:-

• Name, address and contact numbers of all parents/carers
• Information about any health issues or medication;
• Parental consent for general activities

At Bumbles, 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.

Partnership with Parents and Carers

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.

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.

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 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 we celebrate children’s cultures and traditions and encourage parental input in this area is promoted.

Child and Adult Protection

In Bumbles the welfare of the children in our care is paramount. We are committed to creating an environment in which children are safe from abuse, and in which any suspicion of abuse is promptly and appropriately responded to.

At Bumbles we will endeavour to safeguard our children by:-

• Ensuring safety procedures are adhered to Bumbles childcare staff team are committed:-
• Sharing information about child protection and good practice with children, parents, staff and volunteers.
• Report concerns to statutory agencies who need to know and involve parents and children appropriately
• We have a Designated Officer and Deputy Officer who are responsible for safeguarding children’s issues
• Effective management for staff and volunteers through support and training
• Pre-employment police check and vetting (POCFA – October 2005) (ensures we exclude known abusers)
• Applying rigorous recruitment, selection and interview procedures
• Following Health & Social Service guidelines on child protection
  • To protect and ensure the well-being of the children in their care
  • To develop awareness of issues that can cause children harm
  • To report any concerns following Bumbles child protection procedures

Code of Practice

All Bumbles staff have gone through an induction process which includes an awareness of key Policies & Procedures as well as an agreement to a code of conduct aimed to ensure good practice that includes valuing and respecting children as individuals, and the adult modelling of appropriate conduct – which will always exclude bullying, shouting, racism, sectarianism or sexism.

Managing Children’s Behaviour

The standards and principles of our policy take into account the U.N Convention on Rights of the Child which states “that the child should be fully prepared to live an individual life in society, and brought up in the spirit of the ideals proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, and in particular in the spirit of peace, dignity, tolerance, freedom, equality and solidarity.”

At Bumbles Day Care we believe in young children’s growing ability to control their own lives, to make choices and accept responsibility for their actions. We also believe that all children have the right to expect positive approaches to managing their behaviour, which are consistent with these goals.

Managing children’s ‘behaviour’, is about helping children to make judgements about what they can or cannot do, so helping them control their own behaviour through developing in them an awareness of other people’s needs as well as their own, and some understanding of the consequences of their actions on others. Giving explanations, for the reasons certain behaviour is encouraged or discouraged is a key way in which children can develop self-control and come to appreciate the need to respect, tolerate and co-operate with others around them.

Any form of punishment that humiliates and attacks children’s sense of self and makes them feel helpless is damaging and is NEVER permitted in Bumbles.

Complaints

At Bumbles, we aim to provide a stimulating, safe environment for all children. We are committed to delivering the highest standard of care and to foster good relationships with all parents and carers. We aim to provide a service that is accountable to parents and to encourage parental involvement we welcome all comments and suggestions to help us improve our group.

We believe parent’s views and concerns should be respected and acknowledged, and understand that on occasion circumstances may result in a parent or carer wishing to make a complaint.

We aim to bring all concerns about the running of Bumbles Day Care to a prompt, satisfactory and amicable conclusion for all of the parties involved.

Activities & Resources

All of our rooms at Bumbles Day Care are equipped with age appropriate play activities that are rotated depending on the season. We have access to outdoor play areas – the gardens in the Nursery and the play grounds at Rosetta Primary School for PlayStation and Kids Club and again we have available a wide range of outdoor play equipment.

Activities are planned with an emphasis on learning through fun and play, whilst being responsive to children’s enthusiasm and interests and flexible enough to meet individual children’s needs.

In the nursery we follow the Early Years Organisation guidance on the nature of an appropriate curriculum for preschool children and the PPA Guide to the Curriculum, 1991 which states that “The essential basis for all future learning is established through children’s early play and learning and through the attitudes to learning which are acquired during the pre-school years.” Most importantly therefore, during their time at Bumbles, we hope that children will be learning that learning is fun.

Whilst for children in the nursery setting, there is a need for an educational curriculum, for those children coming to PlayStation and Kids Club it is deemed that those needs will be met in their respective schools. Therefore the emphasis here will be on play.

We welcome visits from many external organisations and plan outings to local parks, etc throughout the year and specific outings during holiday periods e.g.: Museums, Zoo, Farms, W5, Beaches, Play Parks and Outdoor Centres further afield etc.