YOU SHOULD KNOW .....
Here at Cherrytots we try to teach children good habbits as well as prepare them for formal education in a primary school setting these are some of our policies that will help you understand how you can help your child settle into playschool.
Allow your child be independent and show you what they can do upon entering or exiting playschool
i.e. Putting their lunch bags into their cubbie hole themselves, removing and hanging up their own coat in their own place these are labled with photo name tags to help your child recognise their own name and place.
This is made easier if you child uses a small lunch bag that can be easily taken in and out of the cubbie hole >
We have a strict healthy eating policy, this coinsides with policies from local schools later helping your child with the transition between playschool and big school. As we have smaller numbers and more intimate setting we have the time to spend encouraging and entising children in our playschool we recomend you supply a healthy lunch daily and we will provide encouragement for each child to taste and try each thing daily, this may seem pointless for the first while as it may appear children are bring lunches home but eventually children will learn what school lunches are all about and the praise healthy eating will bring.
This means no fizzy drinks, chewing gum, crisps, popcorn (healthy choice but chokeing hazard) chocolate, biscuits, chocolate balls in yogurts, chocolate spread, sweets etc....
Instead we recomend a sandwich/wrap/bap/bundy with ham/cheese/tuna/salad/peanut butter/jam a piece of fruit or two, some veggies cut into sticks rather than disks and maybe a dip honey/peanutbutter/hummus/sour cream and onion/salsa. pasta/fruit salad.
Remeber Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, set your child up for a busy day daily.
We recomend that children are not sent to playschool in their good clothes as there is a high risk of them getting messy on a regular basis as messy play is a regular part of our weekly routine allowing children to experament and explore in ways they may not yet have experienced in an environment that encourages mess and slopping of materials.
We understand that some children have soothers, blankets, toys and comforters in many shapes and forms we respectfully request these be kept in the car untill collection as sharing (or having this things taken) can be very difficult for a child to deal with. (exceptions during the innitial settling in period may be made) We have found from experience it is much easier to get used to getting these upon collection rather than having them during school as it is much easier to share things that are not our own. Towards the end of the year we will have a share day where each child is encouraged to bring ONE favourite toy to school, this enables the children to try out all the skills they will learn over the course of the preschool year, like sharing, turn taking, patience etc...
Supply or return spare clothing as required. If your child is so delighted with our child height sinks that they are getting wet regularly please supply a change of clothes. If toileting is a bit hit and miss to begin with please supply changes of clothes and if for some reason we have had to give your child a change of clothes please return them so if we need them again we will have them. These spare clothes do not need to be washed before they are returned, we have to wash them for hygene reasons ourselves (this is not to offend any one its just stnadard practice).
Please do not try to connect with staffs personal profiles on social networking sites as refusal may offend. Cherrytots have their own networking page which is Irene Cherrytots Playschool on facebook.
Children of this age may not always be able to identify and staff might not diferenciate between simular articles of clothing so please take the time and care to lable your childs belongings clearly.
It is the parents responsibility to dress your child approperately taking weather conditions into account throuout the year, it is advisable that children always wear a jumper, it can be removed if needs be, they need to have a coat during cold or wet weather and hats are advisable during cold spells, sun creams need to be applied before coming to school when the sun finally makes an apperance.
