WELCOME TO Kawai Kids™
We are a purpose-built nursery in Montebello providing a safe, bright, clean, and friendly environment. We believe that every child develops at their own pace in the different areas of learning. Our role is to tap into their enthusiasm and interests, stretch their learning and challenge their development.
Kawai Kids™ is designed and built to a high standard where safety is of the upmost importance. Our premises is divided into 3 sections; The Caterpillar Room: 3 months – walking, Dragonfly Room: walking – 2 ½ years, and the Bumblebee room: 2 ½ – 4 years. We also provide a service for after school children and children on summer holidays/midterms.
OUR AIMS
❖ To provide an atmosphere where children become confident learners and develop their self-esteem.
❖ To create a safe, caring and stimulating environment where each child can develop their potential, whilst becoming independent and active learners.
❖ To value each child as an individual with their own needs and personality.
❖ To provide an on-going assessment process for your child where activities are planned
in accordance to their interests and development.
❖ To have a strong relationship between staff and parents for the best communication
about your child.
❖ To have equal opportunities for all with respect for different racial origins, religions,
differences of gender and disabilities.
OPENING TIMES
Kawai Kids™ opening hours are: 08:00 am till 5.00 pm.
We open every weekday all year round excluding bank holidays and a week at Christmas.
THE CATERPILLAR ROOM
In the Caterpillar Room, we cater for babies up until they are walking and steady on their feet. The babies will follow their own home routine as closely as possible in respect of feeding and sleep times.
We provide an environment which is caring, nurturing, respectful and recognizes the individual needs of the babies.
THE DRAGONFLY ROOM
In the Dragonfly Room, we have a variety of activities for the children; we use colors, shapes, numbers and the alphabet to help with the children’s learning and development. The children are welcomed into an enthusiastic, positive, and caring environment.
In our team we work together to prepare the children for The Bumblebee Room, the children do the same activities at a younger level so that they are familiar with them.
THE BUMBLEBEE ROOM
In the Bumblebee Room, we cater for children the year before they start Government Pre School. We also have our own Pre-School group where children are fully prepared for going into the school system. In the Bumblebee Room we follow planned activities around the children’s interests and abilities.
Our main emphasis is on learning through play. Each day in the Bumblebee Room, the children will be able do an educational activity including early writing, reading and mathematical awareness. The children are encouraged to take part in a creative activity and have access to a planned activity to develop their understanding of the world around them. We have exercise time including dancing, group games and ball games.
NURSERY STAFF
The nursery team comprises of a nursery manager, a deputy supervisor/teacher and nursery assistants. At Kawai Kids™ all our staff are fully vetted by the ??? and are suitably qualified in:
❖ Safeguarding
❖ First Aid
❖ Pediatric First Aid
❖ Infection Control
❖ Manual Handling
RATIOS
The ratio of adults to children at Kawai Kids™, goes as follows:
❖ 0-2 years, one adult to three children (1:3)
❖ 2-3 years, one adult to seven children (1:7)
❖ 3-8 years, one adult to ten children (1:10)
There will always be more than one adult with any group. Maintaining ratios help us to:
❖ Give time and attention to each child.
❖ Help children experience and benefit activities we provide.
❖ Allow the children to explore and be adventurous in safety.
PARENTS/GUARDIANS
We aim to treat parents and guardians in helping each child to learn and develop to ensure parents and guardians are instrumental in helping shape the service we offer. Parents and guardians are regarded as parents in our nursery, with full participatory rights, including the right to be:
❖ Valued and respected
❖ Informed
❖ Consulted
❖ Involved
❖ Included at all levels
There are many ways in which parents and guardians are involved in making the setting a welcoming and stimulating setting for children, such as:
❖ Exchanging knowledge about their children’s needs, activities, interests, and progress with the staff.
❖ Contributing to the process check at age two.
❖ Building friendships with other parents and guardians in the setting.
POLICIES
SAFE -GUARDING POLICY
At Kawai Kids™ we are committed to recognizing, promoting, and protecting the rights of all children. We believe that the welfare of children is the highest priority and that is it the responsibility of everyone who works for and with us to ensure that children are protected from abuse and exploitation. We recognize that safeguarding considerations permeate all aspects of our work and we strive to prioritize safeguarding in all our policies, practices, and activities. All our staff are retrained annually in safeguarding and have clearance to work with children.
CARE & DISCIPLINE
Our positive behavior policy is fundamental to our success and is based on the core values of integrity, respect, and positive attitudes. Each child is treated as an individual. In cases of ‘antisocial’ behavior, staff endeavors to explain why such behavior is unacceptable. The staff constantly encourages positive guidance, redirection and setting of clear-cut boundaries that enable the child to become self-disciplined and have a well-balanced daily routine. Our aim is to encourage the children to be fair, respect property, and respect others and to be responsible for their own actions.
Discipline and guidance is consistent and based on an understanding of the individual needs and development of your child.
Aggressive physical behavior towards staff or a child is unacceptable. Staff will intervene immediately when a child becomes physically aggressive, to protect all the children and encourage more acceptable behavior.
Kawai Kids™ reserves the right to exclude any child at any time if it is considered that this is in the best interests of the children’s and staff’s well-being.
TOILETING/NAPPIES
All our staff is trained in toilet techniques and infection control. diaper and wipes must be provided for your child. A record is kept of diaper changes throughout the day. Toilet training is as far as possible handled in accordance with your specific requests and according to the developmental needs of the individual child.
ADMINISTERING OF FIRST AID & MEDICINE
All staff possesses a first aid certificate and has received instruction specifically covering the administering of First Aid to infants and children. Ongoing training is in place. All accidents are entered on an accident report form and will be signed by both a member of staff and countersigned by the person collecting the child.
If medication is required during nursery hours full details must be given in advance with a request form signed. Details required will include name of medicine, time of last dose, dosage and times and any other special instructions.
ARRANGEMENTS WHEN YOUR CHILD IS ILL
If your child becomes ill or unduly distressed during nursery hours, we will try to contact a parent of the child so that arrangements can be made for early collection.
In the interests of other children and staff it will be necessary to exclude any child who has been diagnosed with certain contagious illnesses and diseases. The Manager is not allowed to admit onto the premises any child who appears to be suffering from an infectious or contagious illness or disease. Any child who has a sore throat, discharge from the eyes or nose, sickness, diarrhea, fever or any contagious/infectious illness should be kept at home until a doctor has certified, in writing, that s/he is fully recovered or 48 hours have elapsed since the last outbreak. Please do not bring children who are unwell into the nursery as they will be sent home upon arrival.
PROCEDURE FOR COLLECTION OF CHILDREN
Children are released only to the adults listed on the consent form. Release to any other adult may occur with written authorization signed and dated by you or by direct communication with the nursery manager. We have a password system in place for this. Identification may be requested at any time.
HEALTH & SAFETY
Health & Safety is of utmost importance and our policy is available for inspection on the nursery notice board together with our fire procedures.
SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS & DISABILITIES (SEN/D)
At Kawai Kids™ we aim to make sure that our provision meets the needs of each individual child. We do this by adapting our facilities and activities to the needs of the child as well as providing one to one provision where necessary. Our setting works to the requirements of the special education needs code of practice (2001).
To ensure we provide the best quality care for children with extra needs we have trained our staff in manual handling techniques, infection control, medication administration and they all have a basic knowledge of disabilities such as Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Cerebral Palsy, Downs Syndrome and many more.
CHILDREN’S DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING
We will be working in line with the Department for Education Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. This covers children’s development and education from birth to five years. This continues up until your child starts school.
THE EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE
The provision for children’s development and learning is guided by the Early Years Foundation Stage. Our provision reflects the four overarching principles of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.
❖ A Unique Child: Every child is a unique child who is constantly learning.
❖ Positive Relationships: Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships.
❖ Enabling Environments: Children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners, parents and carers.
❖ Learning and Development: Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates. The framework covers the education and care of all children in early years provision including children with special educational needs and disabilities.
HOW WE PROVIDE FOR DEVELOPMENT & LEARNING
Children start to learn about the world around them from the moment they are born. The care and education offered by our setting helps children to continue to do this by providing all the children with interesting activities that are appropriate for their age and stage of development.
These 3 prime areas – Personal, social, and emotional development, communication and language and physical development, will help them to develop skills in four specific areas:
• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the world
• Expressive arts and design
For each area, the guidance sets out early learning goals. which individual children will meet right up to the end of the reception year when the Foundation Stage profile will be completed.
PERSONAL, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
This area of children’s development covers:
• making relationships
• self-confidence and self-awareness
• managing feelings and behavior
COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE:
• listening and attention
•understanding
• speaking
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
• moving and handling
• health and self-care
LITERACY
• reading
• writing
MATHEMATICS
• numbers
• shape, space and measure
UNDERSTANDING THE WORLD
• people and communities
• the world
• technology
EXPRESSIVE, ART AND DESIGN
• exploring and using media and materials
• being imaginative
For each are the level of progress that children are expected to attain by the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage is defined by the Early Ears Learning Goals. The development matters guidance sets out the likely stages of progress a child makes along their learning journey towards the Early Learning Goals.
LEARNING THROUGH PLAY
Play helps young children to learn and develop through doing and talking, which research has shown to be the means by which young children learn to think. Our setting uses the development matters leading to the early learning goals to plan and provide a range of play activities, which help children to make progress in each of the areas of learning and development. In some of these activities children decide how they will use the activity and, in others, an adult takes the lead in helping the children to take part in the activity. In all activities information from the children’s individual learning journey has been used to decide what equipment to provide and how to provide it and what is planned.
ASSESSMENT
We assess how young children are learning and developing by observing them frequently. We use information that we gain from observations, as well as from photographs or videos of the children to document their progress and where this may be leading them. We believe that parents know their children best and we ask them to contribute to assessment, sharing information about what their children like to do at home and how parents are supporting development.
THE PROGRESS CHECK AT AGE TWO
As part of the Early Years Foundation Stage we work with the parents and carers to write a short summary of their child’s development in the three prime areas of learning and development: personal, social and emotional development; physical development; and communication and
language; when a child is aged between 24 – 36 months. The key person is responsible for completing the check using information from ongoing observational assessments carried out as part of our everyday practice, taking into account the views of other professionals e.g. Health Visitor.
KEY PERSONS AND YOUR CHILD
Our setting uses a key person approach. This means that each member of staff has a group of children for whom she/ he is particularly responsible. Your child’s key person will be the person who works with you to make sure that the care and education we provide is right for your child’s needs and interests. When your child first starts at the setting, she/he will help your child to settle and throughout your child’s time at the setting, she/he will help your child to benefit from the setting’s activities. All staff make sure that your child is happy and safe in pre-school as well as your child’s key person.
RECORDS OF ACHIEVEMENT
The setting keeps a record of achievement for each child. Staff and parents work in partnership on their children’s records of achievement which is completed by child’s key person. Your child’s record of achievement helps us to celebrate together her/his achievements and to work together to provide what your child needs for her/his well- being and to make progress.
Your child’s key person will work with you to keep this record. To do this you and she/he will collect information about your child’s needs, activities, interests and achievements. This information will enable the key person to identify your child’s individual needs and stage of development. You and the key person will then decide on how to help your child to move on to the next stage.
MEALS & SNACKS
At Kawai Kids™ we make snacks and meals a social time when children and adults spend time together.
There is a scheduled snack time in the morning and afternoon. Each day the children are given a selection of fruit and vegetables along with something dry i.e. a biscuit, breadsticks, rice cakes and cupcakes.
Milk is the beverage served but water is always available to the children at snack time and throughout the day.
Where a child remains at nursery during lunch time (12-1:00pm) parents can provide a packed lunch or food that can be heated up by a member of staff. If your child is staying late then food can also be given at teatime. Lunch boxes must be clearly marked with the child’s name. Please make us aware of any dietary needs or requirements your child may have to make sure these are met.
AT KAWAI KIDS™
OUR GOALS
❖ To provide an atmosphere where children become confident learners and develop their self-esteem.
❖ To create a safe, caring and stimulating environment where each child can develop their potential, whilst becoming independent and active learners.
❖ To value each child as an individual with their own needs and personality.
❖ To provide an on-going assessment process for your child where activities are planned
in accordance to their interests and development.
❖ To have a strong relationship between staff and parents for the best communication about your child.
❖ To have equal opportunities for all with respect for different racial origins, religions, differences of gender and disabilities.
Health and Safety
At Kawai Kids™ we are committed to recognizing, promoting, and protecting the rights of all children. We believe that the welfare of children is the highest priority and that is it the responsibility of everyone who works for and with us to ensure that children are protected from abuse and exploitation. We recognize that safeguarding considerations permeate all aspects of our work and we strive to prioritize safeguarding in all our policies, practices, and activities. All our staff are re-trained annually in safeguarding and have clearance to work with children.
Health & Safety is of utmost importance and our policy is available for inspection on the nursery notice board together with our fire procedures.