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Little Explorers Statement of Intent

At Little Explorers we believe that all children deserve an education rich in wonder and memorable experiences that allows children's natural creativity and curiosity to flourish, alongside the purposeful acquisition of skills and knowledge. We believe that an education that does all of this gives children the best chance to become well-rounded, happy individuals, ready to succeed in an ever-changing world. We recognise the importance of giving our children the best possible start to their education by implementing teaching and learning opportunities that supports them in reaching their full potential. We know that our children enter Reception classes with varied life experiences and we aim to provide teaching and learning opportunities accordingly to address this. 

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There are 3 areas in which our curriculum is set out

 

Intent: What we intend for the children to learn and the skills we intend for them to develop during their time at Little Explorers.

 

Implement: How we implement these into our settings plans and activities to ensure we are meeting our intended aims.

 

Impact: How we work together with every child, family and as a team to evaluate the impact our teaching and curriculum is having on each individual child. 

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  • What ages do you take from?
    We welcome all children from the age of 6 months to 5 years.
  • What is the minimum session requirement?
    There is no minimum session requirement when taking up a place at Little Explorers. Whilst we do suggest a minimum of two sessions per week to give children the best out of their time with us, we appreciate that for some families this is not possible and therefore do not place a minimum requirement to take up a place with us.
  • What time is drop off and collection?
    Parents may drop off or collect their child at a time to suit them, between the hours of 7.45am and 5.50pm. Please note: To attend our earlier start time of 7.45am the fee for this is: £2.50 and must be booked in advance. Unfortunately we are unable to offer care past 6.00pm.
  • Do you offer a discount for Children attending full time?
    We will apply a 5% discount to all children who attend Little Explorers over 5 full days. Our full day sessions are: 8am-6pm. This discount will continue for children accessing the Early Years Entitlement over 5 full days.
  • Do you offer sibling discount?
    Due to the new Early Years Entitlements unfortunately we no longer offer sibling discounts.
  • What are your opening hours?
    Little Explorers is open for 50 weeks per year, 5 days per week. 7.45am until 5.50pm Monday-Friday. Please note: To attend our earlier start time of 7.45am the fee for this is: £2.50 and must be booked in advance. Please note: we are unable to offer term time only care.
  • What information do you require for registration?
    All parents/carers are required to complete a registration form, detailing in full any dietary, medical, health, allergy or additional needs that their child may have. Where possible this should include any relevant letters or documentation from medical professionals. We use eyLog to register children for booking patterns and to raise invoices, therefore you will be required to complete the registration process online and download our app.
  • How much is the registration fee?
    In order to secure a place for your child, a non refundable registration fee of £60.00 is required at the time of booking. This deposit secures the days requested (where available) or a place on our waiting list. This cost is a non-refundable administration fee. Where a child does not subsequently take up a place, the administration fee will be non-refundable. Should you require a space with a start date in the future, you may have to pay full fees to retain the space. You will be provided with full details of this at the point of registration. We will contact you immediately once your registration fee has been received and confirmation will follow.
  • What will I need to provide when my child starts?
    Baby milk - please ensure all powdered milk is measured out and placed into individual sterilised pots (group dispenser pots can sometimes mix within sections therefore we kindly ask to refrain from using these) all pots must be labelled with the amount of ounces contained to ensure the correct preparation. Sterilised bottles - enough to cater for your child's feeding schedule. Weaning foods - please note; except snack, we can puree our food menu for weaning babies. We ask parents to supply a minimum of 6 nappies per session, along with wipes and cream. We are unable to store bulk supplies of your child's nappies, wipes and cream. A spare change of clothes - as much as we will always do our best to keep children clean it is important children are able to access a wide range of activities including painting, messy play, water and many other fun activities across our curriculum. Therefore we advise parents to send their children in 'nursery clothes' that you do not mind getting a splash of paint on from time to time.
  • What if my child is unwell or unable to attend?
    Parents must notify Little Explorers if their child is unwell or unable to attend. Parents can inform of any absences via eyLog. Fees are payable in full for all periods of children’s absences, holidays and sickness (including Bank Holidays). No fees will be charged during the Christmas closure period (23rd Dec - 1st Jan inclusive). There is no charge when we are closed for staff training. Please refer to our updated Nursery calendar on our app and regular newsletters for bank holidays, staff training and other important dates.
  • When are payments due?
    Fees are payable on the 20th day of each month, one month in advance. For example April fees are payable by March 20th. To avoid any late charges, payment must be received and cleared by this date. You will receive your child's invoice via eyLog which will give a breakdown of each session.
  • How can I pay?
    We recommend that fees are paid by standing order or electronic transfer direct to our account. Account Name: Little Explorers Day Nursery and Preschool Ltd Sort Code: 40-16-15 Account Number: 64285700 Please use your child’s unique code given to you at point of registration as a reference. We accept most childcare vouchers and payments via Government Tax-Free Childcare accounts. In order to claim your childcare vouchers, please inform Nursery Management of the childcare voucher company that your employer uses. Siblings will be invoiced separately and therefore require a separate payment.
  • What happens if I pay late or I am unable to pay?
    If your payment is not received and cleared on or before the 20th day of the month, as per our fee structure, this is deemed as a late payment. If your nursery fees are late, you will be charged £20.00. We unfortunately have to cover the risk to Little Explorers of parents not paying their invoice in full for a pre-booked space, or for their notice period. Whilst we will always work with you to cover periods of hardship you may have, once a goodwill arrangement becomes an obvious debt, we will, if required hand over your non-payment to an outside debt recovery specialist which may also incur further charges. We are unable to offer any childcare during non payment periods, until payment is cleared in full and reserve the right to terminate our services with immediate effect.
  • How can I change my child's sessions?
    Any permanent changes to sessions must be made in writing and will be confirmed via email. You can book extra sessions by calling, emailing or via the eyLog app. If you are looking for an immediate change and we are able to accommodate this we will do so. One month’s notice in writing is required to reduce sessions.
  • Can I store carseats, prams etc at Little Explorers?
    We have a storage facility located outside of Little Explorers entrance which parents/carers are more than welcome to use to store their children's car seats, prams etc. This can be particularly useful for families who may have different parents or family members dropping off or collecting. Please be aware: leaving any items in our storage facility is at your own risk and we are unable to accept any responsibility for lost, missing, stolen or damaged property.
  • Emergency closure policy
    There are certain events which could result in Little Explorers Day Nursery and Preschool Ltd having to close for a limited time. We would aim to rectify any such closure as soon as possible and keep all parents/carers informed of the situation via eyLog. In the event of bad weather such as heavy snowfall which would make it hazardous for both staff and parents to travel, the premises would be closed for health and safety reasons. In line with our policies and procedures we would carefully consider whether the Nursery is safe for children and staff to attend. Little Explorers Day Nursery and Preschool Ltd will inform parents via eyLog at their earliest convenience. Please note in the event of an emergency closure charges will still apply. Parents will be informed at the end of each day about the situation and likelihood of opening the following day. Please refer to our Emergency Closure policy for more information.
  • Sickness and infectious illnesses
    Any child who has, or develops, an infectious illness MUST be kept at home. In order to prevent the spread of illness, any child suffering from vomiting or diarrhoea must be kept at home until clear of symptoms for a minimum of 48 hours. Fees are payable at the full rate during the period of sickness absence from the nursery. Please refer to our Sick Child Policy and Public Health England’s ‘Guidance on Infection Control in Schools and other Childcare Settings’ (September 2014) for details of required incubation periods for which your child must not attend nursery to protect the health and wellbeing of the other children and our staff. Parents should notify the nursery either via telephone call, email or eyLog app of their child’s absence by 9am.
  • Late collection charges
    Late collection has a significant impact on staff costs and in some instances can put us over ratio requirements, in order for us to be able to manage this you will be charged at a rate of £20.00 for every 15 minutes late or part thereof. This applies to children being collected at lunchtime and at the end of the day. Please refer to our late collection policy for further information. All late fees are non-negotiable and will automatically be applied to your bill.
  • How much notice is required to terminate contract?
    We kindly ask parents to provide us with as much notice as possible to help support our small business and atleast a minimum of four weeks notice in writing is required to terminate a child’s place at Little Explorers.
  • My child starts school in September when will be their last day at Little Explorers?
    Little Explorers operate up until 31st August for all school leavers. If your child is due to start school a little later in September and you require care during this time, please call or email us and we will do our very best to accommodate this request.
  • Terms and conditions
    Our terms and conditions are subject to change with one month’s notice.

Children at Little Explorers will be well rounded, happy, inquisitive and successful learners.

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