Parental/Carer Support

We believe that we can best meet the needs of the children by working closely with their parents/carers. 
 

Our aim is to develop partnerships between parents/carers and staff which are based on mutual trust and respect, and which promote the sharing of information and knowledge for the benefit of the children.

In order to achieve these aims we ensure the following:

• all parents/carers and children’s values and beliefs are respected and supported
• new parents/carers are made aware of our policies and procedures and complete the required information forms prior to their child starting Playgroup
• each child is assigned a Key Person (who will work closely with both parents/carers and the child). The Key Person will be introduced to the parents/carers prior to the child starting Playgroup    
• suitable visits for the parents/carers and the child are arranged prior to their child starting and ‘settling-in’ support is available for as long as necessary
• parents/carers are offered the role of ‘parent representatives’ in order to reflect the true feelings of the parents/carers
• every effort is made to ensure information is available to parents/carers via our notice boards, letters home and termly newsletters
• information regarding current themes, topics or weekly routines are displayed on notice boards and posters in the entrance hall
• regular report mornings, coffee mornings and stay & play sessions are held
• special events i.e. family church services and fundraising events are organised and everyone is welcome
• parents/carers have opportunities to contribute their own skills, knowledge and interests to the children at Playgroup
• new ideas and suggestions are always welcomed as we continually strive to improve

All our staff are dedicated professionals who are happy to share information with you or answer any questions that you may have. If you need to share information with the staff regarding your child please do so at the beginning of the session, for more detailed conversations please arrange for a meeting either at the end of the session or on a pre-arranged day. It is important not to distract the staff at collection time as they are trying to ensure that the children leave safely with the correct authorised adult.

Church Services

At the end of each term, the children prepare an informal service to be held in Church. This involves telling a simple story through action and songs. These normally take place on the last day of term between 11.30am and 12 noon, and all children are invited even if this is not their normal day. All parents/carers are also invited, and we do ask that you support such occasions.

Occasionally, such as Mother’s Day, Easter, Christmas and for the Harvest Festival, we prepare a simple play for presenting to the Church congregation. Again, we ask for your support and attendance if possible.



Stay and Play Mornings

We hold termly stay and play mornings where parents/carers are invited to spend a morning with their child seeing first hand what they get up too. This is a great opportunity to find out what you child enjoys at Playgroup and have some fun playing with them.

Parents/Carers rota

We have a rota which is kept on the parent/carers’ information table in the small hall where we invite parent/carers to volunteer their time/skills to come in and help with various activities such as crafts, story telling, and music sessions. If you are interested please put your name on the rota or speak to a member of our staffing team.



Coffee Mornings

The Playgroup Manager holds regular coffee mornings usually each half term which are open to all parent/carers. These are informal occasions where you can meet other parent/carers, share information, ask questions and receive updates on events and activities planned for that term. These meetings usually last from 45 minutes to 1 hour.



Fundraising

 
As a non-profit making organisation we are heavily reliant on fundraising in order to keep our fees and subsidies to a minimum. This enables us to purchase new equipment and provide investment for current and future children to enjoy. Occasionally our fundraising activities may be in support of other organisations, such as the NSPCC. Fundraising activities include open days, farm visits, cake and toy sales, raffles etc. Again we ask you to support us as much as possible to ensure the Playgroup can continue to thrive.



Photographer

The Playgroup arranges for a professional Photographer to visit us during the summer and winter terms (normally June and November) in order to take pictures of your children, which are then available for sale. The Playgroup is able to retain a proportion of the proceeds from the sale of these pictures.

Parking

For the safety of all, we ask that those who drive to Playgroup park in the Church driveway and NOT immediately outside the hall. There is a path leading from the Church driveway to the hall. This is to ensure we keep the number of vehicles outside the hall to a minimum, and so it is reserved for Playgroup staff and other necessary or emergency vehicles.