Our Prospectus

We know how important your child is and aim to deliver the highest quality of care and education to help them to achieve their best.

This prospectus aims to provide you with an introduction to KALEIDASCOPE, our routines, our approach to supporting your child’s learning and development and how we aim to work together with you to best meet your child’s individual needs.

Our Pedagogy

To provide children with a high-quality environment and highly skilled staff that can support them to explore and learn about the world around them. Learning through play and being led by your child’s current interests and fascinations will influence our planning.

To create meaningful relationships with all our families ensuring that we work together to meet the individual needs of your child so that they may flourish.
To provide children with a rich, inspiring learning environment and highly skilled staff who can help each child to develop their unique skills and talents. We will follow your child’s interests and plan in the moment to extend their learning.
To provide a learning community in which we encourage all our children to become independent learners, the children and adults also learn together, where children can explore and investigate the world around them in a safe environment that enables them to develop their knowledge, skills, curiosity, creativity, confidence, and resilience.

Parents

You are regarded as members of our setting who have full participatory rights. These include a right to be:

valued and respected;
kept informed;
consulted; and
involved;

Children’s development and learning

We aim to ensure that each child:

is in a safe and stimulating environment;
is given generous care and attention, because of our ratio of qualified staff to children, as well as volunteer and student helpers;
has the chance to join in with other children and adults to live, play, work and learn together;
is helped to take forward her/his learning and development by being helped to build on what she/he already knows and can do;
has a personal key person who makes sure each child makes satisfying progress;
is in a setting that sees parents as partners in helping each child to learn and develop.

The Early Years Foundation Stage

The 7 areas of learning and development within the EYFS are:

Communication and language

Physical development

Personal, social, and emotional development

Literacy

Mathematics

Understanding the world

Expressive arts and design

The prime areas of learning form the essential foundations for healthy development and future learning. Once a solid start has formed within the prime areas we continue to build upon these skills, opening to explore more learning opportunities within the specific areas of learning.

These 7 areas are the basis for our curriculum. Careful thought is given to inform our enabling environments (indoors and outdoors), to provide resources, activities and learning opportunities to meet each child’s unique requirements. Ofsted call this ‘curriculum’. Our curriculum is very flexible and responsive to follow children’s interests and those totally unplanned learning opportunities that sometimes come out of the blue, such as it unexpectedly snowing, etc!

Young children learn through play. The EYFS refers to the Characteristics of Effective Learning. These are:

Playing and exploring

Active learning

Creating and thinking critically

Every EYFS provider (nursery, childminder, playgroup etc) has their own bespoke curriculum, to support each child’s unique developmental pathway, following their interests and fascinations.

OUR CURRICULUM

Our ethos is a play-based approach, committed to a healthy balance of child-led learning and adult-led activities. We encourage children to develop as confident, capable, and independent learners, who enjoy exploring their own ideas and theories, whilst practitioners observe, support, discuss, challenge, and extend. We provide quality care and developmentally appropriate experiences so that every child may grow to their fullest potential as an individual.

We use ‘In the Moment Planning’ to seize teachable moments. This means we are constantly listening and looking out for occasions when a child shows an interest, so that we can build upon that spark to ignite their curiosity, deepen their knowledge, and extend their learning.

We encourage free play and independent choice is encouraged through the way our environment is set up. Toys and resources are easily accessible for children, and we encourage them to self-serve food and drinks at snack and lunch times.

Play is the fundamental building block of a child’s intellectual, social, emotional, physical and language skills. Most of a child’s day at Kaleidascope Childcare is spent in free play, responding to the ‘invitations to play’ that are set up by practitioners.

We recognise the importance of providing a meaningful language-rich environment; we want our children to be able to express themselves and engage in conversations with their friends and adults. We share stories and sing songs regularly throughout the day, as well as using language to support vocabulary and thinking-skills. We use Makaton signs and place an emphasis on developing strong speech and language skills.

We use natural, reclaimed, and authentic resources, to promote exploration, discovery, creativity, imagination, curiosity, awe, and wonder. These resources are multifaceted, and include buttons and glass beads, pebbles, pinecones, corks, flowers, and shells, as well as real items such as kettles, pots and pan, crates, tyres, cable reels and real home items such as cups and plates. The items are used throughout the environment, both indoors and out, and can be used in the following ways:

Art and craft

Counting and weighing

Sorting and categorising

Imaginative role-play

Fine motor skills

Construction and building

Water and sand play

Messy and sensory play

We also encourage our children’s contact with the natural world and their environment. Being outside allows them to be animated, excited, physical…and noisy! Our outdoor areas offer considerable opportunities for discovery, play and talk, whilst allowing the children to learn about, and from, the world around them.

Our INTENT is for children to leave us confident in Being independent, knowing about themselves and others, and how to keep safe. PSED / CL / PD / UW Having the social skills and confidence to play alongside / with other children PSED / CL / UW Being able to make simple choices and voice their opinions and views. PSED/ CL Having a go and keep on trying. PSED / PD Listening and taking turns CL/ PSED Following instructions and completing tasks. CL/ PSED Knowing a number of songs and rhymes and enjoy joining in with stories and singing.
L / M / EAD / CL / PSED Being able to help prepare their own snack, pour drinks and sit with their friends and family for snack and mealtimes PSED/ UW/ PD Communicate by signs or by talking to an adult CL / PSED / UW Using gross and fine motor skills to do things independently, navigate pathways and variety of small and large equipment indoors and outdoors. PD Using mathematical concepts and number language in play and everyday experiences.

IMPLEMENTATION – How we will support children Observe children at play and plan activities that follow their interests and introduce them to new ideas and concepts. Being specific with our praise, noting how well children solve problems, have ideas, and negotiate. Use additional funding to support children as identified . EYPP. Work with parents to ensure they are able to support their child’s learning at home. Share and discuss experiences Role model positive language and positive behaviour Provide opportunities for turn taking. Provide real life experiences Use signs, symbols, labels to support basic English language / for children to express their own wants and needs. Well planned learning environments indoors and outdoors that promote the focus on learning through play. Know and understand the areas of learning and development By building a good relationship up with both key children and their immediate family. Well planned physical learning environments, with a variety of resources, indoors and outdoors that promote the focus on learning through play Know how each child plays and learns. Ongoing staff training to promote mathematics in the learning environment which will include visual prompts and numbers, through loose parts and multi-faceted resources.

Assessment

We will ensure:

On starting our setting your child’s keyperson will complete an “all about me” form with you. We will also complete a 2-year-old progress check if this is needed.
Each term we will complete a “celebration of your child’s achievements” this will be in relation to the Early Years Foundation Stage milestones and the characteristics of effective learning
We will regularly monitor your child’s progress and annual progress checks will be completed using Kent County Council MAP’s programme.
On leaving us and on entry to school an annual progress check will be completed and passed onto the new school.

Ongoing assessment helps with:

the early identification of children who may need temporary additional support, and children who may have special educational needs.
checking that individual children, and groups of children, are making progress and taking prompt action when needed.
reporting formally and involving parents in the statutory 2-year-old progress check
celebrating children’s achievements with parents and sharing focus for learning
discussions with other professionals who may be involved with a child and family. For example, a health visitor or social care worker
sharing information with receiving schools in the summer so that children can continue their learning journey through the EYFS as seamlessly as possible

Our Impact will be measured through regular evaluation and reflective practice.
We will check that our curriculum is meeting the needs of our children by:

gathering feedback from the children, parents/carers and other professionals.
reviewing the progress children are making and how they are accessing the learning environment.
regular team meetings and discussions of our observations of reviewing the educational programmes we offer.
individual staff supervisions with the manager of the setting to discuss the effectiveness of our curriculum.

Working together for your children

We maintain the ratio of adults to children in the setting that is set by the Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements. We also have volunteers, students and parent helpers, where possible, to complement these ratios. This helps us to:

give time and attention to each child;
talk with the children about their interests and activities;
help children to experience and benefit from the activities We provide; and
allow the children to explore and be adventurous in safety.

Opening times

We are open for 38 weeks each year.
We are closed School holidays
We are open for Five days each week
The times we are open are 8am – 4pm
We provide care and education for young children between the ages of: Two and five years.

How parents take part in the setting

Our setting recognises parents as the first and most important educators of their children. All our staff see themselves as partners with parents in providing care and education for their children. There are many ways in which parents take part in making our setting a welcoming and stimulating place for children and parents, such as:

exchanging knowledge about their children’s needs, activities, interests and progress with our staff;
contributing to the progress check at age two;
helping at sessions of the setting.
sharing their own special interests with the children.
helping to provide and look after the equipment and materials used in the children’s play activities.
taking part in events and informal discussions about the activities and curriculum provided by the setting.
joining in community activities, in which the setting takes part; and
building friendships with other parents in the setting.

Key person 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 childcare that we provide is right for your child’s particular needs and interests. When your child first starts at the setting, she will help your child to settle and throughout your child’s time at the setting, she will help your child to benefit from our activities.

The Early Years Foundation Stage states that all children should be given a key person who will support and care for them and have close relationships with the family. At Kaleidascope Childcare we ensure that your child’s key person

Introduces themselves and develops a relationship with your child and family
Discusses with you, your child’s likes/dislikes, routines, preferences, favourite things, current fascinations, and unique learning styles.
Supports your child and the family during the settling in process
Supports your child with their toileting, personal hygiene routines and oral health.
Supports your child when he/she is unwell or upset.
Arranges parent / carer meetings with you to discuss your child’s progress.
Is available to support your child and family when help is needed.
Is a good role model and your child can learn from them.

Learning opportunities for adults

As well as gaining childcare qualifications, our staff take part in further training to help them to keep up-to date with thinking about early years care and education. We also keep up to date with best practice, as a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance, through Under 5 magazine and other publications produced by the Alliance.

The setting’s timetable and routines

Our setting believes that care and education are equally important in the experience which we offer children. The routines and activities that make up the day in our setting are provided in ways that:

help each child to feel that she/he is a valued member of the setting.
ensure the safety of each child.
help children to gain from the social experience of being part of a group; and
provide children with opportunities to learn and help them to value learning.

The day

We organise our day so that the children can learn through play whilst choosing from, and work at, a range of activities and, in doing so, build up their ability to select and work through a task to its completion. The children are also helped and encouraged to take part in adult-led small and large group activities, which introduce them to new experiences and help them to gain new skills, as well as helping them to learn to work with others. Outdoor activities contribute to children’s health, their physical development, and their knowledge of the world around them. The children have the opportunity, and are encouraged, to take part in outdoor child-led and adult prepared “invitations to play’ , as well as those provided in the indoor playroom.

Snacks and meals

We are committed to meeting the EYFS requirements and the individual needs of children attending in relation to Healthy Eating. We aim to do this by

Ensuring there is always fresh water available
Ensuring we discuss with you (parent/carer) any dietary requirements your child has due to medical reasons, any allergies or requirements surrounding religious beliefs.
Ensuring that all requirements are recorded, and that staff are fully aware of the requirements for all children.

We ask that you provide your child with a healthy nutritious packed lunch. We ask that you follow our healthy eating policy and please take into consideration that some children may have allergies. We plan the menus for snacks so that we provide the children with healthy and nutritious food.

We make snacks and meals a social time at which children and adults eat together and this gives the staff opportunity to extend language development and social skills in addition to independence skills.

We implement a snack bar where children can make choices about which foods they would like for their snack. We provide various fruit, vegetables and cereals with milk and water to drink. The children are encouraged to cut their own fruit and pour their own drink, which in turn promotes their independence skills.

Clothing

We provide protective clothing for the children when they play with messy activities. We encourage children to gain the skills that help them to be independent and look after themselves. These include taking themselves to the toilet and taking off, and putting on, outdoor clothes. Clothing that is easy for them to manage will help them to do this.

We ask that you provide your child with the following items when they are attending the setting: –

ALL ITEMS MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED WITH CHILDS NAME

Welly boots for outdoor play

Slippers for indoor use

Raincoat/ all in one wet suit

Sun hat, warm hat and scarf, gloves etc

2 sets of spare clothes (weather appropriate)

Sun cream

Nappies and wipes if needed.

Policies

Our staff can explain our policies and procedures to you. Copies of which are available on the “Baby’s days system. Our policies help us to make sure that the service provided by our setting is a high quality one and that being a member of the setting is an enjoyable and beneficial experience for each child and her/his parents.

Information we hold about you and your child

We have procedures in place for the recording and sharing of information data about you and your child that is compliant with the principles of the General Data Protection Regulations (2018) as follows:

The data is we collect is

Processed fairly, lawfully and in a transparent manner in relation to the data subject [you and your family]
Collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes and not further processed for other purposes incompatible with those purposes.
Adequate, relevant, and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which data is processed.
Accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date.
Kept in a form that permits identification of data subjects [you and your family] for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the personal data is processed.
Processed in a way that ensures appropriate security of the personal data including protection against unauthorised or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction, or damage, using appropriate technical or organisational measures.

When you register your child with us, we will provide you with a privacy notice that gives you further details of how we fulfil our obligations regarding your data.

Administration of medicines

We recognise that there may be times when children require medication to be administered during their time in the setting. In order that this is regulated Kaleidascope Childcare Ltd will ensure that

Medication will only be administered if it has been prescribed for that individual child.
Non prescribed medication such as pain and fever relief may be administered only on the prior written consent of the parent and only when there is a health reason to do so.
A medication form must be completed for each session that the medication is to be administered and signed in and out of the setting by the parent.
For long term medication a care plan will be written with the parent/carer recording clear explanations of procedures to be followed. The parent / carer must sign when medication has been administered on the reverse of the care plan.
Regular updates are requested from parents / carer of children with a care plan.

Social networking and the use of mobile telephones and cameras in the setting

The setting has a Facebook page that is used for information sharing ONLY. Kaleidascope Childcare will never post photographs or information about individual children on this site.

Please ask permission before you post any photos of staff or children that you have taken (from special events) whilst in our setting.
We ask that any complaints or grievances that you may have be dealt with in the correct procedure (see Complaints Procedure) and not posted on the Facebook page.

The use of mobile/camera telephones is not permitted whilst in the setting as this forms part of our Safeguarding Policy.

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted. Kaleidascope Childcare is a non-smoking setting, and we ask that parents / carers do not smoke within the vicinity of the main entrance including the outside areas at any time.

Safeguarding children

Our setting has a duty under the law to help safeguard children against suspected or actual ‘significant harm’. our employment practices ensure children against the likelihood of abuse in our setting, and we have a procedure for managing complaints or allegations against a member of staff.

Our way of working with children and their parents ensures that we are aware of any problems that may emerge and can offer support, including referral to appropriate agencies, when necessary, to help families in difficulty.

Special needs

To make sure that our provision meets the needs of each individual child, we take account of any special needs a child may have. We work to the requirements of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years (2015).

The management of our setting

The Setting is owned and governed by Catherine Johanson on behalf of Kaleidascope Childcare Ltd

Our staff are fully qualified, well experienced, DBS checked, first aid trained.

Each setting has a supervisor and deputy, we have designated staff who have additional training in Safeguarding, SEN and Health and safety.

Please note the staff notice boards for the roles and responsibilities of staff in both settings.

Fee Structure

The manager or your child’s key person will discuss your child’s eligibility for funding and explain the processes for applying for any free entitlement/ nursery education funding. You will be asked to confirm and sign a parental declaration to ensure you are eligible for funding. A birth certificate or passport must be seen to register your child. We do not charge a deposit or registration fee to enrol at our settings, we ask that parents make a monthly voluntary contribution to cover the costs of snacks and consumable items that are used daily at the setting by each child.

It is important that all parents inform the setting manager immediately if your child is going to be absent for extended periods of time, we cannot continue to claim for funded spaces without a valid reason for absence.

All free entitlement i.e – Universal, extended, and free for 2 funding will only be offered between the hours of 9am – 3pm term time, free entitlement consists of 570 free hours over an academic year September – August.

You can access funding over 5 mornings or afternoons a week or you can access funding over 2.5 days a week. Any days can be booked subject to availability.

30 free hours can be accessed between hours of 9am-3pm only. The hours of 8-9am and 3-4pm will be charged at hourly rate.

All and any additional hours booked on registration will be charged at the hourly rate. Fees must be paid in advance and 4 weeks notice must be given to alter or change any paid for sessions.

Term time will be in line with Kent County Council school term dates. Please ensure you have an up to date copy of OUR term dates.

Kent Term dates

https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/term-dates#tab-6

Here is a link to provide more information with regards to your child eligibility for funding.

https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/childcare-and-pre-school/free-childcare#tab-1

https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Free entitlement for 3 and 4 year olds

In Kent, children become eligible to claim their free early education from:

A child born between:
1 April – 31 August (inclusive)	The start of term 1 following their third birthday (after summer holidays) until statutory school age.
1 September – 31 December (inclusive)	The start of term 3 following their third birthday (after Christmas/New Year holiday) until statutory school age.
1 January – 31 March (inclusive)	The start of term 5 following their third birthday (after April holiday) until statutory school age.

Extended hours (30 free hours funding)

https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Please use this link to gain further information with regards to 30 free hours funding

The national rollout of 30 Hours of Free Childcare commenced on the 1 September 2017.

Free for 2 (FF2) scheme
Your 2-year-old can get free early education and childcare if you live in England and get one of the following benefits:

Income Support
income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Universal Credit – if you and your partner have a combined income from work of £15,400 or less a year, after tax
tax credits and you have an income of £16,190 or less a year, before tax
the guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
support through part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act
the Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

A child can also get free early education and childcare if any of the following apply:

they’re looked after by a local council
they have a current statement of special education needs (SEN) or an education, health, and care (EHC) plan
they get Disability Living Allowance
they’ve left care under a special guardianship order; child arrangements order or adoption order

If you’re eligible the free early education and childcare:

must be with an approved childcare provider
starts from the term after your child’s 2nd birthday

Child’s 2nd birthday	When they can claim from
1 January to 31 March	the beginning of term on or after 1 April
1 April to 31 August	the beginning of term on or after 1 September
1 September to 31 December	the beginning of term on or after 1 January

Setting times, fees and hourly rates.

(Subject to annual increases)

SESSION TIMES	Price- 2 year olds	3-4 year olds
8am – 9am (hourly rate)	£6.00	£5.75
9am – 12pm OR 12pm -3pm (Free if eligible ) HALF DAY PRICE	£17.50	£16.50
9am -3pm (Free if eligible )	£34.00	£32.00
3pm – 4pm	£6.00	£5.75
ALL CHILDREN
CONSUMABLES	Funded sessions	Funded sessions
FOOD, DRINK AND CONSUMABLES PROVIDED DURING MORNING AND FTERNOON SESSIONS	30 pence a session	30 pence a session

Starting at our setting

The first days

We want your child to feel happy and safe with us. To make sure that this is the case, our staff will work with you to decide on how to help your child to settle into the setting.

We hope that you and your child enjoy being members of our setting and that you and your family find taking part in our activities interesting and stimulating. Our staff are always ready and willing to talk with you about your ideas, views and or questions.

Settling in process

We will work with you and your child and feel the best way for your child to settle into the setting is for your them to have 2-3 “settling in” sessions before starting on their own. We will aim to start these sessions the week before their actual starting date.

The first session you will bring your child in for about an hour or two to familiarise them with the setting and staff. This will be an opportunity for the Setting Manager to introduce you to your child’s key person. It will also give us a chance to go through any questions you may have about the registration forms, the setting and to ensure all forms are correctly filled out.

The second session will be for you to bring you child to spend some more time in the setting and begin to build a relationship with their key person. We will also use this time for your key person to go through our Baby day’s system and complete the “all about me” form.

The third session will be used for your child’s key person to observe your child, start to get to know them, what they like and enable us to start to plan for your child’s learning and development. We will also use this session to enable you to leave the room/setting for a short period of time, so your child can get used to the process of you leaving and coming back. By doing this your child will learn that parents/carers always come back.

Once these sessions have been completed your child will be ready to start with us.

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