'Every Child is a Star'
Whilst we understand that all our children are individuals who develop & learn at their own pace as registered childcare providers is it our responsibility to ensure your child makes significant progress in their development whilst attending nursery. In order to achieve this we follow the governments Early Years Foundation Stage Guidance document (EYFS)
The EYFS is a framework for learning, development and care for children from birth to five years. It is used to support nursery staff (practitioners) in meeting the needs and progression of each individual child within the setting. We believe that children benefit most from Early Years Education and Care when parents work together in partnership with childcare providers, as we all know that parents are their child’s first educator. All children should be able to play and learn in an environment full of opportunities with adults who understand and care about the whole needs of the child & their family.
It is our aim to ensure that all parents feel confident in being involved in their child’s development whilst at nursery & we heavily support parents who wish to visit the nursery, participate in activities or wish to discuss their child’s progress. Play is vital for children, it’s through play that babies and young children learn, grow, develop new skills and have fun. Play & children having opportunities to ‘take risks’ helps them to understand the world around them and to develop socially and emotionally happy children are confident learners. It is important to remember that each child is unique and no two children will follow exactly the same pathway of development, all children do things at very different ages and stages of their development.
Observing these stages in playing and learning are very important if your child is going to be able to make good progress in their development. Sound recordings of these stages will show if a child needs particular support in a specific area of their development or to provide more challenging opportunities, should a child show an interest in something individually.
How do you know how your child is doing? Practitioners are able to track how your child is progress and development by observing, recording, planning & tracking.
Daily staff will observe children in their play, take photographs, write observations & record children's conversations, from these recordings staff will plot children's progress on a termly basis & then plan 1/2 termly 'Next Steps' which are small goals that are set in order to support children's further developments.
Parents are given ask to contribute & given copies of these Next Steps so they can be fully included in their children's learning.
We hold Parents Weeks after each 1/2 term where parents can view their child's Development Profile & speak to their child's Keyworker, however remember we have an Open Door Policy so parents are invited to communicate with staff on a daily basis & to feel comfortable to ask on how they can support their child's Next Steps at home.
When a child leaves the nursery to go to school or an alternative provider, we forward a copy of your child's Developmental Overview to the school so they are aware of your child's ;eve; of development, this means that new assessments are not required which should mean your child's transition to school is seamless & teachers can work on your child's Next Steps too.
Profiles are forwarded to parents, but we do ask for you to forward these for a short while for your child's new educator so they can get to know your child's developmental journey.
families with Additional Needs
As we all know some children at times require additional support to enable them to make progress in their development, here at BrightStart Day Nurseries our Admissions Policy does not discriminate from any child or family who would need a 'bit extra support' whether this is due to a medical need, English as an additional language, supported by outside agencies, disability or due to difficulties with social interaction.
It is our belief that every child & family has the right to access or services & our non-judgmental approach to supporting families has been commended by Ofsted in our inspection reports.
We may however need to obtain further information in order to ensure we are providing 'holistic care & support' therefore we ask parents to be as open as possible with sharing information & we may need to complete further documentation such as Healthcare or Education Plans before your child commences at the setting.