Provision for two year olds

Admissions

We welcome children into our Nursery as soon as they have turned two.

Fees

A significant number of two year olds are now eligible for free childcare. Your family must meet one of the following eligibility criteria:

• Income Support
• Income Based Jobseekers Allowance
• The Guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit and/or Working Tax Credit, provided the annual gross income is no more than £16,190 as assessed by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
• If the child is looked after by the Local Authority

If you think you might be eligible for free childcare we can help you apply for this or you can apply online at www.cumbria.gov

Non-funded two year olds:

For two year olds who are not eligible for free childcare, our fees are as follows:

£10 per morning or afternoon session

£4 per lunchtime session including a hot meal

All fees are payable in full when booking and sessions must be booked by lunchtime on the Friday of the week before. If fees have not been paid your child will not be permitted to attend their session and may risk losing their place.

Many employers now offer childcare vouchers which is a means of tax relief against childcare fees. These vouchers are provided through agencies and your will need to provide our registration details to the agency that your employer uses. If you are paying fees using nursery vouchers we will agree a payment plan with you.

For additional payment of fees information please refer to the policy which will be displayed in the Early Years cloakroom.

Sessions

Children who have funded places will have fixed sessions, either a morning or afternoon or a combination of both.  This is to ensure that they receive their full entitlement and we will negotiate this with you.

Parents who are paying for sessions, often have work commitments and have the flexibility to organise them to meet their individual needs.  It is important that we are given as much notice as possible to ensure that a place is available.

Facilities

Our two year olds have their own room within our Early Years unit with age appropriate resources and furniture. They also have access to all the other areas of our unit including our fabulous outdoor area.

At this age, children are at different stages with their toilet training. We have excellent changing facilities for those still requiring them; access to potties and free access to their own toilets in the bathroom. Children are given plenty of verbal praise and encouragement to succeed.

We have sleeping facilities for children who still require a nap during the day.

We also have a well-resourced sensory room that provides a relaxing environment for children to explore all of their senses. The room can benefit all children in lots of different ways.

Uniform

School jumpers and polo shirts are compulsory for our two year olds and you will be given a school uniform policy before your child starts.

The school jumpers are red with a school logo and can be purchased from www.oneidentity.co.uk.

Children should wear black or grey jogging pants or leggings, nothing with buttons, zips, belts or catches. The nature of our Early Years provision is active and, at times, messy so please ensure that children are dressed appropriately and know that it is okay for them to involve themselves in messy play. We will advise you if we feel that your child’s clothing is restricting their play and learning.

We provide outdoor, waterproof clothing and wellies for when the children are accessing the outdoor provision.  We ask that all children in our Early Years Unit arrive at their session with a bag containing a full change of clothes. If your child wears nappies, they will have their own storage compartment within our changing area where their nappies and wipes will be stored. We ask that you send these in ready for their first session. We will then inform you when we need these to be replenished.

Settling In

During home visits, staff will work with parents to create a settling in plan which specifically meets the needs of each individual child. These plans will become working documents that can be adapted and changed appropriately; this ensures a smooth transition into our Early Years unit.

Comforters

We discourage the use of dummies and other forms of comforter in our Early Years Unit. However, there is some flexibility for two year olds who depend upon these in times of upset and when needing a sleep. We will discuss this with you and agree a plan.

Daily Organisation

Session times:

Morning session – 8:45am to 11:45am

Afternoon session – 12:30pm to 3:30pm

The focus of the day continues to be on Learning through Play, with a routine that incorporates adult led activities and builds on children’s developing knowledge and curiosity. Our carefully chosen toys and activities promote physical coordination and manipulative skills, role-play and creativity. Children take part in focused and creative activities throughout the day. Children have a free choice of which activity they take part it, the room is well equipped with plenty of resources.

Children are provided with many different activities along with music and movement, song times, musical instrument sessions and outdoor play. Circle time every day is an opportunity to take part in group activities and listen to stories; staff use props and puppets during these times to hold children’s attention and develop their concentration.

Children spend a lot of their time outdoors and have access to a large outdoor area.

Dropping Off and Collecting

Children come into our Early Years unit through our designated Early Years entrance and into the two year old room where they have their own cloakroom facilities. At the end of each session, parents are then asked to enter the unit via the door within our outdoor area and collect their child from the two’s room.

You will be required to complete an authorisation form stating which people have permission to collect your child from school and they must be at least 16 years old. We will not release your child unless they are collected from the classroom by an adult named on the form. It is not appropriate to have your child collected by an older child in the school.

Snack

Children are encouraged to share a healthy snack and drink of milk in a small friendly group where staff promote good table manners and encourage children to be independent in their feeding. This is provided by school.

Children will then be offered fresh water throughout their session. We appreciate that children will be at different developmental stages and can provide a range of drinking cups which we will discuss with parents during our home visit.