Parent Handbook
Stepping Stones’s Parents handbook with all the necessary and relevant information
Stepping Stones Parent Handbook
School Attendance Information for Parents Introduction Receiving a good full-time education will give your child the best possible start in life.
Download the whole book by simply click the button down below or just read it from this page.
Empower your child with a dynamic learning experience.
Imagine empowering your child to be truly passionate about learning; watching them
soak up their surroundings, taking everything on board. Rather than a regimented
experience, they learn through exploration and discovery in a supportive and enriching
environment.
our Stepping Stones Early Learning Centre we strive to create
– A warm, welcoming home like environment that promotes secure, respectful and
reciprocal relationships and assists children, families and educators to gain a sense
of belonging.
– A vibrant and flexible environment that is rich in choices and provides extensive
opportunities for learning as individuals and as part of a group.
– Opportunities to undertake collaborative group work and projects generated
through children’s interests and/or family interest, community or educator
initiation.
– Opportunities for children to develop independence through every day routines.
– An environment that is safe and promotes exploration, discovery, challenge and
understanding of our natural and physical worlds.
– An environment and experiences that build high self- esteem and self-worth.
– An environment and curriculum that promotes holistic development and high
expectations for children across all developmental domains through intentional
teaching and spontaneous learning opportunities.
– Opportunities for children to express their knowledge and understandings through
each of their 100 languages e.g. art, music, story, dress up, construction etc.
– Respect for diversity through acknowledging the cultural backgrounds, languages,
values and contributions of the families in the centre.
– Opportunities for children, families and educators to develop cultural competence
through prompting positive attitudes, gaining knowledge and developing
communication skills and interactions across cultural groups.
– Opportunities for children, families, and educators to share their ideas, knowledge,
skills, culture, language and experiences with the centre through regular
communication, involvement in the centre and program development.
– Partnerships with families in all aspects of their child’s development including
working with families to develop and evaluate goals for their child.
– Ongoing records of children’s development and assessment through reflective
journals, samples of children’s work, reflections and observations.
– An environment that promotes positive behaviours and pro-social relationships
between children and others.
– Opportunities for educators to gain further knowledge, skill and competence in the
early childhood field through regular staff training and professional development.
OUR MISSION
‘We provide an environment in which all children are supported to reach their full potential’.
OUR VALUES
We believe by remaining constantly curious, collaborating, and communicating with children, educators, families and the wider community we will achieve the best learning outcomes for each child and the highest quality education and care.
the reggio emilia approach
‘The Reggio Emilia approach is to co-construct the curriculum with the children and their families, stimulating a free and open-sourced style of learning.’
Our programs stem from the interests of each individual child. Spontaneous learning opportunities
abound – children are encouraged to develop skills in:
– Problem solving
– Hypothesising
– Critical reflection
– Collaboration
Then, they are invited to document their ideas and understanding in a variety of ways.
How was the Reggio Emilia Approach formed?
Following World War II in the Reggio Emilia region of Italy, a group of committed parents, teachers and
the extended community believed that the destruction caused by the war necessitated a new positive
approach to teaching their children.
And co, under the leadership of educator Loris Malaguzzi, they agreed on the fact that children have
rights – indeed, they had overcome the same complexities of the war as the adults did. Because of this,
they agreed that children should be given unique opportunities to further develop their potential.
Malaguzzi believed that, due to their infinite imaginations, children have an extraordinary number of
ways they can express themselves. And so, the Reggio Emilia approach was born. Today it has been
adopted worldwide and Malaguzzi is lauded as a pioneer in education.
For more information regarding the Reggio Emilia approach kindly refer to the downloadable brochure.
Safety first
We take safety of the children very seriously:
– All of our centres have closed circuit television (CCTV) or a video intercom.
– You will be issued with a fob tag to sign in and out every day.
– We would ask you to provide details of persons other than yourselves who have the authority to
collect your child. If necessary, educators ask for identification.
– It is our policy to provide a healthy and safe environment for staff and children.
– We expect our employees to take responsible care of their own health and safety at all times.
– The staff is responsible for locking cupboards and the store room, reporting broken locks or
missing keys.
– The management and staff at stepping Stones is provided with a first aid course.
– A first aid box is always available which is stocked on a regular basis.
– The premises are equipped with a fire safety equipment. In case of a fire the staff are to follow the
fire drill that is practiced twice a year and evacuate the children accordingly. The children are the
first priority and immediate action is to be taken to safe guard the children and staff. We have a
daily register with all the children attending on that particular day; this is to be taken out with the
carer to head count all the children. All rooms will be re checked after all the children are safe. The
carers will call the fire department on 112 which is written near the telephone.
Medication
Only medicines that have been prescribed by a doctor and provided by parents can be given to children in
our care. A medical care plan will be completed by parents, recording the timing and dosage of medicines
to be given to their child as requested by them. These instructions will be signed, dated and the time
noted each time the medication is administered. All medicines will be stored in the fridge in the centre.
Sanitary
– The premises are kept well maintained and cleaned on a daily basis routine. Maintenance and
health and safety inspections are done on a regular basis.
– Washing of the premises and toilets are disinfected daily with wiping of all objects used by the
children and staff.
– Staff uses disposable gloves in assisting children during potty training and the changing of nappies
or dealing with vomit or blood. Nappies are put in nappy disposable bags and in an air tight
recipient. Garbage is taken out every evening and nothing is left inside the bins.
– Hand washing is strictly noticed at all times and children are encouraged to wash their hands after
each activity, especially before eating. Children have appropriate charts in the premises to
promote hand washing
Our buildings
All our buildings have:
– Well-appointed activity rooms that are stocked with a full range of educational resources.
– Outdoor areas that are dominated with outdoor play equipment.
– All our outdoor areas have fitted high quality shade eliminating sun rays.
– All our outdoor areas include a vegetable patch, where children are encouraged to enjoy the
experience of planting and growing their favourite veggies. This encourages them to adopt healthy
eating habits and an appreciation for the natural environment.
– All our centres have CCTV cameras installed.
– All our centres have AC’s and are equipped with fire safety equipment.
– All our centres are certified by a Health & Safety officer.
We also lead by example, encouraging the children to understand the importance of recycling and the
value of water within our environment.
Our program
Critical reflections are made daily. Reflections, and the program is planned according to your child’s
interests, needs and developmental milestones. It is through play-based experiences that educators invite
your child to increase their learning opportunities.
The program is guided by the Early Years Learning Framework learning outcomes. These are:
1. Children who develop a strong sense of identity.
2. Children who have a positive self-image.
3. Children who are socially adept.
4. Children who are effective communicators.
5. Children who nurture positive attitudes towards learning and become engaged and confident
learners.
Working in partnership with parents
We strive to make sure all our centres feel like a home away from home. And so, we work hand-in-hand
with all our parents, any family members and the grater community. Connections to your child’s home,
social and cultural life are an important part of your child’s development.
The lines of communication remain open between parents, children and our centre.
– The Coordinator/Manager in charge is always available for discussion with parents. Parental
meetings are held on a regular basis on appointment. Since parents are very busy, arrangements
can be made for more private discussions at agreed times.
– Information provided by parents about their children will be kept confidential and treated on a
strict need to know basis.
– Information regarding the children's activities throughout the day is always available to parents on
a daily basis through the procare application, our outdoor notice boards, through verbal
communication and through the newsletter which is delivered to parents every term.
– We work with families to develop and evaluate goals for your child.
– Parents are encouraged to come to our outings, induction meetings, orientation sessions and
parent’s clubs.
– If we have any concerns about a child's well-being during the day, every effort will be made to
contact the parents or their emergency contact.
– When possible, to further encourage the children's development, parents will be asked to send in
objects from home, e.g. photographs, old boxes and cartons, cereal boxes, egg cartoons etc. to
involve them in our activities.
– Parents are requested to keep us informed of any changes to personal circumstances which may
have an effect upon a child, e.g. change of address, telephone number, doctor, emergency
contact.
– The educators at Stepping Stones consult with parents the progress and development of the
children daily and maintain a good and friendly relationship with them.
– The staff ensures that all the children feel included, secure and valued. They build positive
relationships with their parents on order to work effectively with them and their children.
– Parents are also requested to keep us informed of any circumstances which could have an effect
on a child's emotional wellbeing, e.g. bereavement, separation or illness in the family.
– To ensure your continued satisfaction, we conduct parental meetings a minimum of two times per
year as part of our quality improvement process.
– An evaluation sheet is given to parents every parental meeting and can be filled anonymously
from our website.
We also acknowledge that all parents within the centre have an amazing range
set of skills and interests, and children love learning about these experiences.
And so, we would encourage you to share these with the children and educators.
Working in partnership with early years professionals
Here at Stepping Stones, we make sure to observe children throughout the day while taking note of any
observations. Once we see that a child can benefit from early intervention after conducting a child’s
developmental report, we will organise a referral with the parent and give them references of different
early years professionals. We also have an open-door policy to any professionals working with our
students who wish to observe and organise sessions at any of our childcare centres.
Commitment to sustainability
We encourage educators, children and families to reduce, re-use and recycle. Each centre has a recycling
box where children can bring items from home to craft.
Our learning programs
We offer a range of specialist programs to stimulate your child’s creativity and
development.
Arts – Through exploration of a wide range of art works, styles and techniques
children learn how to observe and translate their thoughts into the 100 languages
and listen and respond to multiple perspectives.
Fitness – An innovative program that teaches children to love physical activity,
develop motor and co-ordination skills and stresses the importance of being healthy.
Dancing, Yoga, Outdoor games and sport skills are taught within this program.
Music – Music ignites all areas of the child’s development and skills for school
readiness: Intellectual, social and emotional, fine/gross motor, language and overall
literacy. It helps the body and mind to work together allowing children to practice
self-expression.
Earth – Early childhood educators have a ‘powerful window of opportunity to play
an active and significant role’ in assisting young children and families to understand
sustainability issues, concepts and practices. The children will further develop their
awareness of their impact on the environment and ways to minimise it.
Assessment practices
As part of our practices, all our childcare educators conduct observations throughout the day to be able
to give a detailed child developmental report to parents during our parental meetings which are held
every six months. Childcare educators also send monthly observations which also include photos to all
parents to give parents an overlook on how their child is progressing each month. Our developmental
reports and monthly observations all follow and include the five learning outcomes from ‘The Learning
Outcome Framework’ issued by the ‘Directorate for Quality and Standards in Education’.