GLCH Children's Centre History
Our Children’s Centre GLCH Children’s Centre is an approved care service operated in accordance with Education and Care Services National Regulations and Law Act 2010, National Quality Standards.
We provide care and education to children from infancy through to school age, in a safe, secure and stimulating environment.
Subject to vacancies we can provide:
• Full time, part time and casual care
• Before and after school, curriculum days
• 3 year old Kindergarten
• 4 year old funded Kindergarten
• Care for children with special needs (subject to availability of experienced team at GLCH Children’s Centre).
Under the Children's Services Regulations 1998, the following staff ratios are required to be provided:
• One adult for every four children under three years of age
• One adult for every eleven children over three years of age.
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It is natural for both parents and children to be a little anxious about coming into a new environment. Some children settle in quickly, and others may become upset. It is important that you are positive about the experience and that you say goodbye with a hug and a kiss, and that you are honest about the length of time that you will be away. This ensures your child does not lose their sense of trust. Always farewell the staff, as this is a signal for them to give support to your child should they need it. For younger children, this initial separation can be quite difficult, and we recommend that the younger child starts gradually and slowly increases attendance. You are welcome to stay with your child when they are settling in to Long Day Care, or to phone the Centre at any time during the day to see how your child is going.
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We recognise and value the importance and uniqueness of each of our educators. We invest in every educator through our commitment in offering quality professional development opportunities, current resources, mentoring and a positive enthusiastic and team.
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What food is provided?
We provide morning tea, usually a fruit platter, and afternoon tea which is usually something cooked on the premises such as a healthy muffin, pancakes etc. For those attending the full day, or the morning session, a nutritious lunch is provided. When you enroll your child you will be asked about any special dietary needs which will be taken into account when providing food for everyone.
Confidentiality
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GLCH collects sensitive information for enrolment records, with family consent. This information will be stored on our data base, and in secured filing cabinets. We will protect the rights of our clients with regard to privacy and confidentiality, and will take all reasonable steps to protect the personal information we hold from misuse, loss, unauthorized access, modification or disclosure. We do not disclose any of your information without your consent
Children with additional needs
We believe that all children have the right to access and participate in high quality programs and services. We respect the diversity and individuality of abilities and promote the benefits of inclusive practices. If your child has been diagnosed with having special needs or you are concerned about your child’s development, it is important that you inform staff upon enrolment. We may be able to access additional resources to further enhance your child’s development, or we can spend extra time on the settling in/orientation process.
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Illness and Injury
When a child becomes ill, shows signs of a suspected contagious disease, or has a serious accident at the Children’s Centre, we will endeavour to make the child as comfortable as possible. Parents and/or emergency contacts will be notified immediately. If your child is unwell, we ask that you make alternative arrangements for their care until they have fully recovered. We believe that a sick child recovers best in the comfort of their own home, and we also need to consider the health of the other children in attendance. If your child is showing signs of an illness or infectious disease while in our care, we will contact you and request that you collect your child. At GLCH Health Children’s Centre, we are committed to minimizing the risk of transmission of infectious diseases by quickly and effectively responding to a suspected or identified infectious disease. To achieve this we must minimize the spread of infectious diseases. Anyone with or displaying the signs of an infectious disease will be excluded from the learning environment for the period recommended by ‘Staying Healthy in Childcare’ (see Appendix and back of handbook) or until a medical practitioner has provided a clearance letter to state they are no longer infectious and are well enough to return to the program.
If your child is suspected of, or has been confirmed to have an infectious disease, please notify the Centre Coordinator so the appropriate arrangements can be made to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all children, families and early learning professionals. We will also advise you of any infectious disease in the centre (whilst maintaining strict confidentiality) by either placing a notice in each room detailing the condition or by personally contacting you. To prevent the spread of infectious diseases we encourage families to fully immunize their children in accordance with the Department of Health and Ageing National Immunisation Program (NIP) Schedule.