Rainbow Pre-school - Sessions

When does Rainbow Pre-school meet?

Our Pre-School meets on Mondays to Fridays from 9.15am until noon and from 1pm to 3.30pm. Our groups consist of 2 ½ year olds to Rising 5’s. The younger children initially attend for 2 sessions per week or more by prior arrangement. These extra sessions are determined by spaces available at that time. The term after the child’s 3rd birthday they are funded by the government to attend 5 sessions per week. At the present time the children are split into two groups with the oldest children in one and the youngest in another making the differentiating of activities and length of time spent on them easier to administer for their developmental stage.

Arrival and Departure Routine

Once the session has begun at 9.15am and 1.00pm, parents/carers are invited to bring their child into the playroom where a member of staff will welcome them. Before entering the room encourage your child to find their name and remove it, bring it into the room and encourage them to place it on a registration picture. You should then assist your child in learning to recognise his/her name above a coat peg and encourage them to hang up their own coat and belongings. At the end of the session parents/carers are requested to wait out of sight until asked to enter by a member of staff unless other arrangements have been made. It is essential, should you wish your child to be collected by anyone other than the known parent/carer that we are informed of the details, which will be entered in a book and signed, by parent/carer. Should there be a reason that this cannot take place and arrangements are made over the phone then an agreed password will be given.

Feeding and rest arrangements

The children have a nutritional snack time every session. We buy small cartons of milk for them and any that do not or cannot have milk will be provided with water plus something healthy to eat. As we may have children with allergies we request that no food or drink is to be brought on to the premises. It is still possible to provide food for a special occasion but these must be passed directly to the managers. We do not have a separate room for resting. However, we do have some comfortable beanbags in which a tired or poorly child may relax if necessary. These would be placed in a quiet corner.

Keypersons

Our Keyperson system gives each member of staff a particular responsibility for just a few children. Each child has one special adult to relate to, which can make settling into the group much easier. In addition, the Keyperson is in a position to tailor the group’s curriculum to the unique needs of each child. The Keyperson maintains links with the child’s home setting, working with parents through shared record keeping to ensure that all children are supported in reaching their full potential. It is also important that parents/carers share any information regarding any changes in circumstances at home no matter how trivial they seem with the key person or manager.