Parent Handbook

Enrolments

An enrolment form must be completed for each child who attends RSKC. The enrolment is continuous each year. (Unless we need to update due to government regulations and policies.) If you need to change any days , you will be required to give up to 2 weeks’ notice in advance via written note or email. It is the responsibility of Parents/Guardian to update RSKC in writing when details on the enrolment form changes.

Collection of children

It is a legislative and safety requirement that all children are signed out when collected from the centre. It is also a Child Care Benefit (CCB) requirement that all attendances where CCB is claimed are signed for.

If a child is to be collected by anyone other than a parent (including siblings and close relatives), written permission must be given on the enrolment form or in a letter clearly authorizing a person to collect your child from the after school care or vacation care programs. Please provide contact details for the individual picking up your child. Any person unfamiliar to staff may be asked for identification.

Childcare Benefits

For those parents who are eligible for CCB, you will see now most families will be on 0%. The positive is that all parents who are registered with Center Link will be able to receive a 50% Child Care Rebate (CCR) which is claimable fortnightly, quarterly or annually. To register, call Family Assistance on 136150. Also, you must be registered to be eligible for the 50% CCR. You have the right to ask for the rebate to be either sent to the service or to your account. We would recommend that you have the payment sent to your account so your fees will stay the same at RSKC.

When you receive your CRN number, it is necessary for you to bring a copy of the letter for our records. I also need to know if you have other children who are receiving CCB that are not at school. Details such as their name and date of birth need to be provided in order for you to receive the right benefit.

Before School Care

Before school care runs from 7am to 8.30am. Throughout Before School Care we offer each individual breakfast which consists of cereal, toast and juice.

Fees are a flat rate of $20 per morning

After School Care Fees

Permanent bookings: These are bookings made for the whole year. If your child does not attend one day and 2 weeks’ notice was not provided, you will still be charged for the day. Notice may be given via phone call or email. Please ensure that you receive a return phone call or email to confirm your cancellation.

Permanent bookings: $27 per day

Casual bookings can be made any time but please call and book before 2.30pm on the day of care. Once a casual day has been booked there is no cancelation.

Casual booking: $29 per day

Fees

The fees are either taken from a credit card or Direct Debit from your bank . These will be done on a Monday a week in arrears. If funds are not in your account a $20 dishonor fee will be charged.

Late Fees

If you collect your child after 6pm there is a late fee.

Between 6.00pm to 6.15pm: $15 per child

Between 6.15pm to 6.30pm: $30 per child

This extra charge will be added to your account. Also your child’s/children’s names will be highlighted on the roll for your information (to indicate if you will be charged) and our records.

Pupil Free Days

We do offer an all-day program on pupil free days. They are similar to Vacation Care days and run from 8am to 6pm. Afternoon tea is provided, however you will need to provide morning tea and lunch for your child. Please make sure that your child brings a hat, water bottle and jumper (during winter). We ask that your child does not wear singlet’s or sandals (it is preferable that they wear runners) and that all of their belongings are clearly labeled and in a backpack.

Vacation Care

A program will be published in the weeks leading up to Vacation Care outlining the incursions and excursions available for days at vacation care.

Hours for Vacation Care are from 8am to 6pm. On some days we will provide morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea for your child. Please check the program for days you need to provide all food for your child.

As above, we ask that your child does not wear singlet’s or sandals (it is preferable that they wear runners) and that all of their belongings are clearly labeled and in a backpack.

Prices for Vacation Care

If Vacation Care days are booked prior to the last week of term;

$60 for a day at school $75 for Excursion & Incursion days

If Vacation Care days are booked in the last week of term,

$75 for a day at school $80 for Excursion & Incursion days

Please check the program for days you need to provide all food for your child.

Health at After School Care and Vacation Care

Diet

Each morning at before school care, we provide breakfast for the children. Every morning the children will be able to choose from toast with spreads (such as jam, honey and vegemite), cereals (such as Weetbix and Oatflakes) and juice. Each afternoon during after school care we provide afternoon tea. This includes a rotation of sandwiches, Lebanese or French bread (with spreads such as jam, honey and vegemite), rice cakes, cruskets, sayo biscuits, fruit (apples, oranges and rock melon), noodles and pasta.

Children receive a light snack at 5pm when they are still hungry. If this is inhibiting your child’s ability to eat a proper dinner (i.e. the snack is too close to dinner time) please let us know and we can change this.

Drinking water is provided every afternoon as well. The afternoon tea is only a snack and not a meal so we monitor how much is given out to the children.

Children are advised if activities (such as incursions or cooking days) will involve ingredients that any child has a known allergy to or is to be avoided due to cultural, religious or personal reasons.

First Aid

In the event of an accident senior staff are trained in First Aid, Asthma and Anaphylaxis and will

Render immediate first aid
Assess the seriousness to determine the appropriate action
Contact an ambulance and parent/guardian immediately if injury is serious or necessary
If parent/caregiver cannot be located, emergency contacts will be phoned.

Hygiene

Please help us to reinforce to the children the importance of hand washing before eating and following the use of the bathroom. Food is prepared by staff under safe Food and Handling Guidelines of NSW.

Work Heath And Safty

RSKC complies with all relevant Occupation Health and Safety (WH&S) legislation and regulations. Staff attend regular meetings where WH&S issues are raised and we also document any WH&S issues in staff daily reports. Please bring any potential WH&S issues to the attention of staff members to deal with as soon as possible. We will then inform the principle of St Mary’s Primary School. Evacuation and lockdown procedures are in place and are routinely practiced with the children attending.

Food Allergies

Allergic reactions can be life threatening and a frightening experience. Our staff participates in anaphylaxis training however we depend on you providing information on your child’s allergies to help us prepare and accommodate for their allergies. Please fill out the RSKC allergy information sheet prior to your child’s commencement at the care service.

The school, after school care and vacation care are nut / peanut free areas.

Sun protection

All children during daylight hours need to have hats on outside in the playground. Please make sure your children have their hats and that they are labeled. There are spare hats at the centre in case of emergency. These hats are washed regularly to help prevent the transfer of nits.

Sun cream

Sun cream is predominantly used during Vacation Care, however it is available and used if necessary during After School Care. If your child has allergies to sun cream please provide one they can wear and alert a staff member to this. We also ask that you apply sun cream to your child each morning before they come to Vacation Care.

Parent/ Guardian Negotiations and/or Legalities

We ask that all negotiations and legal orders in regard to access and pick-up of children be discussed and copy of any orders to be on file at the centre. Staff cannot be expected to be involved in negotiations between separated parents nor exclude access or information to one parent unless a court order is in place.

Program

Our Program is designed to balance free play and structured activities, homework support, outsourced sports programs, reading, craft, cooking and dance programs. The staff plan and evaluate the program on a weekly basis. We involve the children in planning the program as well. We aim to provide a variety of interesting activities such as a weekly dance lesson and presentation.

Communication

Please ensure all phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses and emergency contacts are kept up to date. There are 2 newsletters that are available each term and also there are up dates in the school news letter as well.

The after school care notice board provides you with current and up to date events, menu’s and activity programs. Please take the time to read what’s on the board. You can receive the newsletter by email or on the website. If you would like the newsletter emailed to you please let me know via email me on rskc777@gmail.com . Also there is a suggestion box on the sign out table if you have any suggestions. Suggestions can also be emailed to me.

If you have any concerns or need to talk to me I’m available on my mob 0411 354 308 until 6pm on week days.

Injury and Illness

If a child arrives at the centre unwell or becomes ill during the service hours a parent/guardian will be contacted to collect the child from the centre.

This will occur if the child;

Is distressed
Has a known infectious or contagious disease
Has symptoms or signs of infection (fever, vomiting , diarrhea, rash or discharge from an eye or wound)
Is in need of one to one care
Requires medical attention

In the absence of the above, the child may be given a rest and hydration period and a parent contacted if there is no improvement after 30 minutes. Please let us know if your child has any medical history or reason where this procedure may not apply.

Policies

As mentioned in our philosophy, we follow the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relation for the Council of Australian Governments document “My Time, Our Place” and the practices, principles and learning outcomes it outlines.

We have a complete copy of the policies we follow for your use. If you would like to read them, please ask to look at the hard copy at the centre or I can email you a soft copy. Here are some highlights from those policies.

Behavior and Bullying

All children have the right to feel safe and happy at the centre. This means we have rules and need to work as a team with the school and you as parents.

Child Protection

All staff are required to have a Working with Children’s Check and all staff have done this.

Under the children and Young Persons Care and Protection Act 1998, all childcare workers are mandated to report to the department of Children’s Services any child who is at risk or harm or display symptoms of abuse or neglect.

Staff

All of the staff understand what is required of them to be part of the RSKC team. It is our philosophy to work together to act in the best interests of the children.

Damage to property

In the event a child breaks a window, door or any other school or Parish property the parents are required to pay for damages.

Web page

RSKC has a web page where the children’s weekly activities program and menu is published. Any suggestions are very welcome. The newsletters and forms are also uploaded to the web page. www.rskc.webnode.com

Grievances procedures

The centre supports the right of the users of our service to complain and will make every attempt to resolve them.

There are various steps involved in our grievance procedure:

Parents are encouraged to raise their concerns/issues informally. Depending on the depth of the issue the concern can be dealt with immediately. If staff are busy at the time the issue is raised an informal meeting can be scheduled.
Children also have the right to raise a concern/ issue. Generally they are invited to do this with the staff. If they feel there concern is not being dealt with we in courage them to talk to their parents and then parents are to follow point 1 of the procedure.
If the concern remains unresolved, or further concerns arise, a formal meeting can be scheduled. Ms. Coffey (school principal) can be present at this meeting if desired. If this step 2 is required then the concern should be in writing. You can email or hand the letter to the office addressed to After School Care Ridge Street Kids Club. We will get back to you within a week to discuss the situation.
Also the parents have the right also to contact the NSW Ombudsman on 92861000

Kids Club Philosophy

Our philosophy is to provide before and after school hours care as well as vacation care of the highest quality that cater for the needs of all children, families, and staff and is a valuable service for the community.

We aim to provide:

· A safe, secure and happy environment for young children

· Fun and interesting, supervised morning, afternoon and vacation care programs that foster planned and spontaneous experiences for primary school aged children

· Experiences that promote creativity and physical education including art and craft activities, sport, games, cooking, project work and homework support

· Staff who possess the motivation, creativity and initiative to implement a range of activities

· A constructive and supportive work environment for children to complete homework with the supervision and guidance of staff as required

· Trusting and caring relationships between staff, families and the community

· Support and solutions for parents and employers to balance work and family life.

Within our program at Ridge Street Kids Club, we aim to:

· value children’s experiences and input into the daily program

· follow the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relation for the Council of Australian Governments document “My Time, Our Place” and the practices, principles and learning outcomes it outlines

Values

In relation to the children:

· We seek to provide a fun, safe and stimulating environment that caters for the individual interests of each child.

· We allocate time for children to complete homework ensuring our program supports children’s learning and development.

· We believe positive relationships between the children, the carer and the family are fundamental in the provision of a quality service. Parents and staff are encouraged to communicate openly about children’s experiences in care and to spend time developing and maintaining these relationships.

· We provide a range of cognitive, physical and creative activities such as crafts, sports, games and projects. The activities provided vary from being independent or group based and serve to strengthen the children’s skills in all developmental domains

· We value diversity by treating all children equitably and by implementing programs that present positive experiences for the children that are not based on gender, racial or social stereotypes.

In relation to families:

· We understand the needs of parents and want them to feel totally secure and happy when leaving their children at Ridge Street Kids Club. We are dedicated to helping parents create a balanced and cohesive routine between work and family life.

· We support and encourage the interest and involvement of parents to share in, contribute to and feel a part of their child’s daily experiences.

· We aim to provide open communication channels between parents and staff. We use various methods of communication, provide daily feedback to parents, displays of programs, routines and children’s work and creations, and create opportunities for staff and parents to interact and support each other’s role in the care and education of the child.

· Each family is treated with dignity and respect, taking into consideration any cultural, socio-economic, familial values and beliefs, or other factors that may exist.

In relation to staff:

· We employ childcare staff who are completely dedicated to providing high quality care and fun experiences for all children. We recruit staff based on their skills, experience, attitude and dedication to the cause. Just like the children we look after, each staff member is unique and we embrace the opportunity to utilize their skills and experiences to benefit the children.

· We provide training opportunities for staff and invite staff to bring their culture, interests and specialized skills to the centre to extend children’s activity programs and expand children’s experiences.

In relation to the community:

· We source and use community resources to support the needs of children and families within our care and to enhance the Activities Program.

· We support the behavior guidance policies of the associated primary schools to provide consistency for children and families.

· We respect the philosophy of and the beliefs of St. Mary’s Primary School and Catholic Church, with whom we share grounds, and strive to create a cohesive environment between the three services.

Please note that both parents, carers and children can provide feedback, suggestions or complaints anonymously through the ‘Suggestions Box’ located near the door or via email, phone call or letter.

Any Questions

If there is anything not clear in the hand book please ask.

Warren O’Flaherty

Director

Contacts and Information

Postal Address: 40 Ridge St North Sydney 2060

Warren’s mobile number (for bookings): 0411 354 308

Web Page: www.rskc.webnode.com

Email Address: rskc777@gmail.com