Daviot Playgroup

Welcome Booklet

 Daviot Village Hall

Wellbrae Terrace

Daviot AB51 0HZ

 Contact Karen Forbes 01467 671564

 Mission Statement

Daviot Playgroup is committed to the development of quality care and education, which respects the rights, as individuals, responsibilities and needs of all children and their parents/carers.

·        To leave them confident, eager and enthusiastic learners.

·        We are responsive to the needs of families within the community.

·        We encourage children to learn and develop through the provision of quality play experience.

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Playgroup Meetings

Meetings are held once a month and all parents are encouraged to attend.  The minutes are distributed to all parents after each meeting and are also displayed on the notice board.  Please make a point of inspecting the notice board every week for news, information, rota duty etc.    Please feel free to contact one of the Committee Members should you have any queries.

Committee Members for 2006

Other positions which are not part of the main committee

 In addition the Playgroup aims to have three volunteer fundraisers for each term.

Welcome to Daviot Playgroup

We at Daviot playgroup extend a warm welcome to you and your child.  We offer a safe, happy and friendly learning environment.

As the time draws nearer for your child to attend Playgroup you may both be looking forward to it or you may regard the coming event with some trepidation.  Either way this information leaflet will hopefully give you a clearer idea of what to expect and answer some of the questions you might have.

When your child first starts Playgroup feel free to stay with them until they settle happily, this may take a few minutes, a few days or a few weeks!  Parents are always more than welcome to join us at Playgroup. 

Playgroup operates a staggered intake system, which means that no more than two new children start on any one day.  This is done to ensure that the Play Staff have time to help the new children settle and to start building strong positive relationships with them. 

The running of playgroup is in the hands of the parents with an elected committee.  Every parent contributes to the group in some way.

The play staff & duty helpers organise the activities (puzzles, crafts, home corner, water, construction, climbing frame and a quiet reading corner to name a few) for children.  Parents take it in turns to help out.  This is a good opportunity to experience first hand the friendly atmosphere in which your child will learn and grow (and create his/her masterpiece).  We welcome new ideas.  If you have a particular talent such as music, art, dance, languages, story telling etc and wish to participate please let us know.  Weather permitting, the children can also play in Playgroup’s secure Outdoor Play Area. 

The aim of Daviot Playgroup is to provide a safe, happy, learning play environment for 2–5 year olds.   We are registered with the Care Commission and we recommend parents read Playgroup Policies in the Parents Folder, kept under the notice board.  We offer funded places to children over 3 years. 

Sessions

Playgroup sessions are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning from 9:45am to 12:15pm.  Playgroup follows the school year, so therefore has the same holidays and occasional days.  If you are in any doubt please do not hesitate to contact one of the Committee members or Play leader.

Each term Playgroup follows a variety of themes outlined by the Play Leader and the sessions give the children the opportunity to explore these themes through play and craft. 

The morning is divided into two main parts.

Once registration has been taken, we conduct our ‘Welcome Song’ and commence the first part of the session, which is free play with a full range of activities to cover all five areas of the play curriculum now required by the Care Commission.  

At about 10:30 am snack is served, after the children have washed their hands.  During this time we talk about things we’ve done and encourage polite social behaviour and interaction between the children.  We are able to cater for children with special dietary needs.  Please ask to see our Medication and Snack Policy should you require any information.

The second part of the session involves more free play and one or more group activities such as storytelling or music and movement. All children are encouraged to join in with the group activities as this strengthens their social skills and their confidence within the group.

General Information about Playgroup

Child/Adult Ratio

We operate with a minimum of 1 adult to every 5 children.  If however we are on an outing we are required to have more adult helpers so that the ratio is 1 adult to 2 children, in line with Aberdeenshire Council recommendations.  We also require to have a minimum of two disclosed (police checked) adults present in order to run the Playgroup session.

Child Protection Policies

Daviot Playgroup has a number of Child Protection Policies which can be found in the Parents Folder.

Children in the Kitchen

Please note that because of food and hygiene regulations children are not allowed in the kitchen at any time.

Closure due to adverse weather

Playgroup will follow the same guidelines set down for closure of schools during severe weather conditions. If Daviot Primary is closed then Playgroup will also be closed.  Aberdeenshire Council have an Emergency Information Service in place for schools.  The number is 0870 054 4999 and the Pin number for Daviot Primary is 021580.

Complaints Policy

We are committed to delivering a quality service to all our users.  We aim to take effective action to ensure standards are upheld and welcome being informed where they have not been satisfactory.  Any complaint will be taken very seriously.  The full Complaints Policy can be found in the Parents Folder.  The first step is to contact the Play Leader or Chairperson either in person or in writing.  The Chairperson or Play Leader must then respond within one week.

Disclosed adults

Only adults that are disclosed (police checked) are allowed to be alone with the children.  We need as many duty parents as possible to become disclosed as this helps with organising small group work and enables the Play Staff to have more time to use their expertise to guide and evaluate the children rather than always being involved with toilet trips.  It is the policy at Daviot Playgroup that children should always be escorted to and from the toilet.

Dropping Off Procedure

This document provides information about the rules for handing your child over to playgroup at the start of the session and can be found at the end of this document and in the Parents Folder.

Fees

We are a Commissioned Playgroup and we are also accredited as a Funded Pre-School and Ante-Pre School Centre with Aberdeenshire Council.  Your child becomes eligible for this funding at the start of the term after their third birthday. It is important that fees are paid promptly.  If you have any questions about fees or if for any reason payment of fees is a problem, please feel free to speak to a committee member/play leader in confidence. Fees are currently £4.00 per session for non commissioned places. Funded children (term after turning 3 yrs, except Spring term) are charged 20p per session for snack.

Session fees are to be paid for the number of days your child is enrolled, irrespective of whether they attend or not. 

Fundraising at Daviot Playgroup

The income that we generate from fees and funded places is not sufficient to meet our running costs (heating, rent and staff costs) which is why fundraising is very important to us. We need three fundraising volunteers for every term.  These volunteers plan, organise and run one or more fundraising events once committee approval has been given for the event.

Fundraising doesn’t need to be difficult or too involved here are some ideas:

·         Guess the Birthday/number of sweeties Competition.
If you know somebody who has a shop or a venue that has a large number of visitors then this could be a fairly easy fundraiser to organise.

·         A Sponsored walk/swim/climb…..
Last year three people raised over £600 for the Playgroup by running in the Aberdeen Baker Hughes 10K. 

·         Company Sponsorship
Last year, one of the Playgroup mums asked her husband to approach his company for a donation and they very kindly donated £300 to the Playgroup. 

·         Events
Last year we held a 70s and 80s disco which raised over £850.  The key to this being a successful fundraising event was that the organisers got sponsorship for the venue and meal as well as picking a theme which got everybody raring to go! 

·         Arts & Crafts
Is there something you could make and sell for playgroup? Last year one child’s gran painted a picture of Bennachie which we then made into a greeting card.

If you would like to become involved in fundraising please speak to a Committee Member. 

Health and Safety Policies

Our Health and Safety Statement can be found in the Parent Folder.  This details information about first aiders, general health and safety, and named persons responsible for different aspects of health and safety.  In addition, there are a number of additional policies which look at aspects of health and safety in more detail.  Daviot Playgroup aims to ensure the safety of children and staff by undertaking regular risk assessments to assess the risks present in the Playgroup setting and to devise procedures and safe working practices to minimise these risks.  We would ask any parent or carer who is concerned about a health and safety aspect of the Playgroup session to raise the issue with the Play Leader or a Committee Member.

Manual Lifting

Back injuries can cause lifelong pain so please take care when moving and lifting items of equipment.  There are posters displayed in the toy storage area which highlight the risks and good techniques.  There is also a Manual Handling Policy which is available in the Parents Folder.

Notice Boards

There are a number of notice boards in the small hall that provide information about Playgroup matters.  Please check your child’s polypocket regularly for information notices and updates.

Parents Folder

Please make some time to look through the Parents Folder.  This contains details of Playgroup policies and procedures as well as inspection reports.

Pick Up Procedure

This document provides information about the rules for picking your child up at the end of the session and can be found at the end of this document and in the Parents Folder.  Please be aware that if you want to arrange for somebody different to pick up you child at the end of the session then the Play Staff need to know in advance.

Playgroup Committee

The Playgroup Committee is composed of parents, all of whom are volunteers and who are unpaid.  We very much encourage other parents to attend Committee meetings as your input is very important to us.

Playgroup Duty

A Duty Rota for each term is drawn up for all parents.  Duty mornings are an ideal opportunity to see how Playgroup is run and to get involved with your child’s activities.  Playgroup duty involves arriving at 9.15am and helping set up the Hall, playing with the children, making and clearing snack and helping with clearing the hall until approximately 12.45pm.  Mums who are 6 months pregnant or more or those who have babies of less than 3 months may be exempt from duty if they so wish.  If you are eligible for exemption please contact our Duty Rota Organiser, Fiona Chance on Tel: 01467 671695.  If you are unable to participate on your allocated day you can swap with another parent or pay a Relief Duty Parent to do your duty.  Please write any changes on the main rota which is found on the Playgroup Noticeboard.

 Promoting positive behaviour at Playgroup

We aim to promote positive behaviour by providing a safe and caring environment where the adults involved with the children work as a team to help promote the Playgroup community rules.  At the start of term the following documents will be circulated to all parents for comments.

·         Community Guidelines for Promoting Positive Behaviour

·         Rules of Behaviour at Playgroup

 We understand that a child’s age and development stage will affect how fully they can follow these rules.

Snack Policy

Snack is provided roughly half way through each session and costs 20p per session (as set by Aberdeenshire Council). We try to provide a varied and healthy snack and this consists of fruit each day, followed, for example, by a biscuit or pancake.

As much as possible we try to accommodate a food allergy by avoiding the offending food but sometimes this is not possible and the child brings in part of the snack.  We do ask, however, in this instance that sweets are not brought in as this would be unfair to the other children.  Parents wishing to bring in a shared treat must check with the Play Staff first.

Suggestions/Feedback

We welcome any suggestions or feedback you may have about Playgroup.  A suggestions box can be found in the small hall or alternatively please speak to a member of the Committee.  A parent survey is also carried out at least once a year.

Toilet Training

Daviot Playgroup will not discriminate against any child of any age who is not toilet trained.  If a child is not toilet trained the parent/carer must provide clean nappies and wipes.