Meals at Kindergarten

Our centre provides nutritious and varied morning teas. Fruit is offered first. Water is always available to drink. Children also often take part in preparation of food and cooking is a regular part of the centre programme.

• We provide Morning and Afternoon Tea, if stay for lunch children will need to have a packed lunch meal.
• We provide spoons, bibs and plates if needed and are happy to chill or reheat food as required.
• We ask parents to bring a piece of fruit for each day their child attends kindergarten. (If you have access to fruit trees donations are appreciated!)
• Healthy food options are encouraged and we are happy to help you with ideas. No sweets or sugary drinks please as we operate a Healthy Heart food programme to encourage healthy eating habits.
• Please notify us if there are any foods or liquids your child is allergic to.

To encourage children’s independence and help reinforce the Reduce, Reuse and Recycle message please pack children’s food in ways that are reusable, easy for them to open and feed themselves.

Meal times (approx)

• Morning tea 9.30am to 10.30 am (rolling)
• Lunch -Toddlers 11.30 for younger children and 11.45 for our older one
• Afternoon tea 3.30pm

Celebrating Birthdays at Kindergarten

Children are welcome to celebrate their birthdays with us! We are happy for you to provide birthday cakes and other special food for your child to celebrate with their kindergarten friends. (Parents are welcome to join us!) It's a special day that we enjoy celebrating, so we make sure to take a photo for their portfolio and as a keepsake.

Settling Children When Starting
Initial separation may not be easy for either parent or child. Our friendly and experienced teachers will help support you both with this process.

To help reduce the stress for you and the child:

• Visit our kindergarten several times before starting to familiarise yourself and your child with the people and surroundings.
• Talk about the kindergarten activities before starting each day.
• Be prepared to stay with your child initially by helping settle him/her into an activity.
• Parents are encouraged to say good-bye once and then leave.
• Every child is different; inform teaching team of your child’s individual needs and discuss with Head Teacher the settling process for your child.

Maunganui All Day Kindergarten aims to work in partnership with parents. Our introduction process helps families get to know the teaching team and kindergarten operation. You are welcome at the kindergarten at all times and we encourage you to stay and share in sessions with your child whenever you wish.

Because our lives are all different, we have a variety of ways to keep in touch with you and for you to have input into the education of your child:

• Maunganui All Day Kindergarten's facebook page allows parents to keep up to date with the week's activities
• Portfolio Folders
• Programme planning
• Wall displays
• Nappy changes and sleep times are recorded and are available for parents to view
• Parent Teacher meetings formal & informal
• Information and Welcome booklets given out at enrollment and in the first few days of attendance
• Information Notice boards and newsletters
• Forms that we ask you to complete telling us about your child at home
• Finally, and importantly - please feel free to approach any of our teachers regarding feedback about your child
  
  If your child has any “special need” in any area discuss this with the Supervisor. All matters will be treated confidentially.

Policies and Procedures

Our policies and procedures are regularly reviewed and parents are part of the review process.

When a policy is due for review you will be notified by email and a copy of the polict sent out for you to read and make comment. There will also be a hard copy available in the foyer for your information.

All current policies and procedures are available at any time from the centre office.

Education (ECE) Regulations 2008 and criteria are also available on line at www.minedu.govt.nz or as hard copy in the office.

There is also a copy of our latest Education Review report available as a hard copy from the office or on line at www.ero.govt.nz

Every child at Maunganui All Day Kindergarten has a special portfolio where records of their early learning experiences are kept. Special moments, interests and strengths are documented to celebrate their achievements. These records are updated regularly and will include photos, learning stories, group projects, artwork contributions from home and parent education information.

A hard copy of your child’s portfolio is kept at kindergarten and available to take home overnight to share with whānau. An electronic copy is available online once you have registered with us for your personal password. We love to hear stories about what your child has been up to when they are not at kindergarten. These can be added to their portfolios.

Working together as a learning community of children, whānau and teachers we begin to build the stories unique to your child and enrich our shared understanding of their learning.

If your child is unwell and unable to attend i.e. has an infection, temperature, breathing difficulties or other illness please notify your teaching team as soon as possible.

Please do not bring your child if he/she is sick.

Please do not bring your child for 24 hrs after vomiting or 48hrs after diarrhoea.

If your child is sick or injured during a session we will contact you promptly and ask that you make arrangements to collect them without delay.

We would appreciate notification of any infectious disease as soon as possible.

Very important!
Please ensure that in the case of an emergency - an active contact number has been provided on their enrollment form. If you change this number please contact us with their updated emergency contact details.

Should you wish to provide us with feedback, or are unhappy about an aspect of the service we provide, please speak with or write to our Head Teacher or Manager.

We encourage communication as a way to solve issues that may arise. Your opinion is always valued, and hearing your thoughts allows to work together to find a solution.

Our address is:
Maunganui All Day Kindergarten
19 Miro St
Mt Maunganui
07 5755 471

Or contact:

Ministry of Education
PO Box 1749
Rotorua
Ph: 07 349 7383

Please see our Complaints Procedure for further details.

Governance Committee

Governance meetings are held regularly. If you are interested in being part of the governance committee please chat with our Head Teacher for more details. All parents are welcome to attend.