Tigers Newsletter – January 2014
Parents,
Breakfast is at 8am-8:30am if you wish your child to have breakfast, please bring your child to Nursery for 8am.
Thank You
Parents / Carers
Please provide NAMED spare clothing for your child including underwear, especially if your child is toilet training, you will be charged if we have to use new Nursery underwear, nappies or wipes.
Please provide a NAMED coat, hat, gloves and scarf for your child. The children will still be enjoying outdoor play.
January – Cubs Extension
From Saturday 14th December for 10 weeks we will be having an extension built to extend the Cubs Room.
We will be open as normal and disruption will be kept to a minimum.
We will be sharing a policy a month with all parents / carers. This month attached will be our Healthy Eating Policy.
We would like to wish a very Happy New Year to all Parents, Careers and children. We offer a warm welcome to all new children and their parents who will be starting with us in the upcoming weeks.
We have a number of new starters in the Cubs and Tigers Rooms and we have children moving from Cubs to Tigers.
Parents, if you have any questions, please ask a member of staff in your child’s Nursery room. Your child’s keyworker will be introduced to you, but you are able to speak to any member of staff about your child and members of
Management are available in the office during the day.
If you would like to receive your newsletters by email, please give your email address to the office. You could also view purchase or print at home, photographs of the children taken at
Nursery.
Mr David’s Message
Welcome back from Christmas Bank Holidays and New Year celebrations, trusting you have found time for rest, relaxation and lots of playtime with your children.
Here at Training Depot, we look forward to the first term of 2014 – as well as saying hello to many new starters in both the Cubs and Tigers Rooms, some of our older Cubs will be moving up to Tigers. Teaching and lesson themes around all
your child’s learning activities will also change – Please be sure to ask your child’s Keyworker exactly what you should expect with our new plans as they begin.
PLEASE, EXCUSE OUR MESS. OUR BUILDERS WILL TAKE EVERY CARE IN LIMITING THE INCONVENIENCE THEIR PRESENCE AND THEIR MATERIALS WILL CAUSE OVER THE NEXT 10 WEEKS.
IF YOU NOTICE THIS AFFECTING ANYTHING RELATED TO THE SAFE CARE OF YOUR CHILDREN OR THE OPERATION OF THE NURSERY – BE SURE TO SPEAK TO A MEMBER OF OUR TEAM – ANY MEMBER.
Our staff will do everything possible to assist in limiting any inconvenience, the builders themselves are confident (freezing weather permitting) they will be finished well inside the timescale which has been set.
Please, do mention to friends and other family members, we do still have a few places available in this new term on certain days. There is nothing more complimentary for our staff team than learning they have been recommended to
others by our own parents and carers.
Finally, there were many photographs taken throughout the series of events organised in the run through Christmas and they can all still be accessed on our nursery albums on the Snapfish website. Please, ask Miss Michelle in the office if
you wish to be sent invitations to access these albums.
Happy New Year
Mr David
January Events
We have Jo Jingles returning this month. She will be carrying out sessions with Cubs and Tigers on a Tuesday morning and in the afternoons from later in February.
The children have been eagerly awaiting her return.
TRAINING DEPOT DAY NURSERY AUGUST 2008 NUTRITION POLICY
November 2009 August 2012
December 2010
March 2011
MENUS AND SNACKS December 2011
The nursery provides all food, snacks and drinks. Meals are cooked by a health and hygiene certificated person.Menus are on display on the white board area and are on a
4 weekly cycle. The menu’s have been agreed by the healthy under 5s team and meet all the criteria for nutrition and variety. Any children with allergies or cultural needs will be
met by the nursery. Parents are required to provide this information.
The nursery provides a cooked lunch and dessert and 3 nutritious snacks per day.
MEALTIMES
At each snack and mealtime the children sit at size appropriate tables and chairs and use
Size/age appropriate utensils, open topped cups are provided for all age groups also.
A small portion of protein, 2 veg and a carbohydrate are initially served with seconds as an option, if available. Children are encouraged to try all on their plate but never forced.
Desert is served regardless, unless otherwise expressed by parents.
Children under 3yrs have a daily food diary for parents to read, 3 to 5yrs have a main room diary where information is logged and passed onto parents.
Children may eat at their own pace.
MEALTIME BEHAVIOUR
Nursery staff eat with the children at each meal and snack time, children are expected to remain seated whilst eating and noise is to be kept to a minimum, please/thank you and table manners are always encouraged. Children are discouraged to throw food
or eat off others plates. Pouring drinks and plate scraping are taught alongside laying the table.
Meals are always served regardless of any negative behaviour and food is not used as reward or punishment.
Positive behaviour at mealtimes is always praised.
EDUCATIONAL
LINKS
Cooking and food preparation are included in weekly plans , all children are encouraged and given the opportunity to use all their senses during cooking activities and mealtimes whilst also learning about food origins and cooking processes, children have
a role throughout and are able to taste the end product.
We have many different cultural clients and parents are invited and encouraged to bring in recipes or join in cooking sessions. Parents are also invited to come along on picnics, trips, mums and dads breakfasts and attend events held by the nursery
throughout the year.
DRINKS
Water is available throughout the day, jugs are kept on view at a height children can see,
Water is also available during outdoor play.
Milk and water only are offered at snack times.
Juice is offered at the lunch main mealtime only.
Open topped cups are provided for children from when they start nursery at 1 years.
CELEBRATIONS
Sweet foods are limited to the lunch time meal, any sweet foods that may be made as an activity will either be eaten for dessert at the lunch time meal or taken home, this also applies to birthday cakes.
Alternatives are encouraged for birthdays which are displayed and parents are also advised to ask for any ideas. These guidelines also apply during other celebrations such as religious festivals , fun days , fetes and Christmas.
Any celebration meals will be served in the same way as a normal meal , i.e. one source of protein , one carb , two veg for the main part of the meal then the dessert which will consist of sweet foods including fruit and milk based puddings , cakes , jellies.
On any occasion that a celebration will be held at a time that is not over the lunch time period sweet foods and drinks will not be served after the savoury foods , these will be substituted with fresh fruit , milk and water.
HEALTH AND HYGIENE
Children may eat outside during a planned activity where appropriate measures have been put into place for seating and hand washing.
Children are expected to wash their hands before and after every snack and mealtime.
Children are expected to wash their hands before and after cooking, gardening, contact with animals and messy activities.
Children are expected and encouraged to wash their hands after visits to the bathroom and all aspects of personal hygiene.
Staff and visitors are also expected to abide strictly to the above rules.
INFORMATION AND GUIDANCE
A healthy under 5s board is located in a central area accessible to all parents/carers. Information regarding oral health, exercise, breast feeding, recipes, food groups, snack ideas, children’s work and photographs are displayed on the board on an twelve
weekly rota system to promote and encourage all aspects of healthy under 5s.
There is also information on the Healthy start scheme, application forms for healthy start vouchers and information on available free vitamins for pregnant mothers.
There is also a leaflet stand for parents to help themselves to.
BREAST FEEDING
We have two comfortable private areas available should any parent wish to breast feed their child/baby whilst at the setting.
The designated areas are not signposted as they are not in areas of the building that parents would usually need access to during a drop off or collection.
However posters are situated in a central area informing parents that breast feeding is welcome and private areas are available to them.
A member of staff will happily assist in showing them where to go and ensuring they have access to anything they may need. Breast milk can also be stored in separate fridge to the nursery food supplies.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES
Children should have at least one hour per day of physical exercise, this is achieved through structured adult led activities and outdoor play , the hour is broken down into 10-20 minute sessions throughout the day .Although the recommended time has
now changed to three hours per day our physical plans have stayed the same as it is not possible to fit any more structured activities in without other areas suffering.
A physical activity plan is in place in both Tigers and Cubs nursery rooms and is completed each day by staff members taking the session.
All children are encouraged to take part in every session.
BOTTLES , DUMMIES AND LIDDED CUPS
Bottles , dummies and lidded cups have been associated with affecting children’s teeth and speech.
Using a bottle , dummy or lidded cup is not recommended for prolonged periods as children are more likely to require dental treatment at a young age due to tooth decay from excess sucking of dummies or drinking from bottles , especially those that
contain sweetened drinks such as hot chocolate or juices.
These can also affect children’s speech development and their sipping and swallowing reflex due to sucking only.
We accept children may need these comforters during their settling in period but would hope to work towards using open topped cups and the absence of dummies with your support soon after.
ST ANNES .
We have a small plot of land at an old peoples residential home for growing vegetables.
Children are taken there regularly in small groups to plant and maintain the area and when the vegetables come to fruition they will be brought back to nursery to use in meals and snacks. Parents have also helped out with the planting and will be continued
to be invited along in the future.
We have a scrap book documenting our progress for all to see.
