Settling in Policy

Tavistock Community Preschool

Settling in Policy

Statement

Tavistock Community Pre-school want children to feel safe, stimulated and happy in the pre-school and to feel secure and comfortable with staff. We also want parents to have confidence in both their children's well being and their role as active partners with the pre-school.

Aim

We aim to make the pre-school a welcoming place where children settle quickly and easily because consideration has been given to the individual needs and circumstances of children and their families.

Methods:

Before a child starts the pre-school, we use a variety of ways to provide his/her parents with information. These include written information (including our prospectus and policies, displays about pre-school activities, our website, face book page and individual meetings with parents.
Before a child starts at Tavistock Community Pre-school, we provide opportunities for the child and his/her parents to visit the pre-school.
When a child starts at Tavistock Community Pre-school, we decide with his/her parents the best way to help the child to settle into the pre-school.
Parents are invited to stay with their child during their first few sessions, if the parent feels it is appropriate for their child.
We reassure and are supportive to parents whose children take time to settle.
We allocate a key person to each child and his/her family as soon as the child starts in the setting, the key person welcomes and looks after the child and his/her parents at the child's first session.
Talk to parents about flexible admission procedures, if appropriate to meet the individual needs of the families and children.
If a child becomes very distressed during their first session without a parent present, we will telephone the parent and ask them to come back to pre-school to provide reassurance for their child, we will then discuss if a further settling in period with a parent present is required.

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Some children take longer to settle than others, by working with parents/ carers to find a suitable way of gently easing their child into life at Tavistock Community Pre-school for example this might mean parents/carers separating from their children for brief periods at first, gradually building up to longer absences.

Approved (Chair of Committee)

Adopted on Review Date

Tavistock Community Pre-school Settling In Policy

Tavistock Community Pre-school, Tavistock, Devon PL19 8BU Tel: 01822 612335

Email: [email protected]