FAQ's
Do you have policies and procedures that I can read?
Tiny Acorns operates under strict policies and procedures which all staff are trained on and must follow. Copies are available to view at nursery for all attending families.
Do you open for Bank Holidays and holidays?
The nursery is open 51 weeks a year, closing for the week between Christmas and New Year and on all Bank Holidays. We do not charge you for the week we close, but full fees are payable at all other times, including periods of sickness, holiday, or if the nursery has to stay closed due to exceptional or unsafe circumstances such temporary power failure or very bad weather.
How often do you review your fees?
Our fees are reviewed annually in January through a structured process to look at the costs of operating the nursery. If we feel that the operating costs have risen we will then increase the fees. You will receive notice in February of any increase, with the first month of the increase being April.
When do I get my government funding?
Children are entitled to funded hours from the start of the school term after they turn 9 months old.
Up to 30 hours funding is available to eligible families and more information can be found on the Childcare Choices website.
The funding will be automatically deducted from the fees and will appear on the invoice as funded hours. There is a separate handout available which explains both types of funding that we offer in more detail and how to check your eligibility.
What group activities do the children have?
Your child's 'key person' is responsible for observing your child during their play and to devise activities that will assist their development and learning. Sometimes this will include group activities where children showing similar interests and skills can participate in an activity together. They will also have an opportunity to listen to stories, do show and share and sing songs in groups. These group activities may occur both indoors and outdoors.
Do you take the children out for trips?
Sometimes children may go on walks to the local park, Long Crendon Library for story time or around the school grounds. These trips will help extend children's learning. You will be asked to give permission for your child to attend when you register.
How do I know about my child's daily routine?
At the end of the day, your child's key person will feed back information about your child's day. For the babies and younger children, this will include information about their sleep times, mealtimes and nappy changes. The key person will also feedback information about activities and experiences that your child has been involved with over the day. If the key person is not there, the backup key person or another nominated staff member will be available to share that information with you.
How do you prepare my child for school?
We design a wide variety of experiences and activities for the children that encourage them to make decisions and become independent learners. When they arrive they will be asked to self-register – looking for their name card and placing it on the ‘who’s here today’ board.
They will learn about the letters of the alphabets, how to write their name, counting numbers from 1-20 and beyond, the days of the week, the weather and key events in the calendar. Mark making is key and is encouraged through the use of pencils, crayons, paints, in the sand tray and on the chalkboards. They will learn about mathematical concepts such as big and small, full and empty, big, bigger and biggest, as well as shapes, colours, animals and opposites. They will have the opportunity to use a variety of resources for exploration including sand, water, construction materials, paint, glue, chalks, scissors, measuring jugs and magnifying glasses, as well as being able to make believe in the role play area. More or less everything we do can be taken outside, and children will have regular dance sessions and physical activities outdoors.
In our quiet area we have an interactive whiteboard which we use to teach the children all sorts of concepts interactively through fun games and characters. There is also a reading corner where the children can help themselves to books, a large chalk board on the wall for practising writing and group sessions held on the big rug; listening and telling stories, identifying words and signs and regular show and share sessions.
Through our monthly topics they will learn about themselves, the world around them, the seasons and other topics designed to engage them. Craft and creative activities are then linked to the current topic and the children’s work will be displayed on the walls and from the ceilings, giving them a sense of achievement and pride.
The children also cook, do yoga, participate in bi-weekly rugby tots sessions with an external company that comes in, do planting and gardening, and participate in festivals, food tasting and dressing up.
We encourage independent play, listening and concentrating, making friends, sharing and socialising. Our PALS (playing and learning to socialise) sessions are a core part of the pre-school week and are very popular. Using our friends Jack, Kate and Anna (puppets) the sessions can have varying numbers of participants and focus on key social skills:
- • Greeting others
- • Taking Turns – listening and talking
- • Taking Turns at Play
- • Sharing
- • Asking for Help
- • Identifying feelings
- • Empathy
- • Overcoming fear and anxiety
- • Managing frustration
- • Calming Down
- • Speaking up
Overarching everything, your child’s key person is there to identify their learning and development needs and to plan activities and experiences that will assist them starting school.
My child has an allergy. How can you ensure they do not become exposed?
When you complete the Entry Profile we ask you to tell us if your child has any allergies. We have a specific operating policy for dealing with allergic reactions which we follow once you have made us aware of the allergy. It includes:
Assessing children’s needs prior to commencement of attendance:
- • Discuss with parents of children with the allergy what signs and symptoms to look out for.
- • Obtain written permission to administer medication.
- • Request parents to enter details into medication log.
- • Ensure that parents provide an adequate, in-date supply of the required medication. This must be kept at the setting all the time that the child is present and all staff must know where to find it.
- • All staff will be made aware of your child’s allergy. Details of the allergy will be detailed on the allergy chart in the kitchen so that all food prepared for your child avoids the allergens identified. Every staff member must read and re-sign this chart every two months or whenever it is updated.
- • Arrange additional training for staff, if required.
If your child has a severe allergy and requires an EpiPen, we have staff onsite who are trained to administer this. Please ask to see a copy of our policy on this subject.
Who can I speak to if I have any questions regarding the nursery?
You can talk to one of our Managers at the Nursery on 01844 202677 or via e-mail at manager@tinyacornsnursery.co.uk and we will be delighted to help.