Opening times and fees:

Opening times and fees:

Northstead Community Pre-school is open four days each week, term time only.

You can book your child in for morning 9-11.45 or afternoon 12.45-3.15 sessions as well as full days. 

The cost per hour is usually £6.00 including the lunch time session. From September 23 we have revised our fees to £4.25 to enable low income families to access more childcare. You will be charged if you collect your child later than the agreed time on your contract. Please note the cost of fees usually increases annually in September.

Example:

• Self funded morning session and lunch will cost £15.93.

• A full self funded day including lunch will cost £29.56.

• 20 hours per week and eligible for 15 hours of funding would cost you £21.25

Invoices are emailed at the end of each month for the upcoming month, to the parental contact email provided. A printed copy can be provided on request. 

If circumstances necessitate fees can be paid on a weekly basis, (please speak to Charlotte who can arrange a contract for you – conditions apply). Unfortunately, fees are still charged for non-attendance unless your child has an illness or mitigating circumstances that persist for a long period of time. 

Northstead Community Pre-school has the right to revoke sessions from persistent non-paying families. 

Presently children are entitled to up to 15 hours free funding from the term after their third birthday. We also offer the 30 hours extended entitlement of which 25 hours can be taken with us at Pre School and the other 5 hours with a child minder or another setting.

You will be informed about the documentary evidence required prior to your child gaining the allocated funding. Once the funding has been allocated to the setting you will have an allocation of up to 15 hours which will be flexible and in accordance with your specified requirements prior to induction. The funding can be used during the lunch time period therefore the maximum funding per day would be 6.25 hours. Once you have used your allocated funding you will only pay for additional hours or part hours you may accrue. 

Children are not insured to be on the premises before 9.00am or after 3.15pm; we therefore request that children are collected promptly. There is currently no provision for children before the beginning or after a session.

Collection of children:

If you are unable to collect your child at the end of any session it is vitally important that you let a member of staff know upon arrival or by telephoning the group on 01723 381989 as soon as possible. If we do not know the person who has called to collect your child, then we will not permit them to enter the premises. We operate a secure password system given to us by you, which only the collector of the child will know. If we are in any doubt whatsoever about an unauthorised person collecting a child, we will telephone you or the secondary named contact on your registration form to verify the identity of the individual attempting to collect your child

Northstead Community Pre-school will keep the child on the premises until verification has been gained or an alternative family member can be contacted. Your child’s safety is our main priority we therefore request your utmost co-operation with this system.

Our policies stipulate that no child may leave the premises with any person under the age of 16 years with or without parental consent.
 

The Transition Process:

We aim to work closely with parents and carers in order to help the children settle with ease and confidence. We always look forward to initially meeting children and families on our open day, however for some children this is not enough continuity prior to their admission.

We therefore provide the opportunity of a home visit service where two members of the staff team will visit your home with resources and materials to further enhance the transition process. If you are interested please speak to Charlotte who can arrange a suitable time.

The first session is always very busy and is often tearful for children, parents and staff! Within this pack you will find a registration form which must be completed and returned before your child arrives for their first session. Failure to return this form will automatically take your child off our sessional list and the place will be offered to another family. It is a legal requirement that we have completed registration forms prior to a child’s admission. We use the information to ensure that your child has the best possible transition; we pride ourselves on this process and endeavour to initiate any strategies or activities that will help settle your child within our group.

It is vitally important that you take responsibility and change when necessary contact numbers (especially mobile numbers) and personal circumstances in case of emergency or illness.

We actively aim to promote a close working partnership with all parents and carers, as we recognise that all parents are the main educators of their children; by working together we aim to have a positive impact on your child’s well-being, development and learning.