This help centre article has been written for Koru Kids' Home Nursery service
Quick Links
Getting introduced
When you hit the "start a chat" button on the Early Educator's profile on our website you will automatically get sent the contact details for the Early Educator and they will be sent your contact details as well. This means that you can start messaging/chatting immediately.
Communicating with your Early Educator ahead of your child starting
In the lead up to your start date (around 8 weeks before) your Early Educator should contact you to begin to arrange a settling-in period.
If you haven’t heard from them and it's playing on your mind, feel free to reach out to them first.
They understand your child starting childcare is quite nerve-wracking.
They will reach out to you to talk things through.
Specifically, if you need to discuss settling-in, and agree on a schedule where you can lock in specific dates for this.
Around this time Koru Kids will contact you to gather information about your child for your home nursery’s records.
Try to include all the relevant information about your child in these forms so it is recorded and shared properly with your home nursery. If you mention things verbally they could more easily get missed.
Communicating once your child has begun
Use WhatsApp for day-to-day communication. For more formal communications you may prefer to use email - but WhatsApp is also fine.
Your Early Educator will go out of their way to ensure you (and your partner) get daily updates on how your child is - we know how lovely these are to receive and how much you are missing your little person.
Your Early Educator will add you and your partner (if applicable) to a WhatsApp group.
Your Early Educator may use email for any more formal communications, so they don’t get muddled with the photo updates. Such as:
Holiday dates
Case of sickness in the setting (e.g. Chickenpox)
Arrangements around closure due to Covid-19
To formalise a verbal discussion you’d had around a permanent change to a booking (e.g. change of days)
End dates
Sending your child’s Two Year Check document
Discussing a complaint
When you are emailing your Early Educator, you don’t need to copy in Koru Kids but feel free to if you would prefer (e.g. if it is discussing a complaint) and we can support you.
Verbal communication
At the end of the day, your Early Educator will use the pick-up time to relay the important information about the day.
They will let you know what kind of day the child has had and what they have enjoyed.
They will inform you about any accidents and give you a form to sign.
They will share any medication forms to communicate the time of dosages and get you to sign.
They will pass on any observations around a child’s physical wellbeing (e.g. they are getting a nappy rash, they seem to have a slight cough).
They will let you know how your child has eaten that day.
The menu will be visible in the hallway.
They will let you know how well the child has slept that day.
If you want to know the exact times and minutes of sleeping, your Early Educator can note that for you.
They will let you know anything significant about toileting.
If anything has been out of the ordinary (e.g. multiple poos, not poo’d all day when they usually do).
If nappies have been unusually dry or wet.
They will let you know how the child is getting on with potty training - successes and failures :).
Your Early Educator will probably have a notice board in their hallway to keep you informed of any upcoming events or announcements (e.g. upcoming holiday dates, celebrations, cases of sickness).
If there is anything you have a problem with or wish to discuss we suggest you don’t sit on it - but speak to your Early Educator about it as soon as possible.
Open, transparent communication is the most important thing to build a good relationship.
If your child’s behaviour seems challenging or they are not settling, over-communicate.
Speak to your Early Educator at the earliest opportunity- they will do the same.
If pick-up is not appropriate as there is another parent present, for example, make an arrangement to call later in the evening and speak to them on the phone or arrange a time to chat in person.
If things are not settled after the first discussion, revisit the topic with regular updates and further chat.
Remember if you are struggling or want any advice, you can reach out to Koru Kids at any time.
Useful links