This help centre article has been written for Koru Kids' Home Nursery service
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Timings
You need to drop your child off by 8.50 am in the morning and can collect them anytime from lunchtime
We ask for drop off by 8.50 am so as not to disrupt the Early Educator taking the children out on their morning’s adventure
If you have a one-off problem with this (e.g. a medical appointment) you can make an arrangement with your Early Educator to wait for you as a one-off, or you can arrange to drop your child directly to whatever green space the tribe are in that day.
Most parents collect around 5 or 6 pm, but technically you can collect your child anytime from when they are back at base - e.g. around 12 noon.
Speak with your Early Educator about naptime and early pick-up though so they can ensure your child isn’t sleeping when you need to collect.
What happens at drop-off and pick-up?
The formalities
There are certain topics (with respective forms) that might need to be covered at drop-off and pick-up.
Medication forms (drop-off). If your child is taking medication you need to sign a form setting out the schedule for dispensing so your Early Educator knows what to do and has permission.
Accident forms (pick-up). If your child has had an accident in the setting that day your Early Educator will talk about what happened and ask you to sign a form.
Injury at home form (usually at pick-up). If your child gets injured at home your Early Educator needs to log it for safeguarding purposes. You will probably tell them about the injury in the morning at drop-off and they will prepare the form to be signed at pick-up.
What’s discussed?
Your Early Educator will chat to you at pick-up to let you know:
How your child has slept that day
How they’ve eaten
What they’ve enjoyed doing.
What their mood is like and if they spot anything ‘off’ - for example if they seem to be coming down with a cold or teething.
Let your Early Educator know anything they ought to be aware of:
For example, if your child is likely to be extra tired one day (e.g. they slept badly or were up early) as it will help them plan their sleep for that day.
If anything is affecting their appetite (e.g. they barely touched breakfast) so they can plan snacks and meals accordingly.
Let them know if there is anything affecting your child’s mood - e.g. they are recovering from an illness and are not 100% yet so they can plan activities accordingly.
If your Early Educator needs to chat to you about a difficulty or issue they might mention it but we encourage you to schedule a time for a proper chat.
Other parents might be waiting to collect and so in order to have the time and privacy you need it is better to take these conversations into another time.
Your Early Educator could chat to you on the phone or Zoom in the evening or at the weekend, for example.
Difficulties at drop-off
Children can sometimes get upset and tearful on drop-off. We know these moments can be extremely difficult for parents.
Rest assured your Early Educator is skilled in comforting your child and helping them to settle. They will give them lots of cuddles and try and get them involved in an activity until they calm down.
Once your child has settled and is now happy, your Early Educator will drop you a message to let you know.
If the problem persists, they will arrange to speak to you to discuss tactics around what else could be done.
Authorised pick-ups
We will ask you to name adults who are authorised to pick up your child in the official paperwork.
These adults can collect without needing to prove their identity- however, if your Early Educator has never met them and been introduced, it is worth sending a photograph of this adult so they know they have the right person.
Only adults aged over 16 can collect your child from the setting.
Adults that your Early Educator is not familiar with will need to prove their identity.
You will provide the Early Educator with a password that this adult will need to provide to prove their eligibility to collect
Please advise your Early Educator if an adult not listed in the paperwork will be picking up your child. If you have warned them about this in advance, they will be extra cautious about releasing your child to this adult and may ring you to confirm.
Late collection
If you collect late, after the closure time, your Early Educator may charge you for the extra time that your child is with them.
If you are running late please call your Early Educator to let them know when to expect you.
If it is a one-off, due to an issue with your train, for example, most of our Early Educators will waive the extra charge but will retain the right to charge if late collection becomes a pattern.
In an extreme situation that they cannot contact you or any of the emergency contacts listed, and it is a long time from collection time, they will contact social services.
Respecting your Early Educator's home
During drop-off and pick-up, please remember that you are a guest at your Early Educator's home. With this in mind, please consider the following:
they may have a preference for you to remove your shoes if you access certain parts of their home - please ask them first before entering.
they may have areas they would like you to avoid (e.g. their bedroom, their partner's office, etc.)
they may not be prepared for you to enter certain areas - please ask your Early Educator first before navigating your way through their home.
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