Our Policies

Our Centre has several policies and procedures pertaining to the care of your child. Our policies are in the foyer and are available to view at any time. If you need a copy of any of the policies, please come and see the Director who will assist you. 

Accidents and Incidents:

Our educators take a proactive approach to safety and conduct thorough risk assessments of all play areas so that each child can feel safe and free to explore their environment. All educators are expected to hold a current First Aid Certificate, including training in Asthma and Anaphylaxis. Children will have small accidents from time to time, and the educators will act accordingly. If your child has a small accident, you will be notified and asked to sign a form at the end of the day. In the unlikely event of a serious accident, you will be notified immediately. First aid will be administered and an Ambulance or transport to the hospital arranged if needed. During an emergency if you cannot be contacted, we will try everyone on your emergency list. Everything will be documented, and this documentation will be available to you.

Health and Hygiene:

   Children and educators are actively encouraged to practice good personal hygiene to minimise the instances of illness. We also believe that if your child is ill, the best place for them to be is home, where they generally recover quicker. If your child presents at Little Taddies with signs of illness, you may be advised that your child is not well enough to remain at the Centre and will be asked to take come and collect your child and keep them at home until they are well. In some circumstances we may require a medical clearance before the child can return. We understand that this can be inconvenient for parents, however, it is in the interest of all children and educators at the Centre to minimise the risk of infection. 

Excursions

   Children in the Quokkas (3-5years) group will from time to time participate in excursions around our community. The children may go to "Rhyme time" at our local library, as well as bush walks or to the local park. Only the older children leave the building with a ratio of 5 children to 1 educator. For children to leave the building on these excursions, a Regular Outing Permission Form must be filled out each year (usually at the start of the year). There is a risk assessment done for these excursions. Any other excursions that are not regular or further away will require a separate permission form. Families will be notified of this prior to the excursion. 

Transport to Local Schools

 Little Taddies is happy to provide transport for children who are booked in for Before or After School Care. A School Transport Permission Form must be filled out each year for each child. 

Sustainable practices

   Our educators and children work together to learn about and promote sustainable practices. Where possible, we re-use our resources to reduce waist. For example, our food scraps as well as our shredded paper go to our 2 chickens. Also, we use water for the garden as much as we can, rather than down the sink and try to reduce the amount of printing by emailing or using our Xplor program for notices and newsletters.

     Nutrition

We understand the important role we play in supporting the nutritional needs of children in our care. While we don’t provide lunch, we ask that lunches brought from home align with health guidelines and that unhealthy treats are kept to a minimum. We’ve found that children eat best with small, bento-style meals rather than large rolls or sandwiches. For morning tea, we offer shared fruit, vegetables, and cereal, and we ask that families bring one piece of fruit, a vegetable, cheese, or a similar item for the children to share. We provide afternoon tea and aim to keep sugar and salt to a minimum in our offerings. If your child has allergies, we will carefully consider this in our menu planning.

     Cultural diversity

   We acknowledge the Noongar people as the traditional custodians of the land, and we incorporate teachings about Aboriginal culture throughout our program to deepen children’s understanding and respect for this heritage. We aim to foster each child’s awareness and appreciation of diverse cultures by integrating multiculturalism into our programs. This includes offering a variety of books, music, cooking experiences, activities, songs, play equipment, and more, reflecting a range of cultural backgrounds.

     Confidentiality of Centre Records

We value your privacy and have several initiatives in place to ensure the protection of your data. All staff and the Management committee are bound by a confidentiality and code of conduct agreement which protects the privacy and confidentiality of all children, staff and families who use the Centre.

     Sun Protection

 We are proud participants in the 'Sun Safe Centre Initiative' through the Cancer Council of WA. We provide bucket hats for the children, which are required for most of the year. During Terms 1 and 4, when the UV index is highest, children must wear hats to play outside the veranda area. We apply or assist children in applying SPF 50+ sunscreen during these terms and as needed throughout the day, in accordance with our Sun Safe policy. Educators role model by also wearing hats when outdoors. In Terms 2 and 3, we encourage children to continue wearing hats on sunny days but recognize the importance of Vitamin D and allow outdoor play without sunscreen. To protect children’s skin, we require short sleeves that cover the shoulders. If a child arrives with exposed shoulders, we will dress them in a t-shirt from their spare clothes or from our Centre’s supply of spare clothing.

     Clothing:

 Please dress your child in clothing suitable for active play. When choosing outfits, please consider the following:

• Messy Play: Children will use materials like paint, glue, water, and sand, so dress them in clothes that wash easily and can get a little messy.
• Comfort & Protection: Clothing should be comfortable and provide protection for both indoor and outdoor play.
• Footwear: Choose well-fitting, comfortable shoes. Shoes that are too small may cause discomfort, and those that are too big can lead to tripping. For safety, no thongs as they make climbing slippery and unsafe. Runners or sneakers are best, ideally with Velcro to encourage independence.
• Seasonal Gear: Rubber boots are great in winter and can be brought along for outdoor play.
• Independence: Clothing should be easy for children to manage on their own to avoid toileting accidents. Avoid overalls or other difficult-to-remove clothing.
• Labelling: Please name all clothing and footwear.
• Spare Set: Ensure there’s always a spare set of clothing in your child’s bag. This way, you are helping us keep your child comfortable, safe, and ready to play.

     Emergency Procedures

 Emergency evacuations and lockdown drills are practiced every three months in line with regulations. Little Taddies has contingency plans in place for various emergency situations, and all staff are fully trained in these procedures. In the event of an evacuation or lockdown, you will be notified as soon as it is safe to do so. To help us maintain accurate attendance records, please ensure your child is signed in and out each day. This helps us keep track of who is always in or out of the building.

     Immunisation

 As part of the enrolment process, you will need to provide a copy of your child’s immunisation record. Little Taddies encourages all children to stay up to date with recommended immunisations. In the event of an outbreak of an infectious disease, unvaccinated children and staff may need to be temporarily excluded for their health and safety

     Medication

If your child requires medication while attending Little Taddies, it will be administered by a qualified (Diploma-trained) educator. For us to safely administer medication, it must meet the following requirements:

• Medicine must be in its original packaging.
• It must display the child's name and required dosage
• It must be prescribed by a medical practitioner
• It must have signed permission form the parent/guardian to administer.

Please note that Little Taddies will not administer over-the-counter medication unless accompanied by a note from a registered medical practitioner. Panadol will not be administered by any staff member. If your child develops a fever (temperature over 37.5 degrees Celsius), you will be contacted and asked to collect them. To ensure safety, do not place any medication in drink bottles, baby bottles, or any container other than the original packaging, as this could be dangerous if accidentally consumed by another child. Please hand all medications directly to a staff member, who will store it securely in our locked medication box. For children who require antihistamines for allergies, we will regularly check expiration dates and return the medication to you when it has expired.

     Sick Children

If your child is unwell, we ask that you keep them at home. Bringing them to the Centre will spreads germs and makes other children and educators sick. Please notify the Centre if your child is unwell.

     Sleep and Rest

   As a part of our duty of care, Little Taddies will provide a nurturing environment, that provides for the children’s need for comfort, rest, and relaxation. Children need to be supported to feel a sense of belonging and comfort with educators in an early childhood education and care setting. Red Nose foundation provides guidelines for children’s safety when they are sleeping. These guidelines will be followed by all educators. Educators will consult with families regarding their child’s sleep procedures from home, to provide the rest and relaxation that young children need to maximize their growth and development. Educators will provide an opportunity for children to sleep/rest or relax within the Centre’s daily routines. Children in the Puggles group (0-2 years) will be put into cots with clean linen, and in an Australian safety approved sleeping bag, provided by either the family or owned by Little Taddies. The educators will use the child’s cues to know when they need to sleep and will be given the opportunity to sleep as they need it throughout the day. Older children will also be given the opportunity to sleep/ rest after lunch. Soft music and/ or white noise will be played to encourage sleep/ rest for the children.

 Sleep checks will be conducted by educators, by physically checking each sleeping child, and the check recorded on Playground, which is then published to families in real time, every 10 minutes. Children at Little Taddies will not wear amber beads on either their necks, wrists or ankles when they sleep, as this can pose a choking hazard to children. A risk Assessment Action Plan is in place along with our Sleep and Rest Policy, and this will be reviewed annually, or as necessary. Cultural preferences from families will be taken into consideration, however we will not go against recommendations made by Red Nose foundation. If families request safe sleeping practices to be modified or alternative practices requested, these must be accompanied by written advice by a medical practitioner. All educators will be trained in safe sleep and rest practices