Values Programme
Restorative Justice approach to behaviour management
Morals
Manners
Social interaction
Daily fitness
Outdoor play
Drama
Gross motor skill development
Hygiene & healthy catering
Visual Arts
Craft
Fine motor skill development
Drama
Music
Dance
Numeracy
Problem solving
Comprehension
Prediction
Visual Literacy
Literacy
Talking & Listening IT
– Including Smartboards, iPads & laptops
Self help skills
Initiating conversations
Self expression
Eating lunch independently
Toileting
News
Balmain care for Kids
provides an educational preschool program with a strong emphasis on school
readiness that prepares the children for entering the primary school system.
Parents and the preschool educators share a role in making children feel safe
and secure as they transition to a new educational setting.
The key aspects of
school readiness are integrated throughout our preschool program and routine
from the moment the children enter preschool at the age of 3, moving right
through to their transition to primary school. The School Readiness Program is
expanded for our pre-schoolers in their final year before school to ensure that
they are given the maximum opportunities to learn new skills, as well as refine
existing abilities. We recognise that children up to seven years old learn best
through play, and that just as important as skill development is their
development of social and emotional wellbeing, which is needed to be an active
and positive learner.
Our aim is to promote
lifelong learners; our program will be adapted to the children’s individual
needs to ensure the children are socially and emotionally ready to enter
primary school with the confidence and resilience to ensure a successful and
comfortable transition. Children will be provided with a variety of experiences
in their daily program according to their needs and level of understanding
which will help make the transition to school a positive experience.
Staff will endeavour
to create partnerships between Balmain Care for Kids and the local schools in
our community to ensure an open exchange of information and understanding
regarding particular entry requirements and preparation.
School Readiness Program includes:
·
Importance of self-respect and respect of others.
·
Promoting social skills when interacting with other children and educators.
·
Self-regulation and language development.
·
Self- help skills and responsibility for their personal belongings.
·
Confidence and high self-esteem promoted in each individual child.
·
Foundations of Literacy and Numeracy
Throughout the year we celebrate and hold a number of events, these may include:
Balmain Care for Kids appreciates children’s lives should be fun and as such, we like to you to join in these celebrations. Look out for details of how and when we will be celebrating these in our Newsletter or centre email.
We will also celebrate days such as Anzac Day, Remembrance Day, and Mothers’ Day, Father’s Day and Grandparents’ Day. The programme also includes excursions and visits by entertainers to complement and extend children’s learning about the wider community.
At Balmain Care for Kids we will also be involved in activities within our local and wider community.
Some activities may include:
Parent involvement is always greatly appreciated.
A small bag with child’s name on the outside containing the items as suggested below:
Tips:
If an item of clothing seems to be missing, please check the lost property baskets or speak with your child’s educator. Items not collected will be given to charity after a period of 1 month.
We ask that you please apply water-resistant sun cream to your child before they arrive at the centre each morning.
For more information on sun safe clothes, please see our Sun Protection Policy.
It is natural for both parents and their children to have difficulty parting from each other, particularly when they have not previously been parted for any length of time. Each child’s experience of starting at Balmain Care for Kids is different and while some children eagerly join right in, other children need a longer time to adjust. Rest assured the teachers will tailor their settling in approach to suit the needs of each child.
Here are a few suggestions we hope will help make settling in your child easier:
If you are having difficulty separating from your child, please let one of our teachers know so that they can quickly comfort your child and allow you to go. Children generally settle in the first few minutes after parents leave and staying only prolongs the period that your child is distressed. Allow our teachers to guide you. Them saying “Give Dad a kiss and a cuddle” or “It’s time for Mum to go to work now” is giving you cues that now is probably a good time to go. If your child is quite distressed during the day and cannot be comforted, a teacher will contact you to ask for further advice or to collect the child, if that is in their best interest.
Toys, jewellery and trinkets from home can be lost or broken if brought to the centre. Therefore, we strongly discourage children from bringing these in, and ask you to encourage your child to leave them at home. A cuddly toy/comforter for rest time is welcomed as it helps children settle in. Education or discussion item, such as rocks, shells, flowers, or photos of family/special events, are always welcome and will usually be discussed during group times, then can be safely returned to their bags after.
From 1st July 2018, the government introduced Child Care Subsidy which is a means-tested benefit and will be based on your family income.
In order to receive Child Care Subsidy, you will need to gain 2 Centrelink Reference Numbers (CRN), one for you and one for your child. You will then need to provide these CRN numbers to Balmain Care for Kids during the enrolment process.
For more information on Child Care Subsidy and to see if you’re eligible please click the following link – Child Care Subsidy information
All fees will be paid using a Direct Debit System through the online OWNA application. Families are able to update their details at any time through this platform.
Daily Fees
Fees for 2024 are as follows;
For further information please refer to our Fees Policy.
At Balmain Care for Kids we strongly encourage parent involvement in all aspects of our service. We value our strong partnerships with the families and believe these relationships are paramount to building trusting relationships between educators and children. We would love for you to come in and do a cooking lesson with the children or read some stories during group time. However you would like to contribute to our programs and service we will always welcome you with open arms.
The parent must provide the centre with the names, contact numbers and addresses of at least two responsible persons who can collect their child(ren) in case of an emergency or illness. When contacted by the Director or their delegate, the parent, or a responsible person authorised by the parent, must personally go to collect the sick or injured child as soon as possible.
To view our service policies or for more information, please contact the appropriate Centre Director.
A child can only be released into the care of either a parent, a guardian, or a responsible person which is to be outlined on the child’s enrolment documents or OWNA application.
Staff have a duty of care to your child and therefore are unable to allow adults under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs to collect your child. In the event a parent or other person is under the influence of alcohol or drugs another emergency contact for the child is to collect your child instead.
The centre’s hours of operation relate directly to the terms of the licence and insurance policies. Therefore caring for children outside normal operation hours means that we may be in breach of the Child Care Regulations, which is a serious offence.
The person responsible for collecting the child is responsible for completing the time the child arrived and left for each day of their attendance on the digital sign-in/out system through the OWNA application. It is extremely important that this is completed on each arrival and departure as this record is used to determine which children are in care in the event of an emergency situation such as a fire, evacuation, or lock-down.
When entering or leaving the centre, please make sure all doors and gates are closed properly. Please do not allow children and siblings to open centre gates and doors.
In the event a child is left after hours at the centre and the parents and emergency contacts cannot be reached, The Department of Education & Communities, or the Police will be notified. On the advice of The Department of Education & Communities, the child may then be released into the care of the Police.
A Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) is a formal commitment to reconciliation. At Balmain Care For Kids we have created a RAP on the Narragunnawali website. Narragunnawali supports all early learning services all over the country to develop a level of knowledge and pride in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions.
If you would like to access our RAP please click the link below:
Balmain Care for Kids RAP
Our vision is to respect and acknowledge the unique connection that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have with the Lands on which early learning centres across Australia are situated, and help to build genuine, respectful relationships with all children and families who attend these centres. We are dedicated to ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are actively recognised for being Australia’s First Nations peoples and we are committed to gaining a deeper understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing and learning.
Our focus will be in developing genuine, respectful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities of our Balmain Care for Kids (BCFK) community. We seek to embed an awareness of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures into our programs that promote an understanding of diversity and inclusiveness. It is hoped that as a result, a high degree of empathy would develop in the relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous members of our community, and that a growing desire for reconciliation would be born.
Balmain Care For Kids values Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the cultures and contributions that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities can make to our centre and the wider community. We aspire to work towards a reconciled future where everyone is acknowledged, respected and involved. By engaging children, families and the wider community, we can work together towards an equal and equitable Australia. In order to foster reconciliation and respect difference and diversity, both personal and cultural, we all need to work together and form a bond to become an inclusive, accepting community.
393 Darling St, Balmain 2041. This centre caters for children from 6 weeks to 5 years.
Balmain Care for Kids acknowledges and pays our respects to the traditional custodians of the land and waters of NSW, and all Aboriginal Elders, past, present and emerging. We respectfully acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, and their continuing culture, spiritual customs and connection to the land.
