Our Prospectus
Our Mission Statement
Silver Steps Day care provides a safe, happy and stimulating educational environment in which children are valued as unique individuals, supported by caring, experienced and qualified staff.
We act as positive role models for the children in our care. We promote the way in which children learn through play and first hand experiences and arrange our activities and environment to meet this end.
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Learning through play and interaction in a place where they have empowerment over their environment.
We promote an atmosphere of mutual respect and encouragement where children are prepared for their next steps in learning. To enable them to become happy, confident, creative, sociable and enthusiastic learners who look forward and seek out challenges.
We ensure that the welfare of each individual child in our care is paramount and forms the basis for our practice. This enables the children to develop confidence, self esteem and resilience.
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A strong partnership between home and the setting is created liaising closely with parents, other professionals and links with our local community.
We recognise that parents and carers are the first and most, enduring educators of their children. We appreciate and listen to views of all who use our setting; children, parents, employees and other professionals.
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We endeavour to make our setting friendly and approachable. We ensure that all individuals, children and adults alike can enjoy the setting environment without judgement or discrimination from others.
We accommodate the individual needs to all who access our setting, irrespective of ethnic heritage, social and economic background, gender, sexual orientation, ability or disability.
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We act in accordance with the Early Years Foundation Stage principles and commitments. At all times we comply with relevant National and Local legislation and guidance.
All About Our Day Care
Silver Steps Day Care is a Childcare setting based in Silver End. We accept children from 2 Year Olds to school reception.
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At Silver Steps we believe in giving our children the best possible start in their learning and development.
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Our setting aims to:
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Provide high quality care and education for children
below statutory school age -
Work in partnership with parents to help children
to learn and develop -
Offer children and their parents a service that
promotes equality and values diversity.
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Children’s development and learning
We aim to ensure that each child:
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Is in a safe and stimulating environment
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Is given generous care and attention
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Has the chance to join in with other children and adults
to live, play, work and learn together -
Is helped to take forward his/her learning and development
by being encouraged to build on what she/he already knows and can do -
Has a key person who makes sure each child makes
satisfying progress -
Is in a setting that sees parents as partners in helping
each child to learn and develop.
Parents
We aim to ensure that each parent is:
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Valued and respected
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Kept informed
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Consulted and Involved
Our approach to learning and development and assessment
The Early Years Foundation Stage:
The provision for children's development and learning is guided by the Early Years Foundation Stage (DfE 2017). Our provision reflects the four overarching principles of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.
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A Unique Child
Every child is a unique child who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self assured.
Positive Relationships
Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships.
Enabling Environments
Children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners, parents and carers.
Learning and Development
Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates. The framework covers the education and care of all children in early years provision including children with special educational needs and disabilities.
How we provide for development and learning
Children start to learn about the world around them from the moment they are born. The care and education offered by our setting helps children to continue to do this by providing all of the children with interesting activities that are appropriate for their age and stage of development.
The Areas of Development and Learning comprise:
Prime Areas
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Personal, social and emotional development.
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Physical development
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Communication and language.
Specific Areas
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Literacy
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Mathematics
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Understanding the world
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Expressive arts and design
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Learning through play
Play helps young children to learn and develop through doing and talking, which research has shown to be the means by which young children learn to think.
Our setting uses the Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage guidance to plan and provide a range of play activities, which help children to make progress in each of the areas of learning and development. In some of these activities, children decide how they will use the activity and, in others, an adult takes the lead in helping the children to take part in the activity. In all activities, information from 'Development Matters' the Early Years Foundation Stage has been used to decide what equipment to provide and how to provide it.
For each area, the level of progress that children are expected to have attained by the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage is defined by the Early Learning Goals. These goals state what it is expected that children will know, and be able to do, by the end of the reception year of their education.
The Development Matters guidance sets out the likely stages of progress a child makes along their learning journey towards the Early Learning Goals. Our setting has regard to these matters when we assess children and plan for their learning. Our programme supports children to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding.
Characteristics of effective learning
We understand that all children engage with other people and their environment through the characteristics of effective learning that are described in the Development Matters the Early Years.
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Foundation Stage guidance as:
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Playing and exploring - engagement;
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active learning - motivation;
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creating and thinking critically - thinking.
We aim to provide for the characteristics of effective learning by observing how a child is learning and being clear about what we can do and provide in order to support each child to remain an effective and motivated learner.
Assessment
We assess how young children are learning and developing by observing them frequently. We use information that we gain from observations, as well as from photographs of the children, to document their progress and where this may be leading them. We believe that parents know their children best and we ask them to contribute to assessment by sharing information about what their children like to do at home and how they, as parents, are supporting development.
We make periodic assessment summaries of children’s achievement based on our ongoing development records. These form part of children’s records of achievement. We undertake these assessment summaries at regular intervals, as well as times of transition, such as when a child moves into a different group or when they go on to school.
The progress check at age two
The Early Years Foundation Stage requires that we supply parents and carers with a short written summary of their child’s development in the three prime areas of learning and development: personal, social and emotional development; physical development; and communication and language; when a child is aged between 24 - 36 months.
The key person is responsible for completing the check using information from ongoing observational assessments carried out as part of our everyday practice, taking account of the views and contributions of parents and other professionals.
Records of achievement
The setting keeps a record of achievement for each child. Your child's record of achievement helps us to celebrate together her/his achievements and to work together to provide what your child needs for her/his well-being and to make progress.
Your child's key person will work in partnership with you to keep this record. To do this you and she/he will collect information about your child's needs, activities, interests and achievements. This information will enable the key person to identify your child's stage of progress. You and the key person will then decide on how to help your child to move on to the next stage.
Working together for your children
We maintain the ratio of adults to children in the setting that is set by the Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements.
We also have volunteer parent helpers, where possible, to complement these ratios. This helps us to:
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Give time and attention to each child
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Talk with the children about their interests and activities
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Help children to experience and benefit from the activities we provide
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Allow the children to explore and be adventurous in safety.
The staff who work at our setting are experienced, and/or qualified to deliver a high standard of care and education to your children. The qualifications of staff exceed the minimum requirements that are set out in the EYFS. Our staff take part in further training to help them to keep up-to date with thinking about early years care and education. Many of the staff have worked in early years for a long time and all are passionate about childcare.
Our Sessions
Pre-school Sessions 9:00 - 12:00
9:00 - 3:00
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Full Day Sessions 7:30 - 5:00
Monday to Friday
Where not government funded, our sessions are £6 per hour.
We are open Term Time Only
Payment of fees/ Additional charges
Our fees are based on a sessional fee that shall be notified to you in advance of your child starting. We may review these fees at any time but shall inform you of the revised amount at least one month before it takes effect. If you do not wish to pay the revised fee, you may end this Agreement by giving us one month’s notice in writing. Fees must be paid on a half termly basis, in advance.
All payments made under the Agreement should be by cash, voucher or bank transfer. If paying by bank transfer this should be referenced with your child’s name. Late payments incur a late payment fee of £20 this will be made for fees that have been outstanding for 5 days. If the payment of fees is outstanding for a further 5 days then we reserve the right to terminate the contract, will shall do this by giving you immediate notice in writing.
Upon termination of this contract your child shall cease forthwith to be admitted, and the notice to terminate shall be regarded as a formal demand for outstanding monies. No refund will be given for periods where the place is unfulfilled due to illness or holidays on the part of either party. We are closed on bank holidays, and 2 weeks over the Christmas period, We accept no liability for other costs which you incur if we are unable to provide childcare for any reason. In the event of late collection of your child, we reserve the right to charge £5 for each additional 5 minute period beyond your usual collection time.
Snacks and Lunch
We will supply a healthy morning snack to our preschool children, the setting will provide Milk and Water. During this time children will be encouraged to self select, self portion, cut up their own fruit and pour their own drink. If your child attends the setting for lunch we ask that you provide them with a packed lunch as we will not have the facilities to provide.
We also ask as we are a “NUT FREE” setting that you DO NOT send your child with anything nut based as they will not be able to consume it e.g. (Peanut butter, Nutella, any nut based chocolate bars).
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If your child is still in our care after school, between 4:30 and 5 they will be provided with a light snack which may include sandwiches, fruit, crumpets, toast etc…
What you need to bring to wear
We have free flow play in our outside area, the children will also be offered paint, playdough, shaving foam and water which means we would like every child to have a spare set of clothes in the setting. We provide named drawstring bags on a named peg to accommodate these items.
The setting timetable and routines
Our setting believes that care and education are equally important in the experience which we offer children.
The routines and activities that make up the day in the setting are provided in ways that:​​
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Help each child to feel that she/he is a valued member of the setting;
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Ensure the safety of each child;
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Help children to gain from the social experience of being part of a group;
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Provide children with opportunities to learn and help them to value learning.
Emergency Treatment
If a child attending the setting has an accident whilst in our care basic First Aid treatment will begiven by a qualified staff member. Any emergency treatment or medical advice will be permitted unless a parent states otherwise in writing. If a child sustains a head injury during their time in the setting, will be contacted and made aware by the child's key person or manager.
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Silver Steps does not accept any responsibility for treatment given against parents' wishes if we have not been otherwise informed. All parents will be informed and required to sign the accident sheet, in the case of a more serious accident or incident a child will be taken immediately to the nearest hospital and parents will be informed.
Sickness
The setting will make every effort to notify parents should their child become ill whilst at the setting. Senior staff reserve the right to take the child to hospital in an emergency. Please note minimum exclusion periods apply and must be adhered to our policy and guidelines are available from the Silver Steps Team.
The session
We organise our sessions so that the children can choose from, and work at, a range of activities and, in doing so, build up their ability to select and work through a task to its completion. The children are also helped and encouraged to take part in adult-led small and large group activities, which introduce them to new experiences and help them to gain new skills, as well as helping them to learn to work with others.
Outdoor activities contribute to children's health, their physical development and their knowledge of the world around them. The children have the opportunity, and are encouraged, to take part in outdoor child-chosen and adult-led activities, as well as those provided in the indoor playroom.
Policies
Copies of the settings policies and procedures are available for you to see at the setting. The settings policies help us to ensure that the service provided by the setting is a high quality one and that being a member of this provision is an enjoyable and beneficial experience for each child and her/his parents.
The staff will review these documents annually. This review helps us to make sure that the policies are enabling the setting to provide a quality service for its members and the local community.
Safeguarding Children
Our setting has a duty under the law to help safeguard children against suspected or actual ‘significant harm’. Our employment practices ensure children are protected against the likelihood of abuse in our settings and we have a procedure for managing complaints or allegations against a member of staff.
Our way of working with children and their parents ensures we are aware of any problems that may emerge and can offer support, including referral to appropriate agencies when necessary, and to help families in difficulty.
Special Educational Needs
As part of the settings policy to make sure that its provision meets the needs of each individual child, we take account of any additional needs a child may have. The provision works to the requirements of the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice (2014).
Starting at our setting
We want your child to feel happy and safe with us. To make sure that this is the case, the staff will work with you to decide on how to help your child to settle into the setting. Our policy on the Role of the Key Person and Settling-in is available from the Pre-School Manager and can also be found on our website. We hope that you and your child enjoy being members of our setting and that you both find taking part in our activities interesting and stimulating. The staff are always ready and willing to talk with you about your ideas, views or questions.
If you feel Silver Steps Day Care is the setting for you and you would like to request a place for your child, please email us on admin@silverstepsdaycare.com leaving your name and address and we will ensure a registration form is sent to you.
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