'A Home Away From Home'
.png)
SETTLING INTO OUR NURSERY
We prioritise nurturing children's confidence, independence, and self-esteem, underscoring the importance of the settling-in period as a pivotal phase for shaping their future experiences in our setting.
Home Visit
Before a child starts at Rainbow Hill House, our senior manager, Faye, along with another member of staff will request to visit your home to meet you and your child.
Visiting your child at home is extremely reassuring as it is a place where you and your child feel comfortable and relaxed and therefore, when you welcome us into your home, your child sees us as friends. Children need to see that the people who are going to be caring for them are friendly and trusted by you.
We come to chat about your child and answer any questions that you may have about them starting Nursery. We would like to find out more information about your child and can help you fill in any forms that we need for our records. Usually, the visit lasts about half an hour. We will bring a few toys and books for your child to look at and play with. We would like to visit you approximately a week before your child starts. This is so that the gap between seeing us and starting Nursery is as short as possible for your child. They see us in their own home and the following week they come to play with us at Nursery. (Unfortunately, home visits are currently not going ahead due to unforeseen circumstances)
Settling In
We recommend to parents that their child has a long settling-in period of at least 3-4 weeks. This extended duration allows ample time for children to familiarise themselves with our environment and staff. We recommend that the settling in period is completed before you resume work in case your child requires your presence during this crucial adjustment phase.
During the settling-in period we gradually increase the hours of settling-in sessions until the hours reach the full day. During the initial sessions, we request parents or carers stay with their child for the first one or two sessions, depending on the child's comfort level. This practice ensures that your child can seek comfort from you if needed during their initial hours in a new environment.
During the settling in sessions, our team will get to know your little one, encourage them to explore and become familiar with the environment. The next step is to allocate a key person to your child. The key person will be a member of staff who your child has grown close to over their settling in period. It will be an individual who is able to comfort your little one if needed, and whom your child feels comfortable to seek reassurance/help from. During the settling in period, we go the extra mile to build a relationship and strong attachment with your child. Our team are trained to recognise the different stages of attachment and use this knowledge to support children and families settling into the nursery.
The settling-in hours incur a charge of £9.20 per hour or £8.70 for full-time attendees or those eligible for a sibling discount. This amount will be included in your initial invoice.
Transitioning to School
We work closely with, and have great relationships with, various local schools including Bounds Green Primary School, Rhodes Avenue and Bowes Primary School who all help in ensuring the transition from nursery to school goes as smoothly as possible for each individual child.
At Rainbow Hill House, we put great emphasis on developing all children's self-confident and independence, but the year before a child goes to school, we put extra measures in place to ensure each child is prepared and ready. For example, we invite the children's future teachers to have a stay and play session with the children, booklets are created which include photographs of the new school, children take photographs of their new setting home to talk about it with their parents and carers etc.