Family Handbook.

Getting Started 

Xplor

Gaia’s Nest have embraced technology and many of the housekeeping, compliance and communication aspects of our service are managed through an app called ‘Xplor’. Xplor is essential to us staying connected with you. Here are the steps that will get us started (your parts are in blue)

1.     Apply for Child Care Subsidy (CCS) through Centrelink, providing up to date income and activity to determine your eligibility.

2.     Complete our online enrolment form (the link will be provided to you).

3.     Xplor will generate a registration email and password. Watch out for this in your inbox.

4.     Log onto http://home.myxplor.com on a browser.   Use the registration details to set up your automatic Direct Debit arrangements and accept the CCS Agreement for your child/ren.

5.     Download the Xplor Home app to your smart phone (via Google Play or App Store) and use your registration details to log in and set up a four digit pin.

6.     Log on to your Mygov or Centrelink app and accept our Complying Written Agreement (CWA).

The first time you arrive at Gaia’s Nest after this, you will experience our Xplor sign in system. With your Bluetooth turned on, your phone will ‘ping’, prompting you to hold the sign in button for a second to electronically sign your child in. The same will happen at the end of the day, allowing you to quickly and easily complete the sign out process. 

The app is simple to use and also allows families to let us know of absences for holidays or illness, request additional days of attendance. 

From the rooms, educators will record routine aspects of care such as sleeps, nappy changes and sunscreen application. These routines will come to you as notifications. Please be assured all those aspects of care are attended to in a timely fashion, and though notifications are ‘live’, they might come to you well after the event. Attending to children will always come first for us.  We also record children’s development with families through observations which will come to you via Xplor.  We welcome any feed-back and should you wish to speak with an educator regarding any matter relating to your child’s development and observations please don’t hesitate to make a time to see them.  

Other Communication

On every occasion, educators aim to share verbal feedback on your child’s day with us. Occasionally time can be scarce through the busy transition times whilst we attend to children, so we might share a message with you via our Facebook using Messenger; email or a phone call. Should you ever need to speak with us privately, please call or see the staff in the office to make an appointment. Our aim is to always be available for families, but when working with children it can be difficult to achieve uninterrupted time where both educators and families can be free to talk. 

Facebook Pages

Gaia’s Nest has two Facebook accounts. One is Gaia’s Nest.  This is the public page where the public can see who we are and what we do.  The other is the Gaia’s Nest Familypage (spelt exactly as written here) and is a dedicated private page for families. This page contains images of the children and events happening each day and other important information. To connect to this page please request us as a friend. It shouldn’t take too long for us to approve your request. 

For Facebook to work efficiently and safely for everyone, there are some protocols we ask families to observe, listed below:

·       Please refrain from sending friend requests to educators and staff as private friends

·       No tagging of photos

·       No sharing of photos (you can save photos of your child only and re-post on your own wall if you wish to share with family or friends

·       Please refrain from posting grievances or negative comments, we encourage you to contact us directly with any issues that may arise to enable us to respond and resolve more personally. 

Facebook Groups

To make some of the work we do around policies, quality assurance and improvement more accessible to families, we have established a Facebook group called Gaia’s Nest Stakeholders group. If you would like more information or would like to contribute to this space, please add your name on the enrolment form.

Are you looking for pre-loved children’s clothes or other items? Gaia’s Nest has a Buy and Sell page too, a great way to connect with other families, keep the wardrobe clear of all the clothes children grow out of and find the items you need. You can let us know if this is of interest to you by adding your name on the enrolment form.

We also have a Gaia’s Nest Crafty Bears group which you are welcome to join if this is your thing.  We love to share the skills we have learned in the art of doll making, felting and toy creation, but also just sharing gifts and skillsets together.

Policies and Procedures

It is important for families to know where to access our Policy and Procedure manual. There is a paper copy in reception, but the full policy document is available via our Gaia’s Nest Stakeholders Group and our website: www.gaiasnest.com.au via a drop box link.   Key policies that are important for you to be aware of before starting at Gaia’s Nest include:

·      Anti-bias and Inclusion

·      Management of Sick Children policy

·      Medical Conditions policy

·      Dealing with Complaints policy

·      Management of Risk in our Environment policy

·      Sustainability policy

·      Parent Code of Conduct

All families are encouraged to participate in the review of our policies on a regular basis. Here is the link that will open our policy folder:    Policy Manual

What to bring along

Meals, drinks and snacks need to all be provided from home. To support mealtimes being a social occasion, we ask families to send a piece of fruit along to share. From time to time we will compliment this with food cooked as part of the children’s educational program. These foods are low GI, but warm and nourishing, equipping children for a full morning of activity. You may even find some lunch box food remains untouched. If your child attends for a full day, a second piece of fruit is requested for shared afternoon tea. Lunch box food suggestions come from the attached healthy food pyramid and are in keeping with the ‘Move Well, Eat Well’ guidelines for diet and activity for Australian children.  We refer to these healthy options as ‘everyday’ foods, and we do ask that ‘sometimes’ foods are restricted to home. A drink bottle filled only with water is required, we ensure these are always accessible to children and will refill as necessary during the day.  Milk bottles for infants also need to be sent along, either as boiled water with pre-measured formula ready to add, or alternatively, made up ready to heat. 

A sheet and blanket (clearly labelled) needs to be provided from home for our resting and sleeping children.  This assists a child to bridge that gap between home and care, the unfamiliar to the familiar.  We lay all children on floor beds which we feel supports their wellbeing and enables them to move off the bed when they wake independently, if they wish to. If their bed is made up, they may also recognize their own need for rest and take themselves to bed independently too.  They are in view at all times and are supported gently to sleep with assistance from their educators if needed. The linen is to be taken home at the end of the child’s week in care for laundering and returned for their next attendance.

Breast feeding is recognised as the best first exclusive food for infants. We aim for families to feel supported and encouraged to breast feed their children at the centre. A chair is provided in Baby Bears room, providing comfort for breast feeding mums. A space is available for families if privacy is required for expressing or breastfeeding or if little ones are too distracted by a larger group of children. Breast milk provided in bottles for during the day should be brought to the centre in sterilized bottles transported in an insulted bag or container with an ice brick or cold pack. Each bottle should be clearly labelled with the full name of the child and the date to be used. It should be placed in the fridge or freezer on arrival. Milk previously expressed and frozen should be clearly labelled with the date expressed and to be used by. 

Gaia’s Nest is an allergy aware environment. For this reason, we ask that families do not send any nuts or nut products. We are also a egg free centre, this means no whole egg products such as quiche, boiled/scrambled eggs or omelets. Eggs can be brought in if they are baked in muffins etc. For some children and educators, these foods can be life threatening. From time to time we may mention other foods to be excluded for this reason. 

Spare Clothes

A change of clothes is a definite requirement to cater for children’s engagement in play in all types of environments. If your child is toilet training, please send several sets. Remembering the toilet in time can be trickier when you are busy at Gaia’s Nest than it would be at home! Accidents are of course a normal part of toilet training anyway. 

Sunscreen is also provided, however we recognise that some children have sensitivities in this regard. If your child needs a particular sunscreen, please provide this to us and advise staff. All children need a Sun Safe hat. Please see our Sun Policy for further information. If you choose for us not to apply any sunscreen to your child, your permission is sought on the enrolment form in this regard.

In wet weather, we supply wet weather overalls for children but ask that families supply warm undergarments suitable for outdoor wear in cold and wet weather. A warm coat and gumboots or sturdy shoes are essential. Remember a beanie – this makes cold days and evenings outdoors exploring a new world in the dark much more comfortable. 

We recommend these great shoes for 
babies that can be sourced from this site.       https://www.attipas.com.au/

Nappies are provided by Gaia’s Nest. We are proud to be working towards zero waste waste by using Eenee nappies, which are completely compostable. The cost of nappies is covered in your fees.  We support families who wish to bring their own cloth nappies from home. Ideally, we would love to see everyone using the compostable nappies at home too (instead of normal disposables), however we respect that families may prefer their current choice and their journey to sustainability varied.  Families will need to provide a nappy per day to go home in. (Eenees use a reusable a belt system, which needs to stay at Gaia’s Nest unless you purchase your own). 

Compostable wipes are also provided, which are moistened with water and coconut oil.  Families can also purchase our compostable supplies for use at home and disposal in our commercial compost bins. 

Arrivals and Departures

Children must be signed in on arrival and out on departure, for every attendance. This is done via the Xplor app on your smart phone in conjunction with the hubs in each room.  However, if you do not have your phone handy, please see educators to ensure your child is signed in.

In keeping with our policy to minimize the spread of infection, we ask that children and families wash hands on arrival or make use of hand sanitizer in the office or rooms.

Medication can be administered if required during the day. This must be handed to an educator on arrival and a form authorising the administration of the medication must be completed to permit the medication to be given. This process applies to all medication, whether prescription, non-prescription, homeopathic, or other. Medication will only be administered if provided in its original packaging and is labelled clearly with correct dosage and child’s name. Prescription medication will only be administered if it is labelled by a Doctor or Pharmacist with the child’s correct name and dosage required.  Please refer to the medication policy for further information.

Collection of Children 

Please ensure your child/ children are collected on time, either by close of business at 6pm. End of day prompt collection is important as staff have personal and family responsibilities outside work hours and are entitled to leave on time. 

Collection of children can only be by persons authorized on your enrolment form. Please provide educators or office staff with clear written permission if someone new is to be added as an authorized person to collect. It is important educators and children have time to prepare for a change in arrangements. This notification can be made via Xplor, Messenger, email, or written note on arrival for the day. 

Late fees are incurred for late collection. Please refer to the fee schedule. Note that children not collected by 6.15pm and the parent or authorized people are not contactable, the child will be considered abandoned and the Dept of Child Safety Services contacted. 

Program Information

The educators build genuine, nurturing relationships and deeply understand all the children in their care. They provide rich and diverse programs based on the children’s strengths, needs and interests, for them to achieve positive learning outcomes. We will communicate with families their children’s achievements and successes against the outcomes of the Early Years Learning Framework and how they contribute to it and the learning that comes from it. As educators we really enjoy watching the children build their social and emotional skills as well as their physical and communication skills as they play and learn together. Our programs are guided by our philosophy and supported by the principles and practices of the Early Years Learning Framework. Please advise us of your expectations for communicating this information to your family. Do you like to be kept informed verbally, regularly sight portfolios, view documentation around our rooms or follow daily updates on our Facebook page? Let us know what is best for you. 

Toys from home

Guided by our philosophy and with the principles and practices of the Early Years Learning Framework, we aim to provide children with an environment free from influence of commercially themed toys.  On this basis we DO NOT promote children bringing in toys from home, however, at the same time we understand that the home environment and objects within it are diverse and can provide opportunities for children to share their culture, and that items from home can support children whilst in the care environment.  Items that complement our environment will be accepted with a positive attitude with acknowledgement of the positive outcomes these items can deliver. Items brought along should be of an interesting nature, either from the natural environment or an item relevant to the family culture. 

Gaia’s Nest does state that although all due care and respect is taken, it takes no responsibility for lost or broken items that are brought to the centre from home and recommends limiting the items to minimal quantity to assist in providing their safe return. 

Screen Time

We believe that intentional teaching can take many forms and can be enhanced by utilising technology such as computers to aid research as children investigate their own learning. If there is a short documentary, we will seek permission from families for their child to participate in this form of learning. Children under two years will not be provided access to screen time, in accordance with our philosophical approach to technology and the ‘Move Well, Eat Well’ recommendations,

Celebrations 

Unless otherwise instructed by families, at Gaia’s Nest we like to honour children’s birthdays. Part of celebrating birthdays in Australia is a celebration cake for their child to share with friends. To maintain a limit on ‘sometimes’ foods and remain focused on healthy eating and an allergy aware environment, we provide a celebration cake recipe (below) for all families to use. Please only use this recipe when providing a celebration cake. 

Christmas & Easter are also celebrated as ‘family festivals’ and programming around this event is undertaken, based on children’s interest. Please advise us if you do not wish your child to participate in any of these celebrations. We also enjoy celebrating a variety of cultural and religious festivals throughout the year as we share and learn with each other about festivals celebrated from around the world and integrating them into our program. We invite families to join us too from time to time. 

Events 

            Weekend excursions:

            Mother’s Day at the Botanical Gardens

            Father’s Day bushwalk event

            Winter Solstice Bonfire night

            Xmas celebrations

            Spontaneous events as they occur.

Community service informartion

 As we wish to make our reception area and rooms feel more like a welcoming home environment we choose not to display hundreds of posters, instead we will include flyers and information in your Welcome Pack.  Should you ever require further information about community and health services please don’t hesitate to ask.  You will find community announcements on our facebook page and from time to time via email and posts on Xplor.  There are also many helpful links on our website: Gaia's Nest

 Method:

Combine dates and hot water in a food processor and blend until smooth.  Alternatively, combine dates and hot water in a saucepan over medium heat for about 10 min, stirring until dates become mushy.  In a bowl combine coconut flour, bicarb soda and cocoa.  Stir in oil, banana, avocado and vanilla essence to date mix.  Then add date mix to dry ingredients and stir until well combined.  Pour into greased cake tin and bake in 180ºC oven for 25-30 min

Parent involvement in our quality improvement process

As part of our obligations under the National Quality Standards, we are required to create and maintain a Quality Improvement Plan. This is a living document used for us to reflect on the quality areas that guide us: 

Quality Area 1. Educational Program & Practice

Quality Area 2. Children’s Health & Safety

Quality Area 3. Physical Environment

Quality Area 4. Staffing Arrangements

Quality Area 5. Relationships with children

Quality Area 6. Collaborative partnerships with families and communities

Quality Area 7. Leadership and Service Management

We invite families to be involved in our quality improvement process.  Our Quality Improvement Plan can be located on our website and also in our Facebook Stakeholders Group under the pinned post via a drop box link.

During our process of reflection and continuing improvement and the updating our plan, we identify our strengths and areas we believe we can improve upon. As part of our efforts to include families in the evaluation process we provide a link to this document in our Stakeholders Facebook group and welcome your contribution. It would be appreciated if you would view this document from time to time and provide us with your comments. 

General Feedback

We welcome all feedback, both positive and constructive criticism, so we can continue to improve and better support our families and children.  There are a few ways you can communicate your feedback. Verbally to any educators, comment on Facebook at ‘Gaia’s Nest Familypage’.  We appreciate more delicate feedback/concerns be conducted privately or through Messenger. You can also phone 6244 2077. Our email address is: admin@gaiasnest.com.au

Something wrong? 

From time to time, issues arise, and we are committed to resolving these positively and quickly. Among our policies, Gaia’s Nest has a Dealing with Complaints policy and Parent Code of Conduct and Staff Code of Conduct. These help to guide expectations from both families and the centre.  Please refer to these policies in the document mentioned above. 

Sustainability

Conscious thought about everything we do and how it affects the Earth promotes us to become proactive in the way we approach the choice of resources we use and therefore the rubbish we create.

At Gaia’s Nest we aim to be as sustainable as possible, leaving as minimal impact on the environment as we can, to be conscious decision makers in all that we do and to role model as we teach the children and share our journey with our greater community and invite their participation. 

Our sustainability practices include opportunities for families to be involved with the goal to inspire and to be proactive in the choices that they make themselves and that work within their own family culture. 

We promote the use of cloth or compostable nappies, wipes, gloves and bin liners. These are sourced from http://www.eenee.com/  . 

These are the nappies provided for use at Gaia’s Nest. 

We provide a commercial compost bin (located at the end of our driveway). Families who use compostable nappies and wipes OR would like to bring your food scraps, you are welcome to use our compost bin. Our aim is for zero waste, recognising that recycling will be required. 

Nappies, wipes and compostable bin liners for purchase.

If you would like more information about organic waste collection you can find it here:  http://organics.recycling.eenee.com/

We recommend the use of bento style lunch boxes to reduce the packaging waste but also to encourage families to pack a nutritious lunch box filled with a variety of colourful whole foods. We sometimes post pictures on our Facebook page to provide inspiration, (without huge expectations and judgement) as we realise families are time poor and have their own family culture. We hope that these ideas assist you. 

You can see more about sustainability in our policy. 

Health and Safety

Mandatory Reporting

Gaia’s Nest families need to be aware that whilst we respect family confidentiality, as a facility providing care for children, all of our staff are Mandatory Reporters. Under the Children’s and Young Persons Act, it is mandatory for us to report any suspected or known child abuse to Child Safety Services. We take our obligations in this regard very seriously and aim to build positive, trusting relationships with families to enable these difficult conversations to reach a positive outcome. 

Allergies, Asthma and Anaphylaxis

Gaia’s Nest is an Asthma and Allergy aware centre. If your child has used or uses blue Asthma reliever medication you must complete the details on the enrolment form. You are also required to provide a copy of your child’s Asthma Management Plan signed by your doctor. Your child’s medication must be provided and can either be left at the centre or signed in and out of care daily. Gaia’s Nest does hold an emergency supply of Ventolin and we will adhere to legislation that allows us to use centre medication or another child’s medication in an emergency. 

In cases where Anaphylaxis is diagnosed, children must bring their Epipen into care together with an Anaphylaxis Action Plan. Epipens must be signed in and out of care or left at the centre as with Asthma medication. A child with diagnosed Anaphylaxis cannot attend the centre without medication being provided for every attendance.  

Educators are professionally trained in Anaphylaxis and Emergency Asthma Management and undertake regular competency based in-service training to ensure skill and knowledge is maintained. 

Illness

If your child contracts a communicable illness (commonly gastro, conjunctivitis as examples), exclusion, treatment and documentation will be managed in accordance with Staying Healthy V5.  In the event of outbreaks of a notifiable disease exclusion and management will be as per Department of Health guidelines. If your child becomes unwell at the centre, we shall contact you to advise you of the details and if relevant ask that you collect your child. Information is posted on our facebook page, or through our Xplor app when there is known illness at the centre. Posters on the doors will also advise of any illness outbreaks in severe cases.

If your child will be absent due to being unwell, please notify the centre so relevant records can be maintained. 

COVID-19.   We have put in place additional protocols in order to maintain the health and safety of all who attend our centre.  Families and staff are required to inform the centre if they have been overseas or in a recent ‘hot spot’ or have been in contact with someone being tested for Covid-19, or have been tested themselves.  We will ask you to isolate until a positive test is returned.  As you enter the centre hand sanitizer or washing your hands is a requirement of entry.  Social distancing should be practiced at all times and staff will guide you should we find ourselves in a situation where gatherings are too large.  We remain open as normal through the current period.

Promoting a healthy environment

We diffuse Doterra On Guard and Easy Air essential oils in our measures to provide a healthy environment for children.  On Guard kills airborne pathogens and Easy Air supports respiratory health.  Lavender Peace is used to promote rest and relaxation during quiet periods.  If you have any queries or concerns about the use of these in our service please communicate with us. From time to time we will host an event to share the knowledge about the many benefits of these oils and you will receive an invitation.

Sleep

We use floor beds at the centre to provide children with a secure environment in which to sleep and rest. Waking up where they are put to sleep with the same surroundings, sounds and people assists in children’s emotional wellbeing promoting a feeling of safety and security.  Our sleep practices are guided by Red Nose, the NQS. Further information can be accessed at: https://rednose.com.au/ and in our policy document.

Immunisation

The National Health and Medical Research Council recommends all children are fully vaccinated. We are required to collect a copy of your child’s immunisation record at time of enrolment, as well as provide evidence of updates as they occur. Copies of immunisation records can be made from your child’s blue book and is accessible on the Immunisation register. You can access this through your MyGov account. 

Children who are not immunised are not eligible to receive the Child Care Subsidy, unless formal medical exemption is proven. Children not immunised, or children with incomplete immunisation records at the centre, will be excluded during any outbreak of an infectious disease preventable by immunisation, even if they are well, for their own and others protection. 

Clarence City Council provides an immunisation clinic every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month from 10.30am to 11.30am. 

Fee Information

Payment of Fees

Prior to care commencing a non-refundable deposit of $150 is payable. We utilize Ezi-Debit for the collection of fees and this must be set up through Xplor before care commences.  Payments are made in advance with Child Care Subsidy rebates already deducted.  In the event a payment is dishonored, please contact us to agree an alternate payment arrangement.  Should 2 payments be dishonored with no effort made to rectify the arrears, cancellation of care will occur. We are a very small centre and compliance with the fee policy is necessary to ensure the successful operation of the centre.  

Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is available to all eligible families. To claim for CCS contact Centrelink or apply online.   You will need to complete and activity test and advise your income.  Ensure this is undertaken prior to commencing care. You can contact them on 136150. Eligibility for CCS will also be dependent on your child’s current immunisation status. Full fees will be debited from your nominated account until CCS is confirmed by Centrelink, when the difference will be refunded or our account will be in credit.   

Absences 

If your child is absent due to illness or other reason, full fee is payable. The exception to this is family holiday periods, which attract a discount of 50%, if notified two weeks ahead of time. CCS is applicable for up to 42 absences per year. Holiday discount cannot be applied to absences from care during the Christmas, New Year or Easter weeks due the high number of children away impacting on the business. If the centre is closed for any period other than a public holiday, there will be no charge.

Please let us know of any intended absences to assist with roster planning and to receive your discount for your holiday.

Permanent Cancellation of Care

A two-week notice period applies when withdrawing a child from the centre. Children can attend for the last two weeks, or payment can be made in lieu of notice. Please note that CCS is not payable beyond the child’s last attendance, so payment in lieu results in full fee being payable. 

Schedule of Fees

Non-refundable deposit payable at time of enrolment*

$150

Full day fee 

$135.00

All fees attract Child Care Subsidy subject to Centrelink family eligibility criteria. 

Casual bookings are available on request but are subject to vacancies at the desired time

Fees are charged on a session or day basis, whether or not the child attends for the full booked time. 

The centre is closed on all gazetted public holidays. In addition, Christmas and Easter closures are:

Christmas – centre closes 24th December and re-opens 3rd January (This is subject to change, and it is possible that the centre may close until 4th January 2022) 

Easter – centre closed Friday, re-opens Tuesday 

While at Gaia’s Nest we aim to make your child’s time with us enchanting, inspiring and memorable and to provide them with an environment that develops relationships, knowledge and skills for them to be inspired learners for their life journey ahead. 

If you have any comments, thoughts or suggestions, please feel free to share them by talking to our educators. If there are certain things your child has taken an interest in, please advise us as this will assist us in planning a program for him / her that will create a better learning experience.  

Gaia’s Nest is a family friendly environment and with your involvement we can make it a home away from home.